Fraser Speirs has been chronicling on his blog his experience getting his school using the iPad in their classrooms. The latest article summarizes the experience classrooms have had so far. It’s all gold, and I recommend the read but I like the last paragraph the best:

We have only given one directive to our teachers for using the iPad: it should be used everywhere it’s useful and nowhere that it’s not. We did not dictate many specific uses for the device, preferring to leave it to classroom teachers to identify the places where the device will be useful for each subject’s unique requirements. 

The only specific use we dictated was that everyone should use the Calendar app to record homework. That’s a useful context for learners and we’re seeing dramatic improvements in homework return rates. 

… I personally believe that pupils - particularly early secondary pupils - crave relevance and authenticity in their learning. I can teach about mainframes and disk drives and everyone’s bored. When I facilitate a discussion about why Apple switched from hard drives in the iPod Classic to flash memory in the iPhone, everyone wants to talk about it. 

By deploying the iPad in the school and using real-world commercial software instead of “education-specific” clones of real software, we are delivering an authentic experience in school that mirrors and is relevant to the experience of technology that pupils have outside the school and bring to school with them.

Another commentary on Alex Barron:

The holds would burn if Barron were simply overmatched. But if he was too heavy-legged to mirror his man and grabbed some jersey to keep edge-rushers from slamming his QB, I would understand. Barron’s feet, though, get good reviews. It’s his lack of a punch-out which puzzles me. Offensive linemen can extend their hands to jar rushers. Barron has some of the longest arms around. And yet, he lets linemen into his body.

The following is a theme that we have explored heavily at Journey. The idea that for the early church the death of Christ was significantly less important than the actual resurrection both theologically and historically. The more modern idea of penal substitutionary atonement seems to depart significantly from the early church core values.

What we see exposed in Paul’s trial speeches is the core of the gospel: the resurrection of Jesus. According to the book of Acts, the world turns on this event. It is the central issue in each of the trial speeches. And at no point during these proceedings is the death of Jesus even discussed. Nothing much seems to have taken place during the crucifixion. Theologically, the crucifixion is a non-significant event in the book of Acts (other than being foretold). All parties remain focused, with laser-like intensity, upon the resurrection.

Having reviewed the nine sermons, what can we take away from all this? Can we, theologically speaking, downplay the crucifixion in the proclamation of the gospel?

The book of Acts seems to think so. It seems clear that in the book of Acts salvation and forgiveness of sin was proclaimed in the light of the resurrection. At no point is the death of Jesus proclaimed to have any salvific significance or effect. Again, the death of Jesus simply functions as the prerequisite event for the resurrection. Forgiveness of sins, in the book of Acts, is a matter of power and authority, not a substitutionary blood sacrifice. The issue isn’t “How does God forgive sins?” but “Who in heaven or earth has the authority to forgive sins?” The resurrection declares that Jesus has this authority. That’s the good news. That is the gospel: Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. This is how atonement works in Acts. Jesus makes atonement because, as Judge, Jesus forgives those who believe in him. At no point in Acts is a substitutionary mechanism—Jesus’ life traded for mine—required for the forgiveness of sin.

Summarizing, we might say this. You are forgiven because Jesus is Lord. Not because Jesus died. You are forgiven because Jesus is judge, and he will forgive those who appeal to him for mercy.