107 – Feasting on RSS Feeds…and Grits

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This week the WELSTech podcast discussion topic is RSS – consuming and producing “Really Simple Syndication”.

The discussion:

RSSRSS for personal and congregational usage – Martin and Sallie debut the new “Using RSS Feeds” page on the WELSTech wiki.  The page is dedicated to using RSS or Really Simple Syndication, both as a consumer and as a feed producer.  Listen as they share resources, ideas and ministry applications for RSS.

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(49:01) Episode 108 – Our tech in education specialist, Gail Potratz, joins the WELSTech fun to share practical ideas for integrating technology into your religion curriculum.   (Release date 12/02/09)

The featured artist:

(50:20) Celebrating Thanksgiving, we close with the music of WELS instrumentalist In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow from their fourth CD titled In Our Hearts

Get involved:

106 – One-Eyed Prophets

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we kick off a new book discussion.

The discussion:

A lesson from the classics – Martin and Sallie kick off discussion of a brand new book, Shane Hipps’ The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, The Gospel and Church.  In Chapter 1, titled “Seeing But Not Perceiving,” the theme of the book is introduced as the author uses a variety of illustrations to show how the method or media used to deliver a message has an impact on the message. Planning for media usage should be done with an eye on both sides of the potential impact.

Ministry resources:

(27:47) BibleMap.org

News in tech:

(29:15) Google storage price drop

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (37:10) Checking the pulse of the #WELSTechtweet traffic …
    • Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI verifies SpellingCity.com includes pronunciation and uses words in sentences. He’s a fan of SkyDrive Explorer, the Everyday teen video series and Living Bold podcast devotions.
    • Robert Faust used Twubs.com to track the #WELSTech hashtag on Twitter
    • Nancy Thompson shared a free video clip from Igniter Media Group
    • Sallie retweeted a sample Glogster project for religion class from Rob Jacklin (rjacklin on Twitter)
  • Jeremy Johnson from Risen Savior in Milwaukee, WI will share iTalc with his congregation technology team and uses Dropbox and ADrive for cloud storage.
  • Join the WELSTech listserve discussion on midi in worship
  • The WELSTech public Google Wave continues to grow.  Join by searching for “Calling all WELSTech-ers!”  Send us your e-mail address if you would like a Google Wave invitation.
  • Martin used the WELSTech tag on diigo to share a link to 19 Educational Uses for Google Wave
  • Pastor Phil Huebner from Christ the King in Palm Coast, FL was inspired by Pastor Rob Guenther’s Google site (gethsem.info) and is developing one for his congregation.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(51:11) Episode 107 – Everything RSS is the discussion topic for next week.   (Release date 11/18/09)

The featured artist:

(52:09) This week we close with Corban Creek’s Fly Away

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

105 – Learning – Long Distance Style

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we celebrate National Distance Learning Week and talk with teacher Karl Henselin about free computer management software.

The discussion:

Online learning – It’s time again for our annual celebration of National Distance Learning Week.  Martin and Sallie define distance learning in terms of student experience and needed skills, and they explore the possibilities for distance learning in a ministry setting.  Visit our distance learning web page where we showcase all of the WELS distance learning resources.

The interview:

henselin1s(17:15) Managing your school computers – Teacher Karl Henselin from St. Mark in Green Bay, WI was a presenter at the recent Wisconsin State Teacher’s Conference and spent a few minutes with Martin to discuss free software tools for maintaining computers.

Ministry resources:

(28:55) Logos for iPhone/iTouch

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(51:35) Episode 106 – We’re kicking off a new book discussion, Chapter 1 of Shane Hipps’ The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture. (Release date 11/18/09)

The featured artist:

(54:54) This week we close with the music of Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com) – The Beatitudes from his CD titled “A Witness”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

104 – Glowing About The Bible

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast Martin and Sallie discuss online and personal Bible study with a digital flavor.

The discussion:

onlinebiblestudysDigital Bible Study – Martin shares a recap of his recent presentation at the WI State Teacher’s Conference. We learn about the many types of digital Bible study and about many free and affordable tools for online study.

News in tech:

  • (33:07) Google Wave update
    • E-mail us for an invite, and join the public WELSTech wave by searching “Calling all WELSTech-ers!”
    • The Complete Guide to Google Wave
  • OpenDNS Enterprise – Pricing for K-12 is $500 per year

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(56:10) We celebrate National Distance Learning Week by highlighting all of the online learning opportunities offered by WELS. (Release date 11/11/09)

The featured artist:

(57:05) This week we close with the music of WELS artist Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com – Follow mikewestendorf on Twitter) – Come from his CD titled ”Color Through The Gray”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook