Eric Swanson:
Is there a play in the MOOC space for classes in discipleship, spiritual formation, church planting, marriage prep and enrichment, leadership development, etc? Is there a need for follow-up and discipleship for those new converts who have come to Christ over the Web? Yes, but if we want to learn from the best and most engaging MOOCs we probably need to make a few adjustments to our digital pedagogy. The best MOOCs don’t merely film the university classes and post assignments through a pdf. The instructors have figured out that this new medium requires a new teaching style. Gone are the hour-long lectures. Content comes in smaller, more digestible chunks. As churches seek to teach, train, and disciple others over distance, or in a nonsynchronous, virtual environment it’s helpful to understand what’s happening in the MOOC ecosystem and what good teaching looks like. Because the best teaching is transformational we need a methodology that focuses on transformation more than transfer of information.A lot of people look at technology as something to distract us. I feel drastically different. Technology is a tool that can enable discipleship relationships to grow even outside of the d-group. As new technology is developed, a pastor should be looking it at to determine if and how it can be used to assist in making disciples who make disciples/
