A lot of teens go on great retreats, "but trying to get them to pray once back home is not easy," said Jared Dees, a digital publishing specialist with Ave Maria Press in Notre Dame, Ind. Dees' breakout session during the DAEC was "Teaching Teens to Pray in a Digital World."

Teenagers have never been more plugged in than they are today, said Dees. "TVs, DVD players, video games, computers, cell phones, smartphones, eReaders, iPods — the list goes on and on."

But when it comes to praying, "Teens say they are not getting results from prayer. Playing Angry Birds is more fun than praying for two minutes for longer term results," he said.

In order to encourage teens to pray, "Look at the keys to a successful prayer life," said Dees. "He who humbles himself will be exalted. Humility is the foundation of prayer.

"According to Scripture it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain. We are called to have humble hearts. Teens have to learn to be vulnerable. It is a scary thing.

"The life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of God — one in communion with him."

But there are obstacles to being humble, he said, including lack of faith, lack of time or the feeling that there are better things to do. There are also distractions such as short-term pleasure, as opposed to long-term joy, he said.

He talked about what teachers can do to encourage prayer and make it part of a teenager's life. For instance, during class, when an ambulance passes by outside with its siren on, "making the Sign of the Cross, or a teacher stopping class for a quick prayer" is one way to promote prayer life, he said.

In some Catholic schools and parish schools of religion, learning to pray while lying down has been found to help students focus on what they are doing, since they can't see the faces of others while they are lying down.

"During this Year of Faith ... there are lots of things out there on the web, things you can download on a computer or smartphone, said Dees. "There are videos geared towards teens — Zombies and Jesus, Texting for Lent — little messages you can send your friends."

Brenda McElliotte, who teaches fourth- and sixth-graders at Ss. Peter and Paul in Alton, said the session was helpful. "Keeping kids' focused and taking time out from the day to actually connect with God" were some of the things she came away with from the session.

Technology can be a blessing and a curse, many of the educators at the conference agreed. "We need to meet them where they are at," one high school teacher said.