Smartphone Comments

A few weeks ago I asked for some comments about smartphones and smartphone apps. There was some feedback from that which I'd like to share here and also comment on briefly as this week's post. To see the complete comments, visit the original post's comment section at http://elcaymnet.org/_blog/Tech_Geek/post/Smartphones/#comments.

Eric Deibler wrote about the ways his phone helps him stay organized:

My smartphone has been "a tremendous help in keeping myself better organized (a perpetual challenge). I use quite a few apps, focusing primarily on those which increase organization and/or productivity."

Agreed, agreed, and agreed. I, too, struggle to keep organized and on top of all the information that I need to keep track of. I appreciate the easy connection to my information and the fact that it's all synchronized between places. Eric, what are your top three most used apps? Mine would be Business Calendar (obtained as a paid free-app-of-the-day from the Amazon Appstore), the built-in Gmail app, and I'm starting to use Out of Milk Shopping List to keep track of grocery lists and other lists.

Lisa Herlocker commented on some of the difficulties she saw with only having material available on a smartphone app:

Last summer at Western States they put all most of their info, including nightly devos online -- with the idea folks would read things on their phone. While nice to have on the phone and certainly a paper saver -- most of my youth weren't able to access the info. Two of eight had internet on their phones. One didn't even have a cell phone. I have trouble reading off of the screen as my eyes age -- yes I can make it bigger, but then I'm scrolling every few words which is tough if the signal is weak.

Great points Lisa. The Gathering's Communication Media team is not envisioning replacing anything with an app, only providing the app as an additional way of accessing content that is also available in printed form and via websites in a form that you could print out yourself. So if you find yourself without your Guidebook for some reason, you could still access the Final Fifteen devotions.

Courtney Cover, who doesn't own a smartphone because of the cost and way it over-connects here to work (both good points), had some great ideas for a Gathering app:

Maybe such things as attendance statistics updates or check ins etc. Sort of like Disney's Mousewait for the Theme Parks. I am curious to see other responses!

I'm not sure if we'll be able to do that, but I love the idea. Perhaps we'll at least suggest that people check-in on Facebook or Google+.

Harold Peetoom and others were concerned with a Gathering app for youth, as they generally don't allow youth to use cell phones on trips. He suggested that if there were to be an app, it be focused and marketed to adults as a way of communicating updates.

We hope to make your group's personal schedule available in a mobile-friendly site and, in case of significant changes or emergencies, the Gathering will be sending text messages to all registered participants informing them of plans.

Jason Fisher, who tells us he is quite possibly the only youth leader in the country who has never owned a cell phone (I can't vouch for that, but he could be), does like the idea of reaching out to young people via apps that tie into curriculum.

Kayla Stenstrom has some great suggestions for answering the "How was it? question when youth get back home. She writes:

I think it'd be awesome to have a blog that's open to all who attend, so they can post their experiences as they're happening. I've started a blog for my youth which I will have them take turns posting on while we're in New Orleans. When you get home from an amazing trip and people ask "How was it?", you usually just say "Good," 'cuz you can't explain it. But if we had youth write (or even record themselves) telling their stories right when they happen, we could powerfully share their experiences to parents and other adults/youth across the country who aren't there. Or, it allows youth to process the experience together.

Great idea! This is one of the primary goals we have for an app, if a separate one gets developed. I think that a site like Tumblr or Posterous might be a perfect way to collect information/posts from a youth group and hold them all in one place. I need to do some more research about those sites and look forward to writing a post about them in the future.

Another goal that we have for this Gathering is to have participants consistently tag photos, videos, and other posts with the #cwts12 hashtag so that members of our team can find them.

Kaya continues:

Also, I recommend that those who have smartphones check out the app Dropbox. It allows you to sync word documents and pictures between your computer and phone, so you always have your work with you.

This is exactly what I wrote about last time! It's available over here at http://elcaymnet.org/_blog/Tech_Geek/post/Dropbox_Revisited/.

And to wrap it up, Amy Wagner writes both about her own use of her phone and how she tries to manage her youth in their usage:

I can't tell you the number of times I have had to use my Google Maps to get us from point A to point B. It works for walking/driving/public transportation. That eliminates the maps I need to carry around. Not to mention the ability to record memories as they happen with twitter/facebook and picture and video capabilities with that. That way we can help keep our congregation/parents in the loop, and automatically have a journal of our experiences. Also, I can input my youth's emergency contact info as well as any info I need to have at the time of an emergency on a Google Doc and have it at a moment's notice...the phone is a great back up. You could also potentially just scan in copies of release forms and have the info for when you are at the emergency room, and can create a folder on your home screen. Plus then each adult gets a copy, either paper or electronic. That's my sales pitch for a smartphone.

Very well said. I want to lift up the idea of using Google Docs or Dropbox as a way of keeping electronic backup copies of release and medical forms. Great idea and way to always have them, even if you left the binder at the worksite or something like that.

I know the expectation for the students I work with is to engage in face to face conversations, and not to use their phones (which they already are non-stop attached to)...It's helpful for students to have their phones--should they become separated from the group (which in the masses of 2009, we had happen), but phones also become a crutch for students to not fully engage in the here and now, because "Susie broke up with Johnny back home", and now that's student's attention is back home instead of with our group. So basically, I don't want my students to have "an excuse" to be on their phones--so they can fully engage in the group's experience. That's my two cents, for what it's worth.

When we were younger, my brother was genuinely fascinated by The Weather Channel. He would watch it for hours. My parents, who weren't generally enthusiastic about television watching and didn't let us watch a ton of TV, figured that this was a pretty good channel to be watching. While he did watch it much of the time, he also learned that he could watch something else and then switch back to The Weather Channel if someone came into the room! I think you're right to worry that some young people would take advantage of having an "authorized" use of their phones during the Gathering.

Thanks for the comments and conversation. They will be taken into consideration as we move forward on our plans for how to help group leaders tell their story of the Gathering.

Does anyone know Tumblr or Posterous well and want to help me learn about them? Drop me a note at techgeek - at - elcaymnet - dot - org.

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