We will have a Live Open Thread today for all those with a paid subscription to Emeth. Please join us there, we can discuss whatever might be on your mind. The email opening the thread will go out at 8:00 AM Pacific, and I’ll be on it throughout the day.
I would embrace videos on mansonic education for myself and lodge. We really need to use these resources as a organization to continue our growth and education of our Brothers.
Would be a terrific resource for the fraternity. Ideally the end of the video would provide discussion questions or topics for the brothers to use to delve deeper into the subject.
YES! I heard there was a DVD of the Degree lectures. We could've used that as a backup plan after needing to cancel a 1st degree because our lecturer had to back out.
Absolutely! The online video presentations and gatherings has been the best thing from the Covid plandemic. Our lodge has been outfitted with a large screen monitor and projector, partially for this reason. I think offering video education is going to be a large part of our future. As it says in the Leland Manuscript (1753) to question #7: “How does it happen that Mason are better teachers than other men?” Answer 7 says, “Masons were better teachers than other men because the ‘first of them received from God the art of finding new arts, and of teaching them’ whereas the discoveries of other men have been few, and acquired only by chance.”
Definitely yes, we should adopt video educational materials. Very importantly, they need to be done extremely well. To this minute there's still too much Masonic education content that looks or sounds like it was lifted from a Summer Bible School brochure from 1963. Maybe that worked in 1963 but it hasn't worked as well with the passing of each year since then, and it sure won't work moving forward. The content and accessibility should be designed with the streaming culture that now exists, and needs to fit within the short attention span that characterizes many of today's audiences. (Translation: In the most friendly manner, figuring out the design and implementation of this idea is NOT a project for our more tenured past masters).
There are secure sign-ons for our bank accounts and the same architecture can protect online Masonic content, so let's not fall into the secure place for instruction argument. The only secure place for our secrets and mysteries comes from our obligations and lies in the heart of each Brother Mason.
MW, I would furthermore propose the idea of organizing a committee to set up an educational video hosting site for this purpose. I will gladly offer my time and previous experiences as a video producer to make this happen.
Given that we at Myrtle have a solid program in place for Lodge time, I would not substitute video for that time. I would schedule a video night, seperate from our Stated Meeting time, and I would watch such videos at home and then promote a discussion time for those videos.
I like the idea of video..I agree with it and I think lodges should use it for Masonic educational purposes such as lodge discussions/leadership/ management videos. However, I do not agree with the idea of using videos to show Masonic rituals because it is a sacred play put on by brothers of the lodge for the candidate receiving the degree which teaches morals and lessons. Receiving the degrees of Masonry is a sacred experience and should be treated as such. As I am for video/recordings for educational purposes Id like to play devils advocate. What concerns me are:
-What if lodges are too dependent on video for masonic education and forget to memorize and internalize the education/lectures...Such as the lectures after each degrees. I understand some lodges struggle to find lecturers in each district after a candidate receives a degree but what if all they offer is video?
-What if cowans and eves droppers get access to the videos, how will Masonry be perceived? Are we unlawfully revealing the secrets of Masonry?
-Having videos is more efficient and gets the message across but would it be a better experience witnessing a brother do a lecture from memory live in the present moment? Are we imposing a lasting impression on the candidate through video than if we were to do it live?
-Video just seems “too perfect” the masonic institution is supposed to make good men better, and it’s in those moments when we forget part of memory work and having the courage to move forward after working so hard on memorizing is where we grow and improve ourselves.
The way I see it is…What makes a more lasting impression on a person? Going to our favorite band/artist's concert live and enjoying/interacting at the present moment or watching them perform on video? In my humble opinion I think some things can be on video and there are certain things that need to be experienced to get the full meal deal.
Videos - - The short answer is YES to all the above.
I would embrace videos on mansonic education for myself and lodge. We really need to use these resources as a organization to continue our growth and education of our Brothers.
Would be a terrific resource for the fraternity. Ideally the end of the video would provide discussion questions or topics for the brothers to use to delve deeper into the subject.
Yes. Content would matter, but in general, yes.
Yes to all. That is one way leading Masonic researchers and lecturers could get out to the smallest Lodges.
YES! I heard there was a DVD of the Degree lectures. We could've used that as a backup plan after needing to cancel a 1st degree because our lecturer had to back out.
Absolutely! The online video presentations and gatherings has been the best thing from the Covid plandemic. Our lodge has been outfitted with a large screen monitor and projector, partially for this reason. I think offering video education is going to be a large part of our future. As it says in the Leland Manuscript (1753) to question #7: “How does it happen that Mason are better teachers than other men?” Answer 7 says, “Masons were better teachers than other men because the ‘first of them received from God the art of finding new arts, and of teaching them’ whereas the discoveries of other men have been few, and acquired only by chance.”
Definitely yes, we should adopt video educational materials. Very importantly, they need to be done extremely well. To this minute there's still too much Masonic education content that looks or sounds like it was lifted from a Summer Bible School brochure from 1963. Maybe that worked in 1963 but it hasn't worked as well with the passing of each year since then, and it sure won't work moving forward. The content and accessibility should be designed with the streaming culture that now exists, and needs to fit within the short attention span that characterizes many of today's audiences. (Translation: In the most friendly manner, figuring out the design and implementation of this idea is NOT a project for our more tenured past masters).
There are secure sign-ons for our bank accounts and the same architecture can protect online Masonic content, so let's not fall into the secure place for instruction argument. The only secure place for our secrets and mysteries comes from our obligations and lies in the heart of each Brother Mason.
MW, I would furthermore propose the idea of organizing a committee to set up an educational video hosting site for this purpose. I will gladly offer my time and previous experiences as a video producer to make this happen.
Given that we at Myrtle have a solid program in place for Lodge time, I would not substitute video for that time. I would schedule a video night, seperate from our Stated Meeting time, and I would watch such videos at home and then promote a discussion time for those videos.
I like the idea of video..I agree with it and I think lodges should use it for Masonic educational purposes such as lodge discussions/leadership/ management videos. However, I do not agree with the idea of using videos to show Masonic rituals because it is a sacred play put on by brothers of the lodge for the candidate receiving the degree which teaches morals and lessons. Receiving the degrees of Masonry is a sacred experience and should be treated as such. As I am for video/recordings for educational purposes Id like to play devils advocate. What concerns me are:
-What if lodges are too dependent on video for masonic education and forget to memorize and internalize the education/lectures...Such as the lectures after each degrees. I understand some lodges struggle to find lecturers in each district after a candidate receives a degree but what if all they offer is video?
-What if cowans and eves droppers get access to the videos, how will Masonry be perceived? Are we unlawfully revealing the secrets of Masonry?
-Having videos is more efficient and gets the message across but would it be a better experience witnessing a brother do a lecture from memory live in the present moment? Are we imposing a lasting impression on the candidate through video than if we were to do it live?
-Video just seems “too perfect” the masonic institution is supposed to make good men better, and it’s in those moments when we forget part of memory work and having the courage to move forward after working so hard on memorizing is where we grow and improve ourselves.
The way I see it is…What makes a more lasting impression on a person? Going to our favorite band/artist's concert live and enjoying/interacting at the present moment or watching them perform on video? In my humble opinion I think some things can be on video and there are certain things that need to be experienced to get the full meal deal.