WELSTech returns with a discussion of digital law and digital rights and responsibilities, covering important lessons for students (and adults) regarding ethics, copyright, our freedom of speech, and responsibilities that come with it. We’ve also got Pinterest boards with supporting resources, as well as a further discussion of copyright related to movies and music in school settings.
Can do/Should do – Martin and Sallie welcome our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Jason Schmidt, and we discuss chapters 6 & 7 of Faithfully Connected – Digital Law and Digital Rights and Responsibilities.
https://welstech.wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sebastian-pichler-25154-unsplash.jpg34565184Sallie Draperhttps://welstech.wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/000welsTechLogoEnfoldnew.pngSallie Draper2019-04-10 13:41:452021-09-21 12:39:32595 – Digital Law … and Gospel
It’s edtech week on WELSTech, and Professor Rachel Feld is on hand to discuss the next chapter of our season-long book discussion, Faithfully Connected. Martin has new wearable tech, and Rachel shares pins for Lent. Plus, find out who’s up for celebrating the National Day of Unplugging.
Mind your manners – Martin Luther College Professor Rachel Feld joins our edtech book discussion of Faithfully Connected, chapter 5 – Digital Etiquette.
On WELSTech this week, we welcome guest host Prof. Rachel Feld and talk about letting our lights shine online, and teaching our children to do the same, in the digital communication that we share. Martin Luther College has a new devotion booklet and all the higher education schools have Christmas concerts available via live stream starting this weekend. An added bonus – we cozy up the (virtual) fireplace!
Digital footprints – We welcome back Martin Luther College’s Rachel Feld, Director of Academic Computing and Online Learning, to discuss the third installment of our edtech book discussion of Faithfully Connected: Integrating Biblical Principles in a Digital World by Ben Boche and Jake Hollatz (available from Concordia Publishing House and Amazon). The chapter is titled “Digital Communication” and addresses the guidance we can give young people to understand the permanency of posting on the Internet and how our digital footprints can and should reflect our Christian beliefs.
Episode 578 – Next week we’ll share the mobile apps we were willing to pay for, and whether we think it was money well spent. Release date: Wednesday, December 5.
This week WELSTech is all about edtech as Martin and Sallie are joined by Jason Schmidt, and we continue the discussion of Faithfully Connected. Add to that a long list of news, picks, Pinterest ideas, and community feedback, and this episode is brimming with ideas for tech-in-ministry.
Digital commerce – Jason Schmidt, Technology Coordinator for Bennington Public Schools, joins Martin and Sallie to continue our edtech discussion of Faithfully Connected: Integrating Biblical Principles in a Digital World by Ben Boche and Jake Hollatz (available from Concordia Publishing House and Amazon). Chapter two of the book focuses on teaching children a Christian worldview of self-control and contentment in our marketing-driven society.
Watch Pastor Daniel Bondow from Grace, Milwaukee, WI present on using Salesforce for prospect management – from WELSTech Conference 2015 Ignite – Begins at 30:25
Episode 574 – “Harnessing the Power of Technology – Before it Harnesses You” was the topic of a recent presentation Martin shared at the Men of His Word Conference in Rochester, MN. Tune in for the highlights of this interesting talk. Release date: Wednesday, November 7.
Martin Luther College Professor Rachel Feld is back in the guest host chair on WELSTech, bringing her thoughts on education technology to the discussion. We kick off a new book for the school year, Faithfully Connected, and we shake up our Ministry Resource for the week with STEM resources Pinterest-style!
New book discussion – Kicking off a new season of edtech talk, MLC’s Rachel Feld, Director of Academic Computing and Online Learning, is back as one of WELSTech’s semi-regular classroom technology correspondents, and she brought a book along to share. Read along with us as we discuss Faithfully Connected: Integrating Biblical Principles in a Digital World by Ben Boche and Jake Hollatz (available from Concordia Publishing House and Amazon). This week we learn why Rachel is using the book to train future teachers at MLC plus why she recommends it for teachers, pastors, parents and beyond, and we explore the first chapter of the book, Digital Access.
Announcing our first #EdTechLead19 presenter … Rachel Feld! Rachel will be presenting “Using Technology in Bible Lessons” and “Using Google Apps in WELSSA.”
Learn more and plan to attend June 25-27, 2019 at Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells
Episode 569 – Martin shares his research on digital security, including encryption and database management, in light of new regulations, both in the U.S. and abroad. Release date: Wednesday, October 3.
We wrap up “Awesome Apps” month on WELSTech with a look at the edtech space and insights from guest co-host Rachel Feld. Microsoft makes the news, we share a free eBook to help churches communicate on Instagram, and Martin reveals a great way to improve your Windows 10 knowledge for free.
Education apps- Our traditional end-of-month edtech focus brings Prof. Rachel Feld from Martin Luther College into the co-host chair as we explore favorite mobile apps for education.
This week on WELSTech, we finish off our month-long focus on professional development by talking to Jason Schmidt about his approach to conferences, advanced degrees and helping others “sharpen” their tech skills.
Formal education – Just back from the Future of Education Technology Conference 2018 in an unknown destination, semi-regular education co-host Jason Schmidt shares his thoughts on certifications and advanced degrees as well as church and school financial support of staff professional development. He also shares his favorite “shiny” tech he observed at the conference – the Sharper Origin, a hand-held CNC machine (video).
Interactive Faith online Bible Study – Isaiah: God confronts and comforts his people – Pastor Daniel Habben from St. John’s, Antigua leads the study on Wednesday’s now through February 7 at 6 pm and 8 pm (central).
Mark your calendars for WELS Education, Technology, and Leadership Summit – June 25-27, 2019 at Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells, WI – Sign up for information
Episode 535 – The February WELSTech focus on training volunteers kicks off with a discussion of worship projection and an interview with Kristen Tetteh from Proclaim software. Release date: Thursday, February 8.
It is no secret that Chromebooks rule the one-to-one computing space in classrooms across WELS. I don’t have exact numbers but anecdotal observations suggest that those schools who are committed to putting computers on classroom desks have gone the route of Chromebooks or have plans to do so. And it isn’t too hard to see why. They are fairly inexpensive, easy to configure with central management tools, and fast to load and operate. Yes, you still see “traditional” Windows computers and also iPads, but by volume the numbers aren’t even close.
But what about the church or school office. At least in my visits, I rarely see faculty and staff with Chromebooks as their primary computing device. The reasons for that are also obvious, or at least they used to be. Chromebooks have very little storage, they don’t allow the installation of “traditional” office type applications like Microsoft Word and Outlook, and they don’t function well if “offline” mode, so an internet connection is a must.
Those “we can’t use a Chromebook in the office because…” reasons have pretty much evaporated! Microsoft has made their Office apps web accessible. So if you get a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet from someone you can now open it, even on a Chromebook. On top of that, modern Chromebooks now allow the installation of Android apps, so you essentially get “apps” that provide Office, or many other installable programs, which improve their usability and offline capabilities.
OK. What about the storage thing? No longer an issue either. Chromebooks come with more and more storage, or SD/USB drives to do it as well. However, with the popularity of cloud storage, local storage is less and less an issue. I have a traditional computer with 500 gigabytes of storage. I hardly use any of it since the benefits of keeping things online outweigh having things “offline.”
What about connectivity requirements of Chromebooks? What if you are on a plane or someplace where the internet isn’t. While those internet dark spots are fewer and farther between, Chromebooks and their apps now do a much better job of allowing offline access to applications and files you deem important.
One other objection to Chromebooks in the office is that most of the available hardware just isn’t as well built and easy to use as “real” computers. I’m writing this on a Chromebook, a $299 Chromebook from Acer, the R11. I’m impressed. While an 11 inch screen wouldn’t be the first choice for this fifty-something eyes, it is actually pleasant to look at, a touch screen, flips over to use in tablet mode, and it’s resolution is more than sufficient for any tasks I’ve tried on it. In addition, it comes with a built in HDMI port for easy connection to an external monitor.
While this isn’t an article about the R11, I do have to say it is a very nice piece of computing hardware. It has two USB ports (one 2.0 and one 3.0), an SD card slot, and audio jack. But perhaps the best parts of the R11 are the input tools, the keyboard and trackpad. Awesome…especially for a device that is $299. The keyboard keys have nice “travel”, is full size, and have a nice texture to them. If I have one complaint, it’s that they aren’t backlit. The trackpad is a nice size, smooth and very responsive. There are a number of configurations available including Intel versions. I’m using the slower Celeron version, but find it perfectly usable.
I’m sold. I think in most office situations, Chromebooks are viable, and in some cases preferable. They are more secure, great battery life and of course, cheaper. There are of course certain use cases that might be more challenges. I can think of serious video editing, perhaps even page layout, although there are online options for both, plus the option for Android apps. Your mileage may vary, but I think it’s worth a try. The upsides are worth the look.
https://welstech.wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/AcerChromebookR11_CB5-132T_white-photogallery-01.png380420Martin Spriggshttps://welstech.wels.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/000welsTechLogoEnfoldnew.pngMartin Spriggs2017-12-05 07:20:112021-09-21 12:41:35The State of Chromebooks in the Office
Rachel Feld guest hosts this week’s WELSTech as we take a deep dive into student privacy and FERPA. There are concerts and Apple/Microsoft news and rolling robots along with a good dose of common sense in this week’s episode as well. Plus we learn about “Mobiles in Ministry” from the One Latin America mission field.
Protecting Students – As our month-long focus on digital security wraps up, Martin Luther College Professor and WELSTech semi-regular classroom technology correspondent Rachel Feld shares information on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and its impact on schools.
WELSTech-ers may recall a past Ministry Resource post on Common Sense Media, a site which features reviews and recommendations on all types of media which is directed at children including movies, books, TV, games, apps, and websites. It’s a great resource to share with parents, and can be very useful at this time of year especially as they shop for appropriate media-centric gifts for their children.
Education reviews
Common Sense Education is another site which is produced by the same organization and geared specifically toward educators. Once again, they provide ratings and reviews of children’s media, but this time the focus is on edtech websites and apps that are organized by grade level and subject matter. Search criteria can even be narrowed by price, so the frugal educator can easily identify free resources. For each tool listed, the Common Sense ranking as well as teacher submitted ranking is displayed. Each tool includes a description and overview of what it teaches as well as suggested lessons and activities plus standards supported.
As demonstrated in this sample lesson, each lesson includes a downloadable lesson guide as well as student activities and a family tip sheet. There are also downloadable videos and video discussion guides. And if that isn’t enough, there are student games and interactives, student badges, classroom posters, toolkits, and more!
Professional development
Common Sense Education also offers a variety of professional development to assist teachers.
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