Ideas for Gospel Instruction

[johnshaw]

All sounds exciting, but how are we going to be able to afford to have enough equipment so that 6 or 7 different classes can be taught concurrently - all relying on various church media resources?

Exactly right! In our preparations, we are very concerned about this. We are a stake where about 1/2 of our 14 wards/branches have a good percentage of people with smartphones, tablets, that could be used (personal devices) --> But the important thing is to include the means for those without that technology (by choice, economic circumstance, technical sophistication) to have the same opportunity. This is why we are upgrading our Audio/Video and will supplement FM with devices that will connect to the Internet as well. The difficulty will be when the FM 'rules' run afoul of the vision, If we want to have 6 or 7 smaller tv/dvd combo's in our meetinghouses, this is not something that sits well with FM currently. That's why we're trying to upgrade within the current norms, (remember this is in preparation) and hope our plan is convincing enough, or hope as the church moves forward this will be accounted for. I've heard ideas like having tablets that can be checked out of the library, just like a TV, etc... because curriculum will start to say, 'Show Mormon Message, Love her Mother' or view the mormon message from Elder Holland about the Book of Mormon and discuss..... this is only a matter of time.

How do we afford it? I'm certain that our stake could afford to skimp on a youth conference, or and adult activity in each of our meetinghouses to support an effort like this, if it is important enough we can get it done, but it will take a firm commitment from the Stake President.

This is going to become more and more of a worry as the church expands into areas where Tithing resources are being used on large capital expenses (meetinghouses and temples) and the relative increase in tithing income does not match. I only have to think that rules on fundraising might be changed or other creative measures will need to be instituted... Just at a time when our technology needs are increasing, we're needing to devote more resources elsewhere, it is not an easy answer.

This will not happen overnight, but probably much quicker than many of us would expect.

[russellhltn]

I've heard ideas like having tablets that can be checked out of the library, just like a TV, etc... because curriculum will start to say, 'Show Mormon Message, Love her Mother' or view the mormon message from Elder Holland about the Book of Mormon and discuss..... this is only a matter of time.

That strikes me as a nightmare to manage. I'll note that most business seems to have adopted "BYOD - Bring Your Own Device". Also, many current devices have a HMDI connection.

[ggllbb]

Even my phone has an HDMI connection.

As for technology, we are a small branch that has many older members, many Spanish speaking members, lots of unemployed or under employed members, several seasonal members and even a few youth. Some of the older members don't even own a computer, much less a tablet or a smart phone. That goes for many of the Spanish speaking members or those with employment issues too. Even the branch president doesn't check messages on his cell phone, you have to call his wife or the land line to get a message to him. We probably have email addresses for less than 10% of the members.

I am all for moving to the technology available, but it is a real challenge to get there. Oh, and I am open for suggestions.

[johnshaw]

I think this is where a streaming device, something like a roku that hooks into the internet and to a TV comes into play. The menu has a fairly simple interface that lets you 'scroll' through media content and 'select' your media. In my thinking, the solution put in place must provide an interface as easy as changing channels on a TV. I believe that interacting with this solution like it is a television is within the grasp of all in - our estimation it must be available to all equally like the equipment for playing VCR and DVD media are today.

[russellhltn]

I think this is where a streaming device, something like a roku that hooks into the internet and to a TV comes into play. The menu has a fairly simple interface that lets you 'scroll' through media content and 'select' your media. In my thinking, the solution put in place must provide an interface as easy as changing channels on a TV. I believe that interacting with this solution like it is a television is within the grasp of all in - our estimation it must be available to all equally like the equipment for playing VCR and DVD media are today.

I have mixed feelings on that. TV use even now seem "clunky" in an actual lesson. I can find HMDI output on $200 class tablets. If one were mounted on the TV cart, or mounted in the rooms that have fixed TVs/Projectors, that might run more smoothly. In time, the HMDI may find it's way to the sub-$100 class units. But this vision may be a bit out of reach for a single unit to implement. It would be more of a large-scale vision.

[dannykos]

Have to say that I don't forsee a wholesale change in approach to teaching lessons in the church. Sure there will be an ever growing repository of video / audio resources to assist teachers - but I don't believe it will ever form the bedrock of our approach.

[russellhltn]

As I replied tongue-in-cheek in post 8, it will always strive to be by the spirit. But there are times and lessons when visual communicates better then spoken words. To have clips and pictures ready to pull up would be a step forward. I'm not so sure about PowerPoint as that would tend to imply a pre-set lesson.

[johnshaw]

I would encourage anyone interested to check out the new post summarizing Gilbert Clark's keynote address to this year's Tech Conference 2012. http://tech.lds.org/blog/496-summary-of ... conference Some interesting ideas about the way things are done.

I actually am anticipating a dramatic shift in our teaching, never away from the testimony of the apostles and prophets of the Lord Jesus Christ (which everything else is just and appendage), just in our approach and style. We made a dramatic shift years ago from lesson manuals prepared by individuals for an entire year, and unique to each auxiliary and priesthood level, to a committee formulating a standardized scripture-block style lesson, the most recent change has been from the scripture-block style to 'principles' based lessons where our focus is on principles of the gospel as evidenced (or proof-text) in the scripture. And this is a pretty simple explanation of the process, started when President Grant asked a committee which included President McKay at the time to streamline some of what we do in the church. It took nearly 70 years to achieve most of what was brought back to President Grant by that committee (correlation). In my own observation we change more than we think it's just more at the macro-level. Of course, only time will tell, in the mean time, where I can, I will work to make available these teaching aids to as many as feel inspired to use them.

[kisaac]

As I replied tongue-in-cheek in post 8, it will always strive to be by the spirit. But there are times and lessons when visual communicates better then spoken words...

Absolutely video can convey spirituality and emotion at times far more, as evidenced by reading some "famous" conference talks, and then by watching those same talks, or at least portions of them. (Such as Bruce R, McConkie's final talk and testimony, The Purifying Power of Gethsemane) Both have their place....we can watch conference, then study and discuss the printed versions in lessons and HT visits, and view "snippets" for powerful punctuation of the points.

I find a very huge parallel to this discussion on teaching in 1 Nephi 11.
Nephi had been told of his fathers dream, by his father, perhaps one of the master teachers, and certainly must have felt the spirit from this, but he desired to know for himself, and how was he taught it?

1 ...I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord...
8 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree...

This command to "look" was given 7 times within the chapter, to see different scenes, while being asked to explain what he was seeing or being told what he was seeing....
It continues in chapter 12.

Now, wether he was seeing it through a vision or dream, or actually witnessing the events happen, or seeing it on some TV screen technology in some sort of classroom, he was being taught visually, and obviously "by the spirit."
I can imagine a modern day teacher giving the same lesson, with comparable LDS.org videos (or even powerpoint!) and interspersing it with the appropriate teaching dialog, and having it be very powerful and educational as well, and perhaps leave a lasting impression in my mind.

Example: Compare 1 Ne 11, and the LDS video: Finding Faith in Christ (yes, we don't have to imagine it!)
(http://bcove.me/l3daxo10)

Have to say that I don't forsee a wholesale change in approach to teaching lessons in the church. Sure there will be an ever growing repository of video / audio resources to assist teachers - but I don't believe it will ever form the bedrock of our approach.

I see a wholesale change happening already....

Added 5/27: No offense meant, dannykos. But I see some amazing similarities, and the wholesale change I see is a church moving headlong into technology, faster than many of it's members. As we move to more visual teaching, as the OP suggested, can we teach more difficult concepts better and faster, and to more people? A difficult concept found in 1 NE 11 is now on the world-wide web, in the video above, able to be accessed by millions world-wide! Wholesale change! Are we just now re-approaching the teaching style that taught these difficult concepts to prophets thousands of years ago, but now broadcasting them around the globe to all? Lets hurry this technology along.

[jkentner]

For all you STS out there, you can appreciate the last minute call before a meeting by an auxiliary pleading that you help them connect up their laptop to the CRT TV so that they can stream a video from youth.lds.org, and you have to quickly scramble to load all of your kids up, go to the church, download the video (after I reset the PIX and the WAPs because of all of the IP address leases are in use due to everyone's phone automatically connecting), then burn it to DVD, just in time for the meeting to start. All because of a stupid CRT TV that will not die that only has composite or Svideo connections, and having no access to manage the network! I can't wait until we can get more updated equipment to access the fantastic resources the church has on the site!