Winning the Digital World Through the Word

Like todays word itself is the world of media, including Internet has been brought by
God. Using of internet is a virtual reality, it might be changing of our understanding of what
is the truth. Sometimes truth is determined by surveys or opinions. For some students, they
may think that if its popular then it must be true. What you consume reveals what you value,
the website you visit shows what you value and what you share reveals who you are.
Technology can be a force for good. In the world of Internet, there is a danger: the risk of
constructing a false image of oneself. Bishop Tagle said in the First Catholic Social Media
Summit: Let us leave a digital footprint that is fully consistent with the Gospel. But for us
teachers, how can we do this?
Jean Louis Ska, S.J. in his book Creation and Salvation brings us the question:
Why is it forbidden to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? He explained that
God forbids the acquisition of the knowledge of good and evil by eating a fruit. It means that
a human being cannot treat this tree like all the other trees in the garden, because the
knowledge of good and evil is not a simple fruit that can be eaten like all the other fruit in the
garden. Moreover, he added that in more modern language, all the fruit of the garden are
pleasing and enticing because they awaken the appetite. But the tree of knowledge of good
and evil should not be object of human desire and appetite. It should wake up our
consciousness, our freedom, and our sense of responsibility.
I find this very meaningful and helpful to my teaching in the Grade 5 level. We are
using Ipads or what we call MLD (Mobile Learning Device) as a tool for learning wherein
students are not using the physical books anymore. Among other disciplines, Christian Living
subject is very much different. As a CL teacher, the challenge for me is to help my students
realize that there exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world. Our students are
digital learners so Id like to help them realize that just like in the Creation Story, the tree of
knowledge of good and evil should not be the object of human desire and appetite. In todays
modern world, students is in need of a lot of answers to their questions, using internet, in just
a click they can get answers to what theyre looking for. Thus, the lesson about the Creation
Story should be applied. Our hunger/desires for the knowledge of good and evil is part of our
humanity but they do not make us human. It is our conscious and responsible choices that
makes us fully human created in the image and likeness of God. Students should realize that
there is more to them than just their desires. They should realize that we need to conform our
decisions to the fullest of Gods plan. In the world of social media, wherein students may

think that they are free to do anything they want, they must realize that freedom should be
seen not an end in itself but an instrumental value; the ability to direct our lives in accord
with our meaning and purpose. As what we have discussed in our Fundamental Moral
Theology class with Fr. Dacanay, man becomes most fully himself in the doing of the good.
While CCC says that: human freedom is a force or human capacity for growth and maturity;
it attains its perfection when directed towards God. In the kind of technology that we have
today, students must be taught how to use their freedom properly and to practice
responsibility in their every decisions they make. They need to learn that they have the
capacity to go beyond themselves, they cannot pass on the responsibility to others. Thus, they
are responsible for the kind of person that they become. The more that we have technology
today, the more we need to love, the more we need to respect, the more we need to be
exercise our freedom with much responsibility.
In todays modern world, we must teach our students not to forget the basic human
relationship. Guide them back to the Scriptures. In Genesis, we learned that our wholeness is
achieved only with our intimate relationship with each other and that God intended all
creation in communion with the rest of all creation. Thus, in the use of social networking
media take the word friend seriously. It is a response to peoples need to be connected, to
be loved, to belong. Jesus says: I no longer call you slaves but friends. Let us use the
media communication to respond to their needs. I think the challenge of Bishop Tagle: leave
a digital footprint that is fully consistent with the Gospel, can be realized by teaching our
students the correct truths of our faith and truth cannot be easily communicated we must be
truthful ourselves. Yes, there exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world and
that is through spreading the Word. As teachers, we need to help our students go back to the
Scriptures and follow Jesus who is our Truth, Way and our Life.