Mormon Online » positive uses for technology

Important Purpose of Technology

Craig — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 12:03:08 +0000

President Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints made a few comments at the dedication of the BYU Broadcasting Building that have made me stop and think.

He said that the Lord “has revealed the technology that enables the Church to take full advantage of these advances,” and that we should, “never forget that while we have computers, cameras, microphones, fiber-optic networks, clouds, and satellites, we have failed if we do not rely on the Holy Ghost.”

Speaking of the Savior, he said, “If our technology does not improve the lives of others and help bring them home to Him, we have missed the mark.”

Check out these links to read more about his talk.

http://ldsmediatalk.com/2011/08/23/president-eyring-on-technology/

http://lds.org/church/news/president-monson-dedicates-byu-broadcast-building?lang=eng

http://news.byu.edu/archive11-aug-byubdedication.aspx

Start Using What You Already Have

Craig — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:20:53 +0000

Have you ever been teaching a class at church only to see drooping heads and eyelids from your semi-comatose learners as you read through the lesson from start to finish? Why not liven things up a bit by using some of the resources already available from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?

Youth.lds.org – an outstanding site if you’re teaching the youth. Free music and inspirational videos may support the lesson materials that you’re assigned to give.

Music.lds.org – try using an inspiration song or hymn - it can help bring the spirit into your lesson.

You can also use recent General Conference talks, media, and stories to help support your lesson material.

So prepare well, spend some time, and make your class inspirational and motivational for your students while sticking to the lesson curriculum.

Oh Say Can You See….

Craig — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 11:41:26 +0000

Ever been at some historic site or scene of grandeur and wish that you could capture the whole thing in one picture but you just can’t step back any more because of that cliff or lake? Don’t fret.

All you need to do is start at the left (or right) and take pictures one after another capturing the entire scene with a little overlap between pictures. Then, when you get home, put them all on your computer and fire up Windows Live Photo Gallery. Windows 7 computers come with this, or you can download it at http://explore.live.com/windows-live-photo-gallery?os=other.

Once open, browse to where your pictures are located. Click on all of your sequence of pictures while holding down the CTRL key. Then, go to the “Make” menu item and select “Create panoramic photo.” The software will do its thing and out will pop a single picture. Cool.

Occasionally you may find a few errors in the transitions between pictures but you can use a photo editor such as Photoshop or Gimp to smooth those out.

Good luck!

Tax Time

Craig — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:59:16 +0000

It’s that time of year again to pull out all the receipts and records, fill out the forms, grit your teeth, cringe, wipe the sweat from your forehead, and send in your taxes. Why not file electronically this year? It will make the process easier and, if you are due a return, will quicken the process of getting that money into your account.

How do I do it? The IRS has a great page that will help you get started. You can then pick from a selection of free options for filling out and filing your taxes. Many of these solutions are entirely online and do not require you to download or install anything.

With the April 18th deadline fast approaching, you’ll appreciate the help that the online filing will give you. File your taxes today and then on the 18th you can just relax with a delicious snack and a good movie while others stand in the long lines at the post office.

Tune TV to Truth

Craig — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:31:31 +0000

Have you made the plunge yet for one of those new fangled flat screen TVs? They come with all kinds of capabilities now such as connecting to your home network and even streaming video from Youtube, Netflix, and more.

Consider the possibilities…

You could watch Mormon Messages videos on Youtube for Family Home Evening – in all it’s big and flat screened goodness.

You could attach your computer to the TV and bring up a giant version of the scriptures right there on your flat screen. Now you can all sit around in your comfy recliner’s with drink holders and do some family scripture study.

You can watch General Conference like never before with the speakers being nearly life size (well at least their heads).

The possibilities are nearly endless…

How can you use your new technology for good?

Give it some thought.

Scripture Study

Craig — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 15:53:08 +0000

It’s a great idea to study the scriptures regularly. Daily study is a great habit. But have you ever read some really inspiring scriptures in the morning and then not thought about them for the rest of the day?

One idea for preserving these scriptures is to take out your cell phone and snap a picture of the scripture that you want to remember. You can then refer to it over the next few days or as long as you want.

Another idea, is to use http://www.lds.org to do your scripture study. You can then use the Study Notebook (https://lds.org/study-tools/folders?lang=eng) to preserve your thought about each scripture so that you can refer to it later and remember what you were thinking.

Take a few minutes and think about how you can help scripture study more effectively influence your life for good.

New Year’s Resolutions

Craig — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 12:32:43 +0000

Time to come out with those annual New Year’s resolutions, eh? Want to lose weight again and get back into shape, eh? Why not give technology a try this year? Here are a few sites that will help get the zip in your zap.

Fitday.com

Fitday is a tool to help you achieve your nutrition, weight loss, diet & fitness goals. It’s a food journal, calorie counter, exercise log, weight loss tracker, and nutrition facts book all rolled into one. Combine that with analysis and graphical reporting. It’s free, easy, personalized, and accessible anywhere using the web.

http://www.fitday.com

Sparkpeople.com

At SparkPeople, their mission is to SPARK PEOPLE to reach their goals and lead healthier lives. They offer nutrition, health, and fitness tools, support, and resources that are free. Their weight loss program aims to teach people to stop dieting and transition to a permanent, healthy lifestyle. SparkPeople tries to help everyone learn to eat better and exercise regularly—for life.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/

Want to buy some software to help you track your eating? Check out this review of the top ten products.

http://nutrition-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

There are some great tools out there to help you become resolute in your efforts to get in shape and drop those extra pounds. Check them out and pick the one that works for you.

Good Luck!

Family Journal

Craig — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:55:32 +0000

Ahh, time to write those Christmas cards… So just what did our family do this year? Can’t remember? Wish you had written it down?

Consider opening a Google account and creating a shared Google Document as a family log or journal. Everyone in the family can have access to input and edit what’s there. Pictures make a great addition as well. You can even access and edit the documents from mobile devices like Android phones, iPhones, iPad, etc.

You’ll likely have some people put in a lot, and others not very much. But, overall, you’ll get a decent account of the history of your family for the year. Then, you can print it off and save it in your very own family journal.

Now, when it comes time to write those Christmas cards, you can sit by a nice warm fire, smile, and chuckle to yourself.

Mormon Tech Sites

Craig — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:34:52 +0000

If you’re a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and interested in technology and gadgets, you’ll love to check out the following web sites. You may even be able to help out with some projects the church is working on.

http://tech.lds.org/

“Today the information highway, with all of its means of communication, affords an opportunity for us to carry the mission with a thousandfold greater speed and ease than Peter, James, and John and the other intrepid disciples.”–President James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1999, 18-19

Make sure you check out the forums and wiki.

Want to help work on some of these projects check out this site:

https://tech.lds.org/wiki/index.php/Getting_Involved_with_Projects

Want to help with other simple acts of service, check out:

http://simpleacts.lds.org/

There are great opportunities to serve and help others while doing the stuff that you think is fun. Take some time to look at what you can do.

General Conference

Craig — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 14:14:04 +0000

I can remember years ago living back East and finding it difficult to watch general conference since it wasn’t on the radio or television. We had to go to the chapel to watch it. But today, with the internet capabilities that we enjoy, conference is only a few clicks or taps away.

Want to watch or listen to it live over the internet? Go to http://new.lds.org/general-conference/watch?lang=eng within half an hour of when it starts.

Want to watch a previous session? Check out the archives at http://new.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2010/10?lang=eng.

Want to watch from your mobile device? Check out the Mormon Channel App for your device at: http://radio.lds.org/eng/how-to-listen/mobile-applications.

Today’s technology really makes it possible for anyone with an internet connection to tune in to and enjoy the conferences of the church.