The web page Instructions for Curriculum 2014 (lds.org/manual/2014) lists the materials to be used in Sunday classes next year. A formatted PDF of Instructions for Curriculum 2014 is also available to copy and distribute in your ward council, if needed.
Only two items are new for 2014:
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith for Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society classes | 2014 Outline for Sharing Time: Families Are Forever for Primary |
Where possible, the Church encourages teachers and class members to use digital versions of these materials. Most curriculum materials are available online and can be viewed or downloaded at no cost at manuals.lds.org or on the LDS Gospel Library mobile app. They are available as text, PDF, and in EPUB and Kindle e-book formats.
To reduce costs, wards and branches should determine the number of print copies to order by assessing what printed materials are already available in the unit and then ordering printed materials only for those who do not use digital versions of curriculum.
We need your input. (Please leave a comment below.)
- How do you like using digital versions of manuals and other Church materials?
- How could the Church make these digital materials easier to use?
- What other suggestions do you have?
It says above that the Priesthood/RS manual and Sharing Time outline are available in PDF format. However, when I go to the link, they are not. When will PDF be available online??
I teach Sunday , aka Gospel Doctrine. I primarily use the LDS Gospel Library app on my Android tablet to prepare the lessons and have a found a couple of inconveniences.
The teachers’ manual will reference specific pages in the “Our Heritage” book for the reading assignment or to summarize in class, but the “Our Heritage” manual in the app does not use page numbers, so I need to refer to a paper copy or a PDF copy on my desktop computer. Inefficient.
Second, the manual sometimes suggests a video to use during the lesson. I can download the videos to my tablet and then play it on a TV during the lesson, but I have to find it first, which I seldom can. It would be helpful if the app contained a link to the video on the church’s website, complete with a link to download it.
I teach Primary. I have downloaded videos to my laptop (small class) and sometimes the audio version of a story in the lesson. And I definitely relied on the webpage of Supplemental Materials for Valiant classes. Thanks so much; this group loves mazes and I found lots of ’em there, relevant to the lesson
But here is my biggest challenge. In past years, we’ve been able to download the .pdf of each lesson. For this years manual, we could only download the entire .pdf and had to choose which pages to print (and I live in fear that I will accidentally tell it to print all). Yes, we can download the .html version of each lesson, but those are teeny tiny and take twice as many pieces of paper to print.
I wrote the church webpage comment thing twice at the start of the year begging for this functionality, which was what we had before.
I teach Gospel Doctrine also, and it would be immensely helpful if I could annotate my lessons within the app. It’s hit or miss now, with enough “miss” that I end up printing my own notes. And I agree that being able to find the video content associated with the lessons would be wonderful.
I’m a Gosepl Doctrine teacher. Buying a hard copy of the manual is cheaper than printing it page by page to prepare my lessons. If the church wanted me to do that, I’d reserve an ink cartridge and package of paper for the calling and turn a receipt in for the ward budget to reimburse me, just like I did when I was the ward editor (Sunday programs and monthly newsletter). I do not own a tablet of any sort, and I wouldn’t buy one just for my church calling. If the ward budget wants to purchase me one, that would be fine; I could turn it back in when I’m released.
“I do not own a tablet of any sort, and I wouldn’t buy one just for my church calling.”
What would you buy one for? 🙂
I don’t currently teach a primary class, but have been a primary teacher for many years. I love how easy it is to print out handouts now. I used to have to go through some pretty intense copying and pasting in order to get decent handouts and coloring pages to print out. I do like to read and study my lesson online as I can easily access the scriptures and other references while I’m studying, but I never print out the entire lesson. I just use the manual in class for reference.
Ann,
Sorry for the delays, but the PDFs for the Priesthood/RS manual and Sharing Time outline for 2014 are finally available in PDF format at http://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-joseph-fielding-smith?lang=eng and http://www.lds.org/manual/2014-outline-for-sharing-time-families-are-forever?lang=eng
Larry
This must be where Gospel Doctrine teachers meet. I love the app on my tablet and my phone. It is my favorite app on both. I also download the lesson and the one by Ted Gibbons (for extra great stories and insights.) I teach from the papers, but I study often from the electronics…because it zips to the scripture. I also use the tablet when others are teaching, and sometimes a song. I read the lesson in the doctor’s office yesterday. I also carry the paper copies in my purse, and mark them as I go along. What a blessing…thank you. I agree with the pages in My Heritage unless they give me a heading to look for.
Do you know if there will be a podcast feed for the Joseph Fielding Smith book, like there have been for the last couple? Thanks!
Trevor,
The audio files are all available for download on this page: http://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-joseph-fielding-smith?lang=eng
Larry
I’m just starting as the Valiant 6 teacher (age 8)next week, and I’m finding it difficult to access the things I need quickly. For example, I need to “get to” the lessons and the resources for teaching quickly from somewhere, but I continue to have a hard time finding things. My friend in another state also has been called to teach the same class, and she says she doesn’t know where to go easily and also finds it confusing. She’s asking me to tell her where to go to find these wonderful media, story, etc. helps, and just getting to things by putting something into google for them that would be easy to spot and access for 2014 Valiant 6 class.
Diane,
Probably the quickest way is to go to manuals.lds.org and click on Primary. On Monday, all the manuals on that page will be updated to the manuals to use in 2014.
Larry
While I appreciate the church’s stand to save a tree and be more progressive (technically), I am not that computer literate and have a VERY DIFFICULT TIME with computer downloads etc.
Forget it. For some of us (older generation–prior to the great computer age), we can’t do it and have no desire to learn the workings of the tech world. I appreciate the paper version. My books get dog-eared with wear but at least I can find things!