CEJ: Series 3, Vol. 12, No. 2 Copyright 2015 CURRICULUM DESIGN AND SOCIAL MEDIA: 140 CHARACTERS AT A TIME 3 Dean G. Blevins Nazarene Theological Seminary Abstract: Social media presents both challenges and opportunities regarding education and profes- sional development in Christian ministry within and beyond the classroom. Ministers, like those in other professional fields, must manage their digital footprint to avoid costly mistakes. Similarly, Christian educators may find themselves establishing guidelines to protect the safety of students and professional practice due to unwanted social media use. In the face of the challenges, social media may still offer creative options, harnessing selective attention often attributed to multitasking. Case studies highlight the possible steps Christian educators may use to respond proactively with social media in the classroom. Key Words: Social media, digital, Twitter, Cathy Davidson, multitasking, selective attention, Wordle Introduction Social media, often known as Web 2.0, incorporates both interactive, asynchronous (delayed) repositories, and synchronous (“real time”) engage- ment via chat, texting, or video modalities. The language defines a rapidly growing movement of Internet and cellular-based technologies where partici- pants use networking to share personal information or participate in shared activities such as gaming, information collaboration, and virtual lifestyles. Beginning in the 1990s, the movement represents a culture shift moving the media audience from primarily a passive mode (as with television, movies, or radio), to a highly participative engagement with mediated forms (Clemmitt, 2013). Overall, the environment of social media seems more closely aligned to younger generations (Hoechsmann, 2012), though the level of adult par- ticipation seems to be rising at a rapid rate (Duggan & Brenner, 2013). Much like practitioners in the field of education, Christian educators of- ten struggle with the possibilities, and distraction, of social media within the classroom and across the curriculum. Institutions must wrestle with macro- curricular issues like the ubiquity of social media in the classroom both as a legal and curricular challenge. How does one protect intellectual property