Project Philosophy

A written document succinctly synthesizing ideas and themes that the writer has researched is perhaps the most traditional academic project. While such papers surely have a place in education, they are generally closed documents. That is, once the final draft is submitted, it will rarely be re-edited nor shared beyond the eyes of the professor. Only the student and perhaps the professor have learned through this exercise.

This project, however, will seek to leverage emerging technology to produce an open document. By utilizing a wiki framework, this project is literally open to the entire world for reading and editing. Anyone with Internet access can glean from and add to this document thereby creating a living and robust resource which will hopefully edify the church for years to come.

This open source mentality is congruent with the Christian worldview. Virtues such as generous sharing of resources and humbly depending on others are found throughout the Scriptures.  A wiki shares information and, because it invites others to edit the information, it also demonstrates humility and dependence on the community at large.

We live in an incredible age of communication. What was not possible or extremely difficult even 100 years ago can now be accomplished by an average person in minutes. As Bob Hyatt publicly pondered, the issue boils down to stewardship. We must be good stewards of the resources--including knowledge--that God has given us. "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." (Luke 12:48)

[related resources: Examples of ministries sharing resources | Article on how the open source movement has changed education | Article on what computer skills are most important long-term.]

Content Philosophy

Each example of technology in the Content section were selected based on the following criteria.

• Easily accessible - Technologies featured are financially and technologically easily accessible. That is, they are free or low-cost and require only an Internet-connected computer with browser (no special software to download or install).
• User-friendly - Technology is a tool and, as such, should enhance and not overshadow the learning experience. Therefore, these tools must be easy to use.