Apr 29 2009

069 – Enough Google Already

This week on the WELSTech podcast the listener’s rule as we share some of their entries in the recent desert island software contest.

Listen now or download Episode 069 (48:56)

The contest:

WELSTech Desert Island Picks ContestTop 5 Desert Island Software Picks – Martin and Sallie discuss some of the “I-wouldn’t-want-live-without-it” software titles shared by entrants in the recent WELSTech contest. Listen to find out if you are the winner of the a $25 gift certificate to the WELSTech store (cafepress.com/welstech).

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 070 - Are you tweeting as part of your church technology plan?  Next week we’ll cover all things Twitter and take a look at what purpose it might serve in ministry in this digital age.

The featured artist:

This week we close with the music of WELS group Corban Creek - Empty Grave from their CD titled Could It Be Me

Get involved:

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Apr 22 2009

068 – Spending A Smarter Summer

This week on the WELSTech podcast we gear up for summer with loads of options for personal learning, and we conclude our interview with WELS musicianary Mike Westendorf.

Listen now or download Episode 068 (1:03:42)

The discussion:

Summer Learning - Gail Potratz, our monthly guest host and Technology Coordinator at Emanuel in New London, WI, joins the conversation with Martin and Sallie, and we look at all the possibilities for learning something new this summer, including face-to-face and online, traditional and via your Personal Learning Network (PLN).

The interview:

Mike Westendorf(18:22) Music With A Message – Martin and Sallie continue their discussion with WELS musician Mike Westendorf about the maturity of a Christian artist into a musicianary.

Picks of the week:

The contest:

WELSTech Desert Island Picks Contest(47:47) Top 5 Desert Island Software Picks

  • Send us the five software titles you wouldn’t want to live without – free or fee, desktop or Web 2.0, anything goes
  • Get us your list via your favorite WELSTech communication channel – e-mail us, leave us a voice mail (414-375-2334), send us a message on facebook or twitter – just get us your top 5 picks!
  • One random entry will receive a $25 gift certificate to the WELSTech store (cafepress.com/welstech)
  • Deadline for entry is Sunday April 26, 2009 @ 11:59 p.m.
  • Listen to WELSTech Episode 069 on April 29th to find out if you are the winner and to experience a virtual desert island of software picks

Community feedback:

  • (49:17) The #WELSTech Twitter conversation this week featured
    • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared a link to another video captioning web site, this time for YouTube videos - CaptionTube
  • John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA
    • Reports that the video hosting and captioning site discussed in our last episode, dotSub.com, allows for 300 MB video uploads which is more than adequate for typical sermons
    • Added a new page to the WELSTech wiki (welstechwiki.wels.net) with coaching on video angels, lighting and more – Video Taping Guide
  • Additional WELSTech wiki updates include
  • Check out the WELSTech listserve archive for discussions on Moodle and Martin’s call for church technology plans
  • Brian Preuss shared a link to a free, open-source, Linux-based church management software application, ChurchInfo, www.churchdb.org

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:04:32) Episode 069 - The contest results are in, and we share our listener’s list of desert island software picks.  You’ll want to tune in to find out if you are the lucky winner of a $25 WELSTech store gift certificate. Enter to win by April 26th! 

  • Production note: Due to scheduling conflicts, this episode will have a later-than-normal release time.  Look for it by noon on April 29th.

The featured artist:

(1:06:20) This week we close with WELS artist Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com) - The One from his CD titled Fuel For The Soul

Get involved:

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Apr 15 2009

067 – Geeking Out In Sallie’s Kitchen

This week the tech talk on the WELSTech podcast centers around group collaboration, the world of the independent Christian artist, and a geeky kitchen dream come true.

Listen now or download Episode 067 (1:10:47)

The discussion:

Group Effort Web 2.0 Style - Martin and Sallie revisit Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody and focus on chapter 5, “Personal Motivation Meets Collaborative Production”, as they explore the power of one of the core Web 2.0 tools, the wiki.  Listen for ideas on how you can use a wiki in your congregation or school.

The interview:

Mike WestendorfIndependent Christian Artist (18:22) – WELS musician Mike Westendorf joins Martin and Sallie to talk about getitng started in the music business, the recent CIA Summit for independent Christian artist and the role technology plays in music today.

The tidbits:

New technology showcase (38:30)

Picks of the week (42:25)

WELSTech Desert Island Picks ContestContest – Top 5 Desert Island Software Picks (47:47)

  • Send us the five software titles you wouldn’t want to live without – free or fee, desktop or Web 2.0, anything goes
  • Get us your list via your favorite WELSTech communication channel – e-mail us, leave us a voice mail (414-375-2334), send us a message on facebook or twitter – just get us your top 5 picks!
  • One random entry will receive a $25 gift certificate to the WELSTech store (cafepress.com/welstech)
  • Deadline for entry is Sunday April 26, 2009 @ 11:59 p.m.
  • Listen to WELSTech Episode 069 on April 29th to find out if you are the winner and to experience a virtual desert island of software picks
       

Community feedback (49:17)

  • Check out the WELSTech listserve archive for a balanced discussion of fee vs. open-source software for school computer usage
  • David Schumann from Peace in Janesville, WI shared his success with recycling old hardware with Linux
  • The #WELSTech Twitter conversation this week included
  • John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI suggested incorporating a call to action link on church sites – “Why join?” or “Why attend?”
  • Dan Schoeffel from St. Paul’s in Onalaska, WI shared a link to their Drupal members only site – members.stpaulsonalaska.org
    • We discussed Drupal in a episode 047 and have a page on the WELSTech wiki dedicated to Drupal
    • Take a sneak peek at the new Drupal-based WELS.net – beta.wels.net
  • David Savatski from WELS Missions added a presentation tips section to the WELSTech wiki
  • Greg Letiecq shared a “He Is Risen” video clip. Find it on the WELSTech wiki, posted using drop.io/welstech.
         

Coming up on WELSTech (1:04:32)

  • Episode 068 - It’s time to make plans for a summer of learning.  Gail Potratz will join us to discuss a multitude of opportunities for personal enrichment.  And we’ll wrap up our interview with Mike Westendorf.

The featured artist:

This week we close with WELS artist Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) - Prelude to Praise from his newest CD titled Color Through the Gray (1:06:20)

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Apr 8 2009

066 – The Five D’s and W’s

This week the WELSTech podcast goes global as Martin and Sallie discuss internet evangelism and chat with Dr. John Lawrenz from Asia Lutheran Seminary.

Listen now or download Episode 066 (1:17:37)

The discussion:

The interview:

  • Dr. John LawrenzReaching out to billions (24:34) – Spanning the globe to bring you the latest news on technology in ministry, Martin and Sallie talk with Dr. John Lawrenz about the work being done in Hong Kong through Asia Lutheran Seminary and how technology is a blessing to their efforts. Listen also for details on their newest project, the Translation Working Group.

The tidbits:

  • New technology showcase (47:55)
  • Picks of the week (52:35)
  • WELSTech Desert Island Picks ContestContest – Top 5 Desert Island Software Picks
    • Send us the five software titles you wouldn’t want to live without – free or fee, desktop or Web 2.0, anything goes
    • Get us your list via your favorite WELSTech communication channel – e-mail us, leave us a voice mail (414-375-2334), send us a message on facebook or twitter – just get us your top 5 picks!
    • One random entry will receive a $25 gift certificate to the WELSTech store (cafepress.com/welstech)
    • Deadline for entry is Sunday April 26, 2009 @ 11:59 p.m.
    • Listen to WELSTech Episode 069 on April 29th to find out if you are the winner and to experience a virtual desert island of software picks
  • Community feedback (1:00:09)
    • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared a link to embedit.in which generates embed code for any type of content you want to post on your web site
    • Alyssa Dunning from WELS Web Services shared a link to VisualCV.com where you can create a free online resume
    • Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI came through with a response to Sallie’s last Pick of the Week – NCShtDwn will shut down computers at whatever time you set
    • The #WELSTech Twitter conversation this week included
    • John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA offered to encode closed caption videos in Microsoft Silverlight for WELS congregations, free of change.  Contact John through the e-mail options on the Redeemer web site for details.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (1:11:21)
    • Episode 067 - We’ll return to Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody and discuss chapter 5, “Personal Motivation Meets Collaborative Production”.  Also we’ll share part one of our conversation with WELS musicianary Mike Westendorf.

The featured artist:

  • This week we close with the WELSTech debut of artist Stephen Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com) - The Man Who Drove The Nail from his CD titled Abandon (1:13:10)

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Apr 1 2009

065 – That Is No Joke

This week the WELSTech podcast is packed with April Fools pranks, a contest announcement, the latest iPhone news and loads of comments from our listeners.

Listen now or download Episode 065 (51:31)

The discussion:

  • Time out for fun on April Fools - Martin and Sallie discuss web-based April Fools pranks, interesting sites and even a few Easter eggs.  They also share info on the Conficker worm, which is set to spread today.
  • WELSTech Desert Island Picks ContestNew Contest – Top 5 Desert Island Software Picks (14:57) 
    • Send us the five software titles you wouldn’t want to live without – free or fee, desktop or Web 2.0, anything goes
    • Get us your list via your favorite WELSTech communication channel – e-mail us, leave us a voice mail (414-375-2334), send us a message on facebook or twitter – just get us your top 5 picks!
    • One random entry will receive a $25 gift certificate to the WELSTech store (cafepress.com/welstech) 
    • Deadline for entry is Sunday April 26, 2009 @ 11:59 p.m.
    • Listen to WELSTech Episode 069 on April 29th to find out if you are the winner and to experience a virtual desert island of software picks

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • This week we close with the music of WELS artist Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) - Cling from his CD titled Run Boy Run (47:36)

Get involved:

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