Sharing Photos and Video

We all have videos and photos of our youth group memories we want to share. If you don't, I want to encourage you to reconsider the power of connection that displaying your youth group memories can bring. It displays friends. It displays the atmosphere your community strives for. It displays fun or compassion or acceptance or all of the above!

But how do we share those videos or pictures?

Add a live poll to your presentation

Here's something fun to do.  Let your students use their phones (since they are doing it anyway) to add to what is being shared.  By using Poll Everywhere you can add a little spice.  They even provide a free plan, which is limited to a certain number, or you can pay for whatever use and size of group that you have.

The process is simple:

1. Create an account.  
2. Create your poll on their site.  
3. Download the PowerPoint page that they provide for you, and place it into your presentation. 
4. Show your presentation.
5. Instruct your students to text their vote to the number provided and give them the options to vote.
6. If your presentation computer is connected to the internet, the results will display automatically before their eyes, and in real time.  

Give it a try and let us know what you think in your comments.

iPad as Travel Companion

I'm taking a trip to our regional University this week with some of our students, and I've made up my mind.  I'm not taking my macbook with me.  I haven't traveled without carrying a laptop for a LONG time, but I'm making the break for this 3 day trip.

Why am I doing this? Simplicity...maybe.  Not having to deal with security...possibly.  But the main reason is I can do most of what I need using my iPad.

There are very few things that I can't accomplish with it as my primary tool.  If I throw my bluetooth keyboard in the bag, I'm even better off.  I have most of my needed tools available on it.  I can place enough video for the plane ride and my reading material is loaded as well.  If my flight has wifi, Netflix can fill in a lot of gaps.

The great thing is that by leaving my macbook plugged in and running at home, I can access and run the needed operations from it if the need arises (generally only for a few possible web updates for clients) using a free version of TeamViewer, this app is a must-have for the mobile youth pastor.

I'll update you on my experience upon my return...here's to mobile computing at it's finest!

Event Roster

How do you manage who has signed up for your events?  Are you old school with a piece of paper and a pen?  Do you make a list in Word or Excel?  Do you use online registration forms and generate some sort of list?

Here's an option maybe you haven't thought of: Zenbe List or Team Coach.

Zenbe Lists

Zenbe Lists vs. Team Coach

Zenbe Lists is a simple online list maker that uses cloud technology to sync your lists from the zenbe website to your mobile devices.  I have it installed on my phone, my wife's phone, and my iPad.  I have lists of events with students who have registered in them.  I also have a list of everyone I have a medical release form for.  My wife and I also have our grocery lists so when I run to WalMart to pick up a few game supplies I can do her a favor and grab a few items for her.  Costs only $3.99 in iTunes which includes the iPhone and iPad app.

Team Coach

Team Coach is an app built for sport coaches, but it comes in really handy in youth ministry.  It allows you to create teams, which I use to create events.  Then you add individuals to the teams (events).  And last it allows you to create events for your teams, which I use to create events like "Paid" or "Registered" or "Bowling Team #1".  Team Coach is only $.99 in iTunes and does not have an iPad specific app, but it runs the iPhone version on the iPad.  It doesn't sync and I wish it had a few other enhancements

Neither of these is a perfect solution, but it can make event check-in easier!

Crowd Control Games

Need something fun, that can be done quickly, makes everyone work together, and by the way is REALLY cool?  Try something from www.crowdcontrolgames.com.  Most of the games are $30.  The tech is simple. They have severals flash game that you project onto a TV or through a Projector for a group activity.

Using the mic that is built into your computer, you control the movement by sound.  Louder sound makes the control go up, silence controls a downward movement.  Have your group race.  Girls vs Guys, left vs right...however you would want to break the group up.

Want a little bit of extra fun? Change the characters by creating your own.  Yes, you have it right, put your own mug in the game. (Although this does take some graphics/flash knowledge)

Have a great time and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Web Review: Wing Clips

I was preparing for my sermon on Sunday and needed a quick video for an illustration.  Yes, there are a lot of options out there, but the first place I almost always look is wingclips.com  The reason I say that is because it gives me lots of options, at a great price (they offer a free account, as well as paid for higher resolution clips), it's unlimited, and it provides me clips from the media that my students are already consuming...movies.

This site is a great one because no additional licensing is needed to use the clips that they are providing. They do an excellent job going to the movie producers and getting permission to provide you the clips. The movies they are providing clips for are the ones in the theaters now...not 10 years ago.

Another reason is that they have already done a lot of the hard work for you in that they separate, catalog and give you a great search resource to help find the clips you need.

Make sure to check out WingClips.com to help you stay on top of your game.

Free Apps every day.

Have you tried freeappaday.com?  You should.  This site offers apps that are normally paid apps for free, for a day.  The site focuses on iOS devices (primarily for the iPhone and iPod Touch), but it does have an Android section as well. Some days multiple apps are available for free.

The site offers everything from games to utilities.  Some are download worthy, others not so much, but it's always worthy of a quick glance at the site.

If you have an iOS device, make sure to download their app for easy reference to what is being offered.

Today's offering is Diptic for the iPhone but it is a universal app that scales to the iPad.  This app seems to be reviewed highly and allows the user to create and export photo-collages easily.

Try it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

New iPad Update

My biggest hesitation in buying an iPad was the fact that it was the first generation, that is the first model ever built.  Everyone knows that a companies 2nd generation model is better!  What helped me get over that hesitation is Apple.  Apple has been a company that gives you free updates on the operating system you're using no matter what model you have.  So I bit the bullet and bought an iPad which has become a device I use more than my iPhone and more than my PC.

Apple plans to release a big update to the iPad's OS this November.  Included in the update is multitasking and folders, making the iPad function even more like your iPhone.  Here's where youth ministry comes in.  You will be able to create an "Events" folder and put links to all your registration forms in one spot.  You can create folders for online attendance recording for different programs you have or folders for different apps you use exclusively for youth ministry.

Bottom line, the new update will help you better organize your iPad for youth ministry.