263 – Clean Up Your Tech

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast we equip listeners to handle all those “slow computer” projects they may tackle over the Thanksgiving break. Guest host Dan Rebers from the WELS Information Services office lends his expertise in this area.

The discussion:

Thanksgiving tune-up – With the holiday break often comes the task of much needed computer maintenance. Martin and Sallie are joined by Dan Rebers from the synod Information Services office to discuss the Dos and Don’ts of upkeep of computer hardware and software.

Ministry resources:

(22:50) Memrise – Memory drill Web 2.0-style – Recommended by LifeHacker

Picks of the week:

7 Best:

(36:20) Coming up in December … 7 Best Mobile Computing Tips. Share your favorite hardware, apps and tips for a productive mobile experience.

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(53:47) Episode 264 – Gail Potratz, tech coordinator at Emanuel in New London, WI, fills the WELSTech guest hosting chair next week as we talk iPads in education. We’ll also include an interview with Jon Beilke and Nate Hochmuth from Salem in Greenfield, WI about their recent implementation of 1:1 iPads in their 7-8 grade classroom. (Release date – 11/27/12)

The featured artist:

(54:40) We close the podcast with the instrumental music of In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

Get involved:

262 – Surprise, Surprise

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The WELSTech Podcast is full of surprises this week as we discuss the next chapter of our current book selection, Presentation Zen, Martin unboxes and boots up a brand new computer, and Sallie has the latest news from Pinterest!

The discussion:

Planning Analog – The third chapter of our current WELSTech book selection, Presentation Zen, by Garr Reynolds makes for an interesting discussion as Martin and Sallie talk about the benefits of “unplugging” for brainstorming your presentation. Also in this chapter are helpful guidelines for creating presentation handouts.

Ministry resources:

(15:38) Logos 5 Release

News in tech:

An Unboxing + Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(49:50)  Live streaming of the WELS 2012 West Regional Choralfest

  • Pops Concert – Friday, November 16 at 7 p.m. Central
  • Sacred Concert – Sunday, November 18 at 2:30 p.m. Central

7 Best:

(50:39) Coming up in December … 7 Best Mobile Computing Tips. Share your favorite hardware, apps and tips for a productive mobile experience.

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:02:57) Episode 263 – Join Martin and Sallie along with WELS Director of Information Services, Dan Rebers, for our Thanksgiving Week podcast as we share tips for PC (and Mac) maintenance. (Release date – 11/20/12)

The featured artist:

(1:04:15) We close with the music of L. A. Miller – Your Peace

Get involved:

261 – 7 Best Conferencing Tools

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This week on WELSTech we countdown the 7 Best Video and Webconferencing Tools, useful for sharing the Good News from a distance. There’s also discussion of news in the tech world, a live streaming event and many great ideas from the WELSTech community.

The discussion:

We’re counting down again – This month’s 7 Best list focuses on video and webconferencing tools. These tools are great for anything which needs to get done at a distance – Bible class, meetings, tech support, etc. Martin and Sallie share a list of freebies that can take care of your needs.

  1. TinyChat
  1. Mikogo
  1. Vyew
  1. Oovoo
  1. Join.me
  1. Google Hangouts
  1. Skype – Skype and Messenger Coming Together

Coming up in December … 7 Best Mobile Computing Tips. Share your favorite hardware, apps and tips for a productive mobile experience.

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(33:25)  Live streaming of the WELS 2012 East Regional Choralfest

  • Pops Concert – Friday, November 9 at 7 p.m. Central
  • Sacred Concert – Sunday, November 11 at 2 p.m. Central

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(47:19) Episode 262 – We continue the current WELSTech book discussion of Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, this time looking at Chapter 3, Planning Analog. (Release date – 11/13/12)

The featured artist:

(48:27) We close the podcast with the music of Corban Creek – Epitaph

Get involved:

260 – East Meets West

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Join us for a very special WELSTech Podcast as we span the globe with Martin joining from Hong Kong and guest host Jason Schmidt along with Sallie in the U.S. Our edtech chat this week covers the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) as well as an interview with John Dorn about the Edmodo LMS.

Note: With our WELSTech Audio/Video Engineer (a.k.a., Martin Spriggs) out of the office exploring the opposite side of the world and presenting at a translator’s conference, today’s video podcast is posted in two parts – the primary show and the interview. We look forward to supplying the normal single video format upon Martin’s return.  Thanks for understanding!

 

 

The discussion:

Moodle mania – Jason Schmidt, Technology Coordinator at Bennington ISD in the Omaha, NE area and guest edtech correspondent for WELSTech, talks with Martin and Sallie about the popular open-source, free Learning Management System, Moodle.  Watch as Sallie demonstrates a Softaculous automated install of Moodle in under 3 minutes!

The interview:

(15:20) Edmodo in action – Science and Technology Teacher John Dorn from Illinois Lutheran Schools in Crete, IL talked with Martin and Sallie recently about  his schools adoption of the Edmodo Learning Management System.  John shares tips and tricks he’s learned through training and experimentation with the system, such as setting up a consistent user naming scheme.

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(59:19) Episode 261 – Martin and Sallie countdown the 7 Best Video and Webconferencing Tools for connecting with others. Note the special recording date and time (11/07/12 at 2:00 p.m. CST) means the podcast release will be delayed a bit.

The featured artist:

(1:00:55) We close the podcast with the music of The Branches Band (www.branchesband.com|Facebook) – Nothing But the Blood

Get involved:

259 – Christ In Media

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WELSTech hits the road this week as Martin and Sallie interview leaders of the recent Media Outreach in World Missions Conference from the beautiful Media Arts Studio on the campus of Bethany Lutheran College!

The discussion:

Conference recap – Martin and Sallie review highlights of the Media Outreach in World Missions Conference held recently at Bethany Lutheran College. There participants from around the world joined in discussions about using technology to collaborate and produce creative content for sharing the Gospel message with all people!

Four of the conference leaders sat down with Martin and Sallie to share their thoughts on the challenges presented at the conference.

The discipleship challenge with Paul Hartman:

(8:18) Pastor Paul Hartman, director of WELS Multi-Language Publications, has a vision for sharing God’s Word with the world which includes creative usage of technology. Pastor Hartman shares his thoughts on nurturing Christians from a distance.

The cultural challenge with John Lawrenz:

(21:25) Dr. John Lawrenz from Asia Lutheran Seminary has experienced more cultures than WELSTech listeners have experienced different versions of operating systems, and he shares his thoughts on how to bridge cultural challenges to sharing the Gospel.

Picks of the week:

The creative and technological challenges with Jas Lonnquist and Mike Klebig:

(44:45) Husband and wife team Mike Klebig and Jas Lonnquist are members of Apostles in San Jose, CA and “Godly Geeks” who were moved to action as they implemented media solutions in their own congregation and then shared those solutions with others. They talk with Martin and Sallie about right-brain creativity and left-brain tech solutions.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:12:12) Episode 260 – EdTech week on WELSTech returns with a special twist! Not only will we be joined by our semi-regular co-host Jason Schmidt and have a great interview with teacher John Dorn about using Edmodo in the classroom, but listeners can also look forward to WELSTech “going global” as Martin joins our Hangout from Hong Kong! (Release date – 10/30/12)

The featured artist:

(1:14:05) This week we close the podcast with the Reformation music of Koine (www.koinemusic.com | Facebook) – God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage

Get involved:

258 – All About Facebook

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This week the WELSTech Podcast takes on one of Martin’s favorite sites, Facebook, as we share ways to use it for ministry.  From personal “light-shining” moments, to church communication, to targeted advertising to drive Facebook-ers to the Gospel message, there’s something for everyone on today’s WELSTech!

The discussion:

The State of Facebook – Martin and Sallie share the different ways you can be on Facebook – from personal pages, to public and private groups, to organization or brand-specific pages – and the ways you can control the audience for your posts on the site. Ideas for content on your church page is also shared including milestone events in the church history, photos and RSS content from other sites.

The interview:

(18:55) Social Outreach – Josh Renner, a member of Christ the Lord in Clearwater, FL who is featured in this month’s Forward in Christ magazine, is a Facebook success story. Last year he started the Facebook Page He Loved Us First which he uses to regularly share Gospel truths in the form of imagery and Bible verses. And this personal effort, which Josh promotes using targeted advertising for as little as $1 per day, has grown to reach over 89,000 Facebook users from around the world.

Watch as Josh, recently dubbed the WELSTech Facebook Advertising Pro, walks Martin and Sallie through the steps involved in creating a Facebook ad and the resulting stats which show the success rate of the advertising.

Ministry resources:

Picks of the week:

7 Best:

(1:02:40) Coming up in November … 7 Best Video and Webconferencing Tools. Share your favorite tools for video creation and connecting with others.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:03:05) Episode 259 – Join us for coverage of the recent Media Outreach in Word Missions Conference held at Bethany Lutheran College. Martin and Sallie were in attendance along with a unique collection of missionaries, called workers, students, artists, and other “Godly Geeks” to discuss a multitude of ways we can collaborate to share God’s Word with the world. (Release date – 10/23/12)

The featured artist:

(1:04:50) We close the podcast with the music of Stephen Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com or stephenbautista on Twitter) – A Gentle Word

Get involved:

257 – Getting Creative

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Our WELSTech book discussion continues this week as we get creative in chapter 2 of Presentation Zen. Martin also shares first-hand tips from the recent photography workshop he attended, and we have a mail bag overflowing with great community feedback!

The discussion:

Childlike creativity – Martin and Sallie continue the discussion of Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, this month focusing on chapter two. In it we learn that everyone can be creative if we start with a beginners mindset, unafraid of making mistakes.

The interview:

(14:05) Golden Photography Tips – Turning the WELSTech interview microphone around, Martin shares lessons learned from his recent Door County photo workshop experience including tips on the golden hour, rule of thirds and golden spiral.

Ministry resources:

  • (23:42) An alternate digital Prayer Notebook, shared by Pastor Rob Guenther from Grace in Kenai, AK, is to create a Google Calendar solely for prayer prompts and set the calendar to send e-mail reminders
  • Pastor Guenther also recommends the Daily Bread prayer e-newsletter by Pastor Mark Gabb of St. Paul’s in Beverly Hills, FL
  • Wysija is a slick WordPress plugin for MailChimp-like e-newsletter management from your WordPress blog

Picks of the week:

7 Best:

(34:23) Coming up in November … 7 Best Video and Webconferencing Tools. Share your favorite tools for video creation and connecting with others.

Of interest:

(35:55) Media Outreach in World Missions Conference

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(50:50) Episode 258 – Tune in for an update on the “State of Facebook” with ideas for using Facebook to enhance public and personal ministry. We’ll also talk with Josh Renner, whose gospel-outreach Facebook page, He Loved Us First, has over 84,000 “Likes.” (Release date – 10/16/12)

The featured artist:

(51:45) This week we close the podcast with the music of Kevin Loersch – Thy Holy Wings

Get involved:

256 – It Is All About The Data

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This week on WELSTech we countdown the 7 Best Data Management Tools and Tips to handle your church, school, day care or prospect list. We also share some good news about making files available in Facebook…via Dropbox.

The discussion:

Countdown time – Church and school office workers are tasked with maintaining a lot of information so Martin and Sallie share some proven tools for effective management of members, prospects and students.

  1. Daycare and After School Care management
  1. Contact management
  1. Do-It-Yourself solutions
  1. Spreadsheets
  1. Online forms for data submission
  1. Student information systems
  1. Church management software

Coming up in November … 7 Best Video and Webconferencing Tools. Share your favorite tools for video creation and connecting with others.

Ministry resources:

(22:25) Prayer Notebook | Prayer Notebook Lite for iOS

News in tech:

(25:29) Stunning undersea panoramas now on Google Street View

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(45:15) Episode 257 – We continue the current WELSTech book discussion of Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, this time looking at Chapter 2. (Release date – 10/09/12)

The featured artist:

(46:35) This week we close the podcast with the music of Koine (www.koinemusic.com | Facebook) – If God Had Not Been On Our Side

Get involved:

255 – Are Chromebooks In Your Future?

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WELSTech’s monthly education episode is back, featuring our periodic co-host Gail Potratz as well as an interview of Chad Kafka. The edtech flavor of the day is Google as we talk about Chromebooks and Google Apps in middle school settings.  We’re also looking for beta testers of the new WELS Mobile app. Cap off the WELSTech goodness with instructions for creating your very own digital signage page!

The discussion:

Back to School with Gail – Martin and Sallie are joined once again by Gail Potratz, Tech Coordinator at Emanuel in New London, WI and WELSTech’s semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, as we discuss the in’s and out’s of Gail’s recent Chromebook implementation in Emanuel’s 7th grade. Start up speed, battery life and a price point that can’t be beat seem to be reasons to give the Chromebook a serious look if you are considering a 1:1 initiative in your school.

The interview:

(23:50) There’s an app for that – Chad Kafka (www.chadkafka.com), Technology Coach in the Franklin, WI public school district and Google Certified Teacher, talks with Martin and Sallie about his school district adoption of Google Apps, including success stories and tips for making the most of the solution.

Ministry resources:

(44:44) Be a beta tester of the new WELS Mobile app!  Surf over to m.wels.net in your smartphone or tablet web browser, and kick the tires.  E-mail Martin your feedback.

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:12:06) Episode 256 – We’re back with our latest 7 Best countdown, this time of Member, Prospect & Student Management Tools including software, tools, and tips for managing data in the church and school office. (Release date – 10/02/12)

The featured artist:

(1:13:03) This week we close with the instrumental music of flutist Jeannine Dennis – Celebration Medley

Get involved:

254 – Ministry In A YouTube Generation

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Video in ministry can serve many purposes and reach a variety of audiences.  On this week’s WELSTech, we explore ideas for congregational video use, creation and hosting as well as talk with Jeff Hendrix about his use of video to explain the pitfalls of virtual church.  We share a bit of news, our weekly picks and lots of community feedback as well.

The discussion:

Video creation – Martin and Sallie answer the Why, Who, What, How and Where questions of video in ministry. Video is rapidly becoming the preferred tool for communication in this “YouTube Generation,” so it serves us well to consider the possibilities of using video to spread the Gospel message.

The interview:

(22:50) Big topics in video format – Bethany seminary student, Jeff Hendrix, talks with Martin and Sallie about his recent master’s thesis, Material Beliefs in a Virtual World [PDF], and the process of crafting the content for video delivery.  Jeff also shares information on another project he is involved in, developing a catechism app.

News in tech:

(40:42) Coming soon … iPhone5 and the new iPod Touch

Picks of the week:

7 Best:

(46:56) Coming up in October … 7 Best Member, Prospect & Student Management Tools. Shareyour favorite software, tools, and tips for managing data in the church and school office.

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:02:07) Episode 255 – Teacher and tech coordinator Gail Potratz is back to share her edtech wisdom including her recent Chromebook deployment, plus Martin and Sallie interview another edtech leader, Chad Kafka. (Release date – 09/25/12)

The featured artist:

(1:03:53) This week we close with the music of Crosswalk Lutheran Ministries – You Are My World

Get involved: