In order for the Triple E Framework to work in religious education, we must add a fourth "E" to the criteria. The additional "E" in what I call the Quadruple E Framework stands for Encounter. Technology integration in Catholic faith formation won't benefit anyone if it doesn't help educators encounter students and families and if it doesn't help young persons encounter the person of Jesus Christ.
The Quadruple E Framework is a way for religious education programs to assess if integration of technology in a lesson meets 4 criteria. It must:
| 1. Extend the lesson |
2. Engage the student |
3. Enhance learning |
4. Encounter students |
Let’s break down what each of those might look like...
Extend
Technology is a tool that allows us to break beyond traditional barriers of time and location. Using technology in a way that will engage a learner’s prior knowledge, connect it to something relevant in their lives and extend its application outside of the classroom is evidence of a rich learning experience. We should be looking at how we can keep students thinking and interacting with content between our meetings with them in religious education classes or meetings.
Engage
Simply put, engagement is getting and keeping the attention of students. We have the privilege of being religious educators, so we have some pretty compelling content to share. Engagement, in this context, is parceling and presenting that content is a way that is easy to understand, accessible, and interesting. When choosing to implement technology, you will want to think about what students will like, but also how user friendly it is. Having clear goals for the lesson and thinking ahead about how you will define success will help you choose the right tool.
Download a simple rubric that will help you evaluate different technology tools, like apps or software, for your religious education setting or classroom? This Technology Evaluation Tool Rubric helps leaders, directors, catechists and teachers assess and determine the best ones for their particular setting and students!
Enhance
When using technology, we want to move beyond just substituting a traditional experience to digital one. Sometimes when it comes to technology, we can get caught up in the bells and whistles of what we can do without always stopping to consider if it is any better than what we are replacing it with. Taking into account the of instructional design, the goal is to use technology to redefine learning, rather than just substitute, augment or modify a lesson. This of course takes time and practice and we move along the spectrum as we experiment with technology integration.
Encounter
Of course we want to find authentic ways to encounter our students and families through our religious education programs. One of the hardest things to measure in any ministry is if you have somehow helped the young person encounter the person of Jesus Christ. Knowing how omnipresent technology is in the hands and lives of young people, this is a great opportunity to be present to them in new and exciting ways. In addition, we need to think about how we are helping teach our young people to express and share their moments of encounter with us and their peers. Sometimes the most powerful tool you can provide is student choice. They may be better at making a video, curating pictures, recording an audio clip or curating a playlist to express how they feel or what they experienced rather than writing a paragraph or raising their hand and sharing. Anytime we ask our students to be curators or creators of content related to their faith, we are inviting the Holy Spirit into their learning as well as being open to knowing and understanding them in a new way.
