086 – How To Synod Convention
This week on the WELSTech podcast the discussion centers on the technology behind this year’s Synod Convention.
Podcast: Download (25.5MB)
The discussion:
Pack your bags – If you can’t be in Saginaw, MI next week for WELS 2009 Convention, you can enjoy the next best thing, a virtual convention experience complete with live video and audio streams, images, blogs, online resolutions, daily news and more. Martin and Sallie discuss the technology of convention and how your congregation and school might capitalize on some of the same “tech”niques.
New Technology Showcase:
- (23:57) Microsoft Office 2010
Picks of the week:
- (28:20) Follow Google on Twitter
- Google Voice
Community feedback:
- (40:23) Discussion around our recent BWTG episode on Facebook Pages continues:
- Pastor Jeremiah Gumm of Cross of Christ in Liverpool, NY shared a link to their new Facebook page
- Nancy Thompson from Victory of the Lamb in Franklin, WI shared more details about their use of ChurchCommunityBuilder.com.
- Perry Lund of Grace in Oskaloosa, IA suggested a future podcast discussion topic around preparing teachers to teach tech savvy kids
- WELTech fans on Facebook are 71% male and 59% fall between the ages of 35 and 54. Help us reach 100 fans (go girls)!
- On our Facebook group page we heard from Dave Scharrer of St. John’s in Hemlock, MI, including a request for links to Sallie’s summer education sites.
- Tuesday Tech Time – Adult Computer Education
- WhizKidz Summer Computer Camp
- WELSTech listserve discussion topics include
- Open source grading software
- Classroom collaboration
- Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE tweeted a link to Epson’s “Brighter Futures” projector, printer and scanner deals for school
- Marilyn Sherod shared a link to closed caption sermons from Zion in Torrance, CA – hosted on dotsub.com
- Check out our past WELSTech interview with John Shoosmith for tips to get started creating closed captioning videos
Coming up on WELSTech:
(50:25) WELSTech double-duty continues next week
- Episode 087 – Increase your productivity and communication by emptying your inbox, the topic of the next Bonus WELSTech Goodness (BWTG) episode. (Release date 07/27/09)
- Episode 088 – Get things done with a new crop of Web 2.0 mind mapping and collaboration tools. (Release date 07/29/09)
The featured artist:
(52:20) This week we close with the beautiful piano music of Dawn Gehlhar – All Through the Night from her CD titled ”Inspirations”
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Sallie,
The “gaming” result of your poll reminded me of why I got into computers. My parents introduced me to the Atari 2600 when I was about four years old. I’m sure they’ve regretted that choice at various times over the years; I’ve been a gamer ever since.
My introduction to video games did more than just give me a way to waste large amounts of time, however. It practially determined what I would do for a living. I inherited my dad’s engineering tendencies and his desire to figure out how his toys worked. My interest in games drove me to be interested in software development and general computer technology. While I’m not a game developer (which is typically not a family-friendly occupation), I make a living designing other types of software and I also build and repair computers as a hobby. Since my technological interests keep my family fed, so I suppose my parents’ “mistake” wasn’t all bad.
Gaming actually has had a larger impact on the technology industry than many would like to admit. I agree with an article that I red a few years ago (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1545392,00.asp) by John C. Dvorak that claims gaming is really what keeps Windows alive in the area of home computers. Personally, it’s the only significant reason I still use Windows, and I’m definitely not alone. Also, gaming is without a doubt the most significant reason the CPU in your computer is as fast as it is. Competition between AMD and Intel drives them to make better products as fast as they can, and the segment that has driven this competition more than any other for the past several years is gaming.
Embrace those gamers that are eager to learn! In the future, you’ll be glad you did.
Jeremy Johnson