092 – Wall To Wall Listener Feedback

This week we open the WELSTech podcast mailbag and share loads of great comments, ides and questions from our listeners.

The discussion:

Listener FeedbackListeners Share – Martin and Sallie have gathered feedback from all corners of the web – listserves, social networks, tweets and our very own WELSTech web site – and put together a feast of tech-in-ministry treats for your enjoyment.  Try something new today, and expand your vocabulary in the process!

  • From our Facebook Fan Page (facebook.com/welstech) …
  • Kevin Smith wondered how BlackBerry (and other smart phone) users avoid “Mind Like Carbonated Soda Water”. The key is a disciplined approach to the digital world.
  • Pastor Jeremiah Gumm from Cross of Christ in Liverpool, NY shared a link to Twenty One Things Not To Do With Your Web Site.
  • Marilyn Sherod from Zion in Torrance, CA asked about creating MP3 files from video.  Check out the WELSTech Wiki page on Audio Recording.
  • Maren McPeak from St. Mark in Citrus Heights, CA had questions about the Content Management System (CMS) behind the new beta.wels.net.  We’re using Drupal for the new site.  Learn more about CMS options on WELSTech Episode 047.
  • From the #WELSTech Twitter-sphere we learned ..
  • David Schumann from Peace in Janesville, WI needed to correct the location of his church in Google Earth.  Diligent searching paid off with the needed Google Earth help page.  Is your location wonky??
  • Join the WELSTech Listserve conversation.  Recent topics include a shareable worship planning database and free monitors from Kettle Morraine LHS.
  • Brent Nemmers from Atonement in Plano, TX shared a link to FlagCounter.com.
  • Recent discussions on the LinkedIn “In The WELS” forums include Using Websites, Blogs & Social Media for Outreach.
  • David Savatski from WELS Missions Promotions office shared a vote of confidence for online form site Wufoo.com.

News in Tech:

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(51:12) Access the entire series of Bonus WELSTech Goodness “how-to” episodes using the WELSTech BWTG tag

Coming up on WELSTech:

(52:25) Episode 093 – WELSTech goes “Back to School with Technology”, including an interview with Joe Du Fore from Fox Valley Lutheran High School. (Release date 08/19/09)

The featured artist:

(53:15) This week we close with the music of WELS artists Kevin Loersch – Children of the Heavenly Father/Jesus Loves Me from his CD titled ”Abide With Me”

Get involved:

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091 – BWTG: Online Forms

This special “how-to” episode of the WELSTech Podcast explores the steps for creating online forms to gather data.

The discussion:

Bonus WELSTech GoodnessOnline Forms – We wrap up our summer “Bonus WELSTech Goodness” (BWTG) series with a look at the steps for creating web-based forms.  Forms are useful for easily gathering and analyzing registration, sign-up and survey information in your church and school.

  • Online Forms on the WELSTech wiki – Get instructions and video tutorials
  • Check out our sample Google Docs Form and take the WELSTech Listener Survey

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
  • 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
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090 – Run MDMC

This week on the WELSTech podcast we learn about the topics covered at the recent Milwaukee Digital Media Conference.

The discussion:

MDMC09 – Our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI, rejoins Martin and Sallie to share her experience from the recent Milwaukee Digial Media Conference (MDMC).  The educators who participated in the conference became students and used some of today’s newest technology to create multi-media projects to share with the world.

The interview:

Tammy Stephens(22:45) Gail spends a few minutes chatting with Tammy Stephens, Educational Technology Consultant and founder of The Stephens Group, about her work with the Milwaukee Digital Media Conference and as well as other initiatives in which she is involved.

New Technology Showcase:

Picks of the week:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(52:10) Listen for two new podcast next week

  • Episode 091 – On the next Bonus WELSTech Goodness (BWTG) episode we will share steps for creating online forms. (Release date 08/10/09)
  • Episode 092 – It’s all about our listeners as we take a time out and share all the great ideas and comments that have been rolling in. (Release date 08/12/09)

The featured artist:

(54:32) This week we close with the music of WELS artist Wendysue Fluegge (www.wendysue.com) – Time from her CD titled ”Everyday Christian”

Get involved:

089 – BWTG: e-News with MailChimp

This episode of the WELSTech covers steps for starting an electronic newsletter for your church or school.

The discussion:

Bonus WELSTech Goodnesse-News with MailChimp – Today’s “Bonus WELSTech Goodness” focuses on delivering professional quality, timely and affordable electronic newsletters.  Martin and Sallie share ministry applications and easy steps for getting started as well as info on back-end reporting capabilities which allow users to analyze the effectiveness of their e-news messages.

  • e-News with MailChimp on the WELSTech wiki – Get instructions and video tutorials on creating e-newsletters using MailChimp.com

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
  • 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

088 – Mapping For Ministry

This week the WELSTech podcast equips you with tools for online collaborative mind mapping and ideas for ministry applications.

The discussion:

Mind MappingOnline Mind Mapping – A new batch of Web 2.0 online mind mapping tools prompted this updated podcast.  Martin and Sallie have talked mind mapping in the past, but today’s show expounds on the ministry applications of mind mapping, particularly in terms of collaboration with these new tools.

Picks of the week:

WELS.net feature:

Community feedback:

  • (26:27) John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA shared ministry tech ideas and questions

Coming up on WELSTech:

(31:08) The WELSTech double-feature next week includes

  • Episode 089 – Creating e-News with MailChimp is the topic of the next Bonus WELSTech Goodness (BWTG) episode. (Release date 08/03/09)
  • Episode 090 – Gail Potratz joins us with a recap from the Milwaukee Digital Media Conference (#mdmc09 on Twitter). (Release date 08/05/09)

The featured artist:

(32:32) This week we close with the music of WELS praise band, Koine (www.koinemusic.com) – From All That Dwells Below the Skies from their debut CD titled ”Koine”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
  • 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
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087 – BWTG: Emptying Your Inbox

This week on the BWTG “how-to” WELSTech podcast we share steps for implementing a productivity system to maintain an empty inbox.

The discussion:

Bonus WELSTech GoodnessEmptying Your Inbox – The topic for today’s BWTG (Bonus WELSTech Goodness) episode is one that affects everyone in the digital age, and while it is simply stated as “Emptying Your Inbox” it can be a complex and challenging task.  Listen as Martin shares tips from his Personal Productivity seminar on how to enhance communication, reduce stress and achieve “Mind Like Water” via an empty inbox.

  • Emptying Your Inbox on the WELSTech wiki

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
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  • Join the WELSTech community:
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086 – How To Synod Convention

This week on the WELSTech podcast the discussion centers on the technology behind this year’s Synod Convention.

The discussion:

2009 Synod ConventionPack 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:

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

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”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
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  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
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  • Join the WELSTech community:
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085 – BWTG: Custom RSS Feeds

On this mini “how-to” WELSTech episode learn three easy steps for sharing links on your web site via a custom RSS feed from Delicious.

The discussion:

Bonus WELSTech GoodnessCustom RSS Feeds – If you’ve ever surfed to a web page with news or information which would be perfect for sharing on your church or school web site, then you’ll appreciate today’s BWTG episode where Martin and Sallie discuss an easy solution for adding those desired links to your site using some RSS magic.  Tune in for some delicious “Bonus WELSTech Goodness”!

  • Custom RSS Feeds on the WELSTech wiki – Get instructions and video tutorials on creating a custom RSS feed using Delicious.com

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
  • 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:
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084 – Teens, Tech and Trek

This week the WELSTech podcast takes a look back at the recent youth rally and the lessons we can learn about technology in youth ministry.

The discussion:

WELS International Youth Rally 2009Reaching youth with technology  – Joining Martin and Sallie for a recap of the WELS International Youth Rally are Dr. Joel Nelson and Jeremy Bakken from the Youth Discipleship office.  From registration through MySpace to 41 multi-media presentations, the Youth Rally was wired to reach teens in their digital comfort zone.  Joel and Jeremy share tips and resources for youth leaders who are considering technology tools for outreach to teens.

New Technology Showcase:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (36:25) A recent BWTG episode on Facebook Pages generated these comments:
    • Nancy Thompson from Victory of the Lamb in Franklin, WI shared steps for adding a Facebook Page Fan Box to your web site – Info in this Mashable blog post too
    • A Mail Chimp blog post details adding a newsletter subscribe form to your facebook page
  • And we received positive feedback via Twitter from Picnik regarding our BWTG episode on Web Image Editing
  • Alyssa Dunning from our Web Services area shared a link for registering with Google Maps
  • Blogger Jim Gates from Tipline – Gates’ Computer Tips clarified his opinion about twitter in the classroom, then appeared to change his mind
  • Pastor David Ernest from Gloria Dei in Tinley Park, IL asked about keeping his public e-mail SPAM free.  Martin suggested using Javascript to mask e-mail addresses on your web site.
  • Pastor Aaron Frey from Emanuel in Tawas City, MI, a.k.a. Exetweet on Twitter, applies that Greek training to WELSTech :-)
  • Sallie shares a true geek treat – TrekYourself.com

Coming up on WELSTech:

(50:30) Join us for two episodes of WELSTech next week

  • Episode 085 – The BWTG (Bonus WELSTech Goodness) how-to topic of the week is creating custom RSS feeds for your web site using Delicious. (Release date 07/20/09)
  • Episode 086 – With Synod Convention less than one week away, this episode of WELSTech will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the technology being used to bring the convention experience to you virtually. (Release date 07/22/09)

The featured artist:

(51:10) This week we close with the music of Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) – Such Joy from their CD titled ”We Walk By Faith”

Get involved:

083 – BWTG: Web Image Editing

Creating the perfect image for your church or school web site is the subject of this mini WELSTech podcast.

The discussion:

Bonus WELSTech GoodnessWeb Image Editing – The current episode of “Bonus WELSTech Goodness” (BWTG) covers the basics of image editing using the free site Picnik.com.  Listen as Martin and Sallie discuss the ministry applications for great images and share video tutorials, help documents and links to get you started.

  • Web Image Editing on the WELSTech wiki – Get instructions and video tutorials on the basics of image editing
  • Check out the past WELSTech interview with photographer Lori Aschbrenner
  • iStockphoto.com – Purchase images for your web site

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
  • 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:
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