Jan

24

Recently Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke at BYU-Hawaii’s graduation ceremony on December 15, 2007 about the importance of using the Internet. That talk was so important for what we do at the More Good Foundation that after writing a blog about it, I decided that I wanted it translated in several languages.

2942

Interestingly, a few weeks after that, I started teaching a Marriage Preparation class at BYU and I decided to modify the syllabus by changing one assignment. Instead than a traditional paper, I asked the students to create their own personal blog at blogger.com or at our new social networking website LDS.net and write 8-10 posts over the semester.

Initially I was a little concerned to ask students to do this assignment, since it is probably the first in the history of BYU, but because of Elder Ballard’s talk I felt that I could do it.

Most of the students have already blogged a couple of times and some of those entries are very interesting.

To write a journal, or in this case a blog, is useful for the students because they have a chance to think about what they read or what we discussed in class. However, I am discovering that it is also useful for the teacher, because those blog entries can give valuable feedback. Obviously, since it is a public expression of their thinking, the students will not be completely open if there is something they do not like in the class, but still, from their comments and reflections I am able to understand better what they are really learning, and what topics and discussions are most interesting for them. Moreover, I can get to know them a lot better through those blogs than by giving them multiple questions tests (and for some of them even by what they say in class).

We are just in the beginning and I hope that they will get better and better at writing blogs. I also hope that at least some of them will continue blogging about the Church and families during their lives to help others to know the wonderful principles that we learn in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church).

These are the links to some of those blogs:

http://kelseympc.blogspot.com/

http://www.melissaonlovenmarriage.blogspot.com/

http://byumarriageprep.blogspot.com/

http://www.lds.net/rackie_c

  • Share/Save/Bookmark