Our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz, is back with Martin and Sallie to continue the discussion of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom.  This week we focus on wiki and blog tools for education enhancement.

Listen now or download Episode 030 (50:15)

The discussion:

• Wikis and Blogs in the Classroom - Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator at Emanual in New London, WI, joins Martin and Sallie to share her experience and ideas for bringing Web 2.0 tools into the classroom.  As we continue our discussion of this topic with Gail (previous installments during Episode 021 and Episode 025), we zero in on uses for wiki and blog tools, both for teachers and for students.
  • Wikis 
    • Gail’s sample Wikispaces.com page
    • Sample 8th grade History wiki
    • Create your own wiki
      • Wikispaces.com
      • PBwiki.com
  • Blogs
    • Video of a 1st grade teacher’s blog usage in the classroom
    • Video of a paperless high school classroom
    • Create your own blog
      • Edublog.org
      • WordPress.com

The tidbits:

• Picks of the week (25:40)
  • Create an avatar - www.voki.com
    • Sample Voki avatars used for a Spanish assignment - Link 1 | Link 2
  • Wacky Wonderful Web sites (WWWs) - www.stjohnsse.com/wwws
  • Manage multiple computers with one keyboard and mouse using Synergy
• WELS.net feature (37:29)
  • Monthly prayer calendar - www.wels.net/jump/prayer-calendar
    • August 2008 prayer calendar (PDF)
• Of interest (39:30)
  • Planning is under way for WELS International Youth Rally 2009
    • www.welsyouthrally.net  
    • Iowa State University - Ames, IA - July 8-11, 2009
    • Rally Commercial Contest
    • WELS Got Talent Contest
    • Subscribe to rally updates
• Community feedback (42:11)
  • David Scharrer of Hemlock, MI shared an idea for involving youth in loading MP3 players for shuts-ins to listen to Streams devotional podcasts
  • Cindy Krueger, member of Shepherd of the Hills in Lansing, MI, shared links to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) online training from  EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) easi.cc and an ADA training listserve
  • Julie Duran, WELS.net webmaster, shared a link to a Lynx browser add-on that will allow users to view text versions of their links and check for accessibility 

The featured artist:

• We close with music of WELS musician, Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) - Look Out from his CD titled Climb the Mountain (46:20)

Get involved:

• Add a comment below
• E-mail: welstech@wels.net
• Voice mail: 414-375-2334
• del.icio.us tag: welstech
• Join:
  • WELSTech listserve
  • WELSTech on facebook

This week Martin and Sallie focus on technology to assist those with special needs, including making your web site ADA compliant and an interview with Pastor Carl Ziemer from WELS Commission on Special Ministries.

Listen now or download Episode 029 (56:17)

The discussion:

• Making Your Web Site ADA Compatible - Looking at the guidelines put forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Martin and Sallie share simple ways that you can make your web site more user friendly and accessible for people with all types of disabilities.
  • www.ada.gov
  • Quick Tips To Make Accessible Web Sites
  • Validate Your Web Site
  • Can Web Anywhere read your site?

The interview:

• Using Technology for Special Ministries (12:05) - Pastor Carl Ziemer, Administrator of WELS Commission on Special Ministries, joins Martin and Sallie to share some exciting advances in many areas of Special Ministries which are made possible by the use of technology.
  • Love in Action video series
  • Contact Special Ministries - 414-256-3240

The tidbits:

• Picks of the week (40:44)
  • Text-to-Speech programs - We play a sample produced with Help Read
  • Blind Cool Tech  podcast - www.blindcooltech.com
  • iGoogle gadget for YouTube political video captioning
  • Dragon Naturally Speaking - www.nuance.com
• WELS.net feature (46:40)
  • Special Ministries - www.wels.net/jump/specialministry
• Of interest (48:38)
  • Online registration now available for the 2008 WELS National Special Ministries Conference
    • October 3-5 - Sheraton-Milwaukee in Brookfield, WI
    • Check out the list of speakers and topics
• Community feedback (49:30)
  • Pastor James Wilcox of Rapid City, SD suggested we produce a down-sampled, smaller file size version of the WELSTech Podcast for easy download for our dial-up listeners
  • David Scharrer of Hemlock, MI asked how pastors can submit audio sermons for Streams.  Visit www.wels.net/jump/onlineworship for an extensive list of audio and video worship opportunities and submit yours for inclusion if it isn’t listed already.
  • Commenting on Episode 028, Dan shared a link to an additional tool for Getting Things Done (GTD) - www.gtdagenda.com

The featured artist:

• We close with music of WELS musicians, In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) - Lost In The Night from their CD titled In His Time (53:44)

Get involved:

• Add a comment below
• E-mail: welstech@wels.net
• Voice mail: 414-375-2334
• del.icio.us tag: welstech
• Join:
  • WELSTech listserve
  • WELSTech on facebook

Following up on WELSTech Episode 027, Martin and Sallie discuss systems for implementing Getting Things Done(GTD) productivity principles and wrap up their interview with Prof. David Sellnow on the hybrid classroom.

Listen now or download Episode 028 (44:37)

The discussion:

• Time Management Systems - Martin and Sallie continue their discussion of the productivity principles outlined in David Allen’s Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (listen to Part 1) and explore options for the “trusted system” or tool to store and organize your task list. 
  • GTD systems
    • Thinking Rock
    • MonkeyGTD
    • Remember the Milk
    • David Ornstein’s Blog - Getting Things Done using Outlook 2007
    • iGTD for Mac
    • 43 Folders
  • Additional GTD resources
    • Lifehacker.com blog
    • Precision Change podcast - Recent interviews with David Allen
      • Episode 8 - Getting Things Done 201, with David Allen
      • Episode 9 - David Allen Can Make Time Disappear
      • Episode 10 - David Allen Asks, What Are You Here To Do?

The interview:

• The Hybrid Classroom (17:44) - Today Martin and Sallie conclude their interview with Prof. David Sellnow of Martin Luther College (listen to Part 1).  Prof. Sellnow shares ideas and cautions for getting started with blended courses and also looks into the future at where our synod may go with online education offerings.

The tidbits:

• Picks of the week (31:00)
  • Microsoft Online Training - office.microsoft.com/en-us/training
  • GOOG-411 - www.google.com/goog411
• WELS.net feature (35:55)
  • WELS Links - www.wels.net/jump/links
• Of interest (37:19)
  • National Educational Computing Conference video archive

The featured artist:

• We close with music of WELS artist, Kevin Loersch - O Sacred Head Now Wounded from his CD titled Abide With Me (39:50)

Get involved:

• Add a comment below
• E-mail: welstech@wels.net
• Voice mail: 414-375-2334
• del.icio.us tag: welstech
• Join:
  • WELSTech listserve
  • WELSTech on facebook

This week Martin and Sallie discuss the Getting Things Done organization system for improving personal productivity.  They also interview Prof. David Sellnow about blending traditional and online education.

Listen now or download Episode 027 (1:06:50)

The discussion:

• Time Management and Productivity - In this technology rich age, we are daily bombarded from all directions with things to do.  Listen as Martin and Sallie share the popular productivity principles of Getting Things Done (GTD) and how the GTD methods can help even our busy pastors and teachers have “Mind Like Water”. 
  • Think Before You Voicemail from TechCrunch.com
  • Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
  • David Allen’s Web site - www.davidco.com
    • Free downloads
    • Podcast

The interview:

• The Hybrid Classroom (28:05) - In the first of a two-part interview, Prof. David Sellnow of Martin Luther College joins Martin and Sallie to share insight into the benefits of blending traditional classroom activities with online activities.  Prof. Sellnow has successfully blended his course offerings at MLC and suggests that similar blending could accentuate courses at the high school and even elementary school levels.

The tidbits:

• Picks of the week (43:36)
  • Provider for Google Calendar
  • Pandora Internet radio - www.pandora.com
• WELS.net feature (53:23)
  • Explore the Bible - www.whataboutjesus-explorethebible.com
• Of interest (55:03)
  • Leadership Conference video archive on Streams
• Community feedback - Mass e-mail recommendations via the WELSTech listserve (56:27)
  • Michael Plocher from St. Paul’s in New Ulm recommends server-based PHP List - www.phplist.com
  • Cindy Krueger from Shepherd of the Hills in Lansing, MI maintains two Yahoo groups, one for members and one for prospects
  • Sue Fager uses Mail Loop on the job - www.marketingtips.com/mailloop
  • Jason Petoskey uses the FinalWeb group e-mail address feature
  • Joshua Schoeneck from Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, WI uses another server-based solution called LISTSERV (free & lite versions available)

The featured artist:

• We close with music of WELS artist, WendySue Fluegge (www.wendysue.com) - Time from her CD titled Everyday Christian (1:00:45)

Get involved:

• Add a comment below
• E-mail: welstech@wels.net
• Voice mail: 414-375-2334
• del.icio.us tag: welstech
• Join:
  • WELSTech listserve
  • WELSTech on facebook

At the one-half year of podcasting milestone, Martin and Sallie share solutions for mass e-mail and interview Lakeside LHS teacher Ted Klug about protecting and educating students on the blessings and dangers of social networking.

Listen now or download Episode 026 (1:00:17)

The discussion:

• Mass E-mail - Martin and Sallie discuss considerations and resources for communicating electronically with congregation or school families using mass e-mail, thus reducing cost and manpower demands and increasing the efficiency and speed of communication. 
  • Sample congregation privacy policy from St. Peter in Modesto, CA (.pdf)
  • Google Groups
  • Yahoo Groups
  • ConstantContact.com
  • iContact.com
  • Member Connect
  • Mailman

The interview:

• Students and Social Networks (22:00) - Ted Klug, Technology Director at Lakeside Lutheran High School in Lake Mills, WI joins Martin and Sallie to discuss the blessings and dangers of social networks and to share ideas for educating and protecting our students.
  • Learn more at these recommended sites:
    • WiredSafety.org
    • MediaFamily.org
    • OnGuardOnline.gov
  • Ted’s Leadership Conference presentation(.pdf)

The tidbits:

• Picks of the week (43:27)
  • E-mail, calendar & task list solution - Thunderbird & Lightning
  • Organize Outlook - www.xobni.com
• WELS.net feature (49:05)
  • Daily Devotion - www.wels.net/jump/dailydevotion
• Of interest (49:53)
  • Worship Conference - www.wels.net/jump/worship-conf
• Community feedback (51:32)
  • Cindy Krueger, member of Shepherd of the Hills in Lansing, MI, shared a link to a government site on cyber security
  • Pastor Dan Witte from Risen Savior in Bradenton, FL shared a link to wordle.net

The featured artist:

• We close with music of WELS praise band, Koine (www.koinemusic.com) - Jesus Priceless Treasure from their CD titled Koine II (55:13)

Get involved:

• Add a comment below
• E-mail: welstech@wels.net
• Voice mail: 414-375-2334
• del.icio.us tag: welstech
• Join:
  • WELSTech listserve
  • WELSTech on facebook