176 – Uh, I Forgot

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast we explore memorization tools and learn about the new STEM Academy at Fox Valley Lutheran High School.

The discussion:

Memorization tools – ‘Tis the season for confirmation examination, and what better time for Martin and Sallie to take an in-depth look at the variety of techie helps for memorization.

  • Automatic Memory Work Quiz Generator by teacher Karl Henslin from St. Mark in Green Bay, WI
  • Quizlet – online & mobile
    • Teacher features
    • “Bible” flashcard sets
  • Memorize Now! – online & mobile

The interview:

Alan Nolte(10:56) STEM at FVL – Academic Assistant Principal Alan Nolte talks with Martin about Fox Valley Lutheran High School’s new STEM Academy.  STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and through this new program FVL will be offering students the opportunity to take specialized courses in these fields over their high school years.

Ministry resources:

(26:22) Why churches and Christian groups should use mobile QR codes

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(38:04) FinalWeb Training in New Ulm, MN and Milwaukee, WI

  • FinalWeb for Teachers in New Ulm on June 27 and Milwaukee on August 1 – bit.ly/fw4teachers
  • FinalWeb for Dummies in New Ulm June 28-30 and Milwaukee August 2-4 – bit.ly/fw4dummies

Community feedback:

  • (40:10) John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA shared links to an online PBS video, Martin Luther: Driven to Defiance, which is part of their “Empires” video series.
  • David Schumann from Peace in Janesville, WI enjoys using freeware MuseScore for cross-platform midi music creation.
  • From the WELSTech Diigo Group we learned of these links:
    • Quiz Geo geography quizzes using Google Maps
    • 5 Free Tools For Creating a Video Product Demo
    • UploadingIt – 10GB of free cloud storage
    • Zipcast from Slideshare

Coming up on WELSTech:

(46:55) Episode 177 – Gail Potratz joins Martin and Sallie to share her unique edtech experience. (Release date – 03/30/11)

The featured artist:

(47:10) We close the podcast with the music of Cross To Glory – Thy Will Be Done from their CD titled “Life’s Song”

Get involved:

175 – Office 2010

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast Microsoft Office and Staff Minister Dan Schoeffel share center stage.

The discussion:

Is your office a Microsoft Office? – Martin and Sallie discuss the “mature” Microsoft Office suite and share links to a robust list of support resources.

The interview:

Dan Schoeffel(16:08) Tech Solutions – Staff Minister Dan Schoeffel from St. Paul’s in Onalaska, WI talks with Martin and Sallie about the various hardware and software solutions that have been implemented in his congregation and school.  From scrolling announcements in the church narthex to innovative time keeping to wise stewardship of hardware, St. Paul’s has their tech bases covered.

Ministry resources:

(32:22) Free introductory online course from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

News in tech:

(34:10) iPad 2 Reviews from Cnet

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(40:35) FinalWeb Training in New Ulm, MN and Milwaukee, WI

  • FinalWeb for Teachers in New Ulm on June 27 and Milwaukee on August 1 – bit.ly/fw4teachers
  • FinalWeb for Dummies in New Ulm June 28-30 and Milwaukee August 2-4 – bit.ly/fw4dummies

Community feedback:

  • (43:28) Judy Trunkel from St. John’s in Neilsville, WI asked for feedback on non-profit discount tech shopping site TechSoup.org.  Check out ShopWELS.net for discount tech pricing for WELS congregations, schools and individuals.
  • Adam Valleskey from Christ in Juneau, AK shared links to their online giving page powered by Vanco.  Adam also shared ideas for church sites on Facebook.
  • Via Twitter Jason Schmidt (Gethsemane in Omaha, NE) shared a link to his new classroom wiki page where 3rd and 4th grade students will be mapping Paul’s Missionary Journeys.
  • Over on the WELSTech Diigo Group Martin and Sallie shared links to …

Coming up on WELSTech:

(50:38) Episode 176 – Alan Nolte from Fox Valley Lutheran High School shares news of their upcoming STEM Academy, and we review techie aids for memorization. (Release date – 03/23/11)

The featured artist:

(51:21) We close the podcast with the instrumental music of In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say from their CD titled “In His Time”

Get involved:

174 – Revisiting WhatAboutJesus.com

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast we return to our book discussion and take a closer look at techie outreach resources.

The discussion:

Communication for School Leaders – Listen as Martin and Sallie discuss Chapter 7 of Leading 21st Century Schools which covers tech-based ideas for school leaders to engage parents, alumni, school boards and other “stakeholders” in education initiatives.

Ministry resources:

What About Jesus(13:51) WhatAboutJesus.com – Access and share outreach oriented resources covering questions about Jesus and God, life concerns, introduction to worship, worship helps and much more.

  • Visit the Ministry Resources page for a compilation of items shared throughout WELSTech history.

News in tech:

(19:08) iPad2 announcement – Recently Joshua Johnson from Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran High School posted a question on the WELSTech Facebook page looking for 1 to 1 computing recommendations.  If you are considering iPads for 1 to 1 computing in your school, check out these resources:

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(28:23) FinalWeb Training in New Ulm, MN and Milwaukee, WI

  • FinalWeb for Teachers in New Ulm on June 27 and Milwaukee on August 1 – bit.ly/fw4teachers
  • FinalWeb for Dummies in New Ulm June 28-30 and Milwaukee August 2-4 – bit.ly/fw4dummies

Community feedback:

  • (31:14) We received lots of Facebook feedback from last week’s podcast:
  • Sallie and Martin shared links via the WELSTech Diigo Group
  • Pastor Phil Arnold from St. Matthews in Stoddard, WI shared a link to Mellel, a word processor for Mac which handles Greek and Hebrew text seamlessly.
  • David Schumann from Peace in Janesville, WI shares online worship video resources from another congregation, Good Shepherd in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, with his congregation because they don’t produce their own.  Find a list of all streamed worship services and online sermon video archives on the WELSTech Wiki.
  • Via twitter we heard from …

Coming up on WELSTech:

(46:03) Episode 175 – The Microsoft Office tool set is the discussion topic of the day, and Staff Minister Dan Schoeffel shares his tech favorites. (Release date – 03/16/11)

The featured artist:

(47:20) We close the podcast with the music of Corban Creek  – Psalm 13 from their CD titled ”Could It Be Me”

Get involved:

173 – Is Facebook For You?

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast we look at examples of WELS congregation’s Facebook pages .

The discussion:

Facebook pages – A question from Cindie Walker about the new facebook page for Cross of Life in Mississauga, Ontario was the spark for Martin and Sallie’s discussion today.  Adding a Facebook page to your communication strategy provides a platform for sharing events, announcements and audio/video content, and it also allows members to easily practice “lifestyle evangelism”.

Interview:

Facebook WELS Lutherans(23:45) WELS on Facebook – Alicia Neumann from WELS Communication Services talks with Martin and Sallie about the content and maintenance of WELS official Facebook presence – facebook.com/welslutherans.

Ministry resources:

(38:44) TableProject.org – a private social platform for churches

  • Take a test drive at welstech.tableproject.org.  Account creation is required, and the “secret code” is welstech.

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (46:44) Rachel Arnold from St. Matthews in Stoddard, WI is taking the WELSTech weekly blogging challenge.  Follow Rachel’s blog, Chosen by Christ.
  • Pastor Steve Oldre from St. Peter in Chaseburg and Hamburg, WI asked for recommendations on media for shut-in ministry recordings.  How do you share church recordings with shut-ins in your congregation?  E-mail WELSTech your solution!
  • Martin shared links via the WELSTech Diigo Group

Coming up on WELSTech:

(55:56) Episode 174 – We discuss school administration communication, the focus of Chapter 7 of our current book selection, Leading 21st Century Schools. (Release date – 03/09/11)

The featured artist:

(56:43) We close the podcast with the music of Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com and on Facebook) – The One from his CD titled ”Fuel For The Soul”

Get involved:

172 – Google Earth

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This week is education week on the WELSTech Podcast, and Gail Potratz joins us to take a look at Google Earth.

The discussion:

Tour the world – Google Earth is a powerful desktop mapping tool that has many uses in the classroom.  Martin and Sallie welcome back our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz, from Emanuel in New London, WI, and we discuss the many uses of the software.

Getting started resources:

Eight uses for Google Earth in ministry:
googleEarth1. History and Literature tours

2. Historical maps

3. Bible land tours

  • Bible Geocoding – Google Earth files of every location mentioned in the Bible organized by chapter and book

4. Geography class

5. WELS locations

6. Map your members and prospects

7. Ocean exploration

8. Astronomy

Ministry resources:

(33:44) Proclaim – Cloud based worship presentations

News in tech:

(34:46) Google Docs Viewer Now Supports 12 More File Formats

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (46:25) Lesley Bergeman from Good Shepherd’s in West Allis, WI shared the news that YouVersion is giving away free mobile downloads of NIV 2010.  Offer is good through March 1.
  • John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA suggested we provide easy to include images and links to popular WELS content.  We’ve started a new Webmasters Widgets page on the WELSTech Wiki to share this info.
  • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared a link to the FACE Kids Site which focuses on copyright
  • Maren McPeak from St. Mark’s in Citrus Heights, CA trained their teaching staff on Engrade online grade book and shared video tutorials of the getting started process
  • Chris Hintz form Emmaus in Phoenix, AZ asked our recommendation of a Content Management System (CMS) tool for congregations and schools.  Martin and Sallie recommend FinalWeb and WordPress.

The featured artist:

(52:55) We close the podcast with the music of Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com and mikewestendorf on Twitter) – You Are Amazing from his CD titled ”Undefined”

Get involved:

171 – Blog 365

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This week the WELSTech Podcast topic is blogging, and we talk with Pastor Dan Walters about his post-a-day efforts.

The discussion:

Blog topics – Martin and Sallie share ideas for your blog, and invite you to take the WELSTech Blogging Challenge.  What better way to learn more about blogging and find your personal blogging niche than to post to your blog at least once per week for the rest of 2011.  Share a link to your blog so we can follow!

The interview:

Pastor Dan Walters(12:48) Pastor Walters is a blogger – Pastor Dan Walters from Our Savior in Springville, NY is blogging every day in 2011! He joins Martin and Sallie to share his experience and tips for successful blogging.

Ministry resources:

(26:50) Video presentations of Martin Luther’s Morning and Evening Prayers

News in tech:

(28:14) New features on Vimeo and ScreenCast.com

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (37:53) Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI related his experience with the Gyration Mouse
  • Lesley Bergeman from Good Shepherd’s in West Allis, WI asked about the purpose of a mobile web site
  • John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA suggested WELS publications be added to Google Books
  • WELSTech was featured in several recent blog posts:
    • Mike talks about the Proclaimer at WELSTech by Rachel Hartmann on her Lutherans in Mexico blog
    • Check out WELSTech! by Pastor Dan Walters on Pastor Walters Has A Blog
  • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared links via the WELSTech Group on Diigo

Coming up on WELSTech:

(45:04) Episode 172 – Gail Potratz joins the conversation, and we take a virtual tour of the world using Google Earth. (Release date 02/23/11)

The featured artist:

(45:40) We close the podcast with the music of Stephen Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com or stephenbautista on Twitter) – The Man Who Drove the Nail from his CD titled ”Abandon””

Get involved:

170 – The Proclaimer

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast we return to our school technology book discussion and interview Mexico Missionary Mike Hartmann.

The discussion:

Inspire and Assess Technology Integration – Martin and Sallie discuss chapter 6 of Leading 21st Century Schools which focuses on school leaders motivating technology changes in education.  Practical guidelines for assessing tech enhanced lessons are shared as well.

  • Martin Luther College Certificate of Education Technology and Masters with Educational Technology Emphasis.
  • School Technology Plans on the WELSTech Wiki

The interview:

Missionary Mike Hartmann(14:13) The Proclaimer – Missionary Mike Hartman from Leon, Mexico joins Martin and Sallie to share a story of outreach using a solar-powered, wind-up MP3 player in remote Mexico.

  • Using technology to Proclaim the Word from WELS Missions blog
  • The Proclaimer from Faith Comes by Hearing
  • Lutherans in Mexico, the Hartmann’s blog

Ministry Resources:

  • (28:50) We asked for online donation options, and our WELSTech listeners responded with several:
    • Jared Mahnke from Luther High School in Onalaska, WI uses Just Give.org – Visit their donation page
    • Joshua Johnson from Nebraska Lutheran High School in Omaha, NE shared that they use Vanco powered by e.services for donations, tuition payments, and other giving needs – Visit their donation page
    • Martin shared links to EasyTithe.com and MinistryGive.org
  • Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly (1990-2010) is available from Logos
  • CreationSwap.com shares images and multi-media for congregational usage

Picks of the week:

  • (35:53) Compelling Facebook Fan Pages by Chris Brogan
    • How to Build a Facebook Page from Mashable
      • More on FBML (Facebook Markup Language)
      • Check out the FBML-enabled WELSTech tab – set to be the landing page for “non-fans”
  • Flickr

Community feedback:

  • (43:08) Are you considering Google Apps for your congregation or school?  If so, you’ll want to read the recent WELSTech Listserve discussion thread on the topic.  We’ve created a Google Apps page on the WELSTech Wiki.
  • Michael Luce from Abiding Faith in Ft. Worth, TX wrote to let us know he’s participated in online worship with all of the congregations on the online worship listing on the WELSTech Wiki.  Do you stream your services live?  Add your church to the list!
  • Helpful links shared via the WELSTech Group on Diigo:
    • Web 2.0 Bloom’s Taxonomy
    • MakeUseOf’s PDF Guides
    • Extreme Planet Makeover
    • Backup Alternatives

Coming up on WELSTech:

(53:18) Episode 171 – We’ll answer the question “What should I blog about?” and talk with Pastor/blogger Dan Waters about his motivation and topics for blogging. (Release date 02/16/11)

The featured artist:

(54:01) This week we close with the music of Kevin Loersch – Amazing Grace from his CD titled ”Abide With Me”

Get involved:

169 – How Mission Friendly Is Your Website?

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This week the WELSTech Podcast focus is evangelistic web sites as we discuss a new e-book on that topic.

The discussion:

A WELSTech e-Book  Release – Martin and Sallie discuss recent work on Websites and Missions: Reaching Out in a Digital World.

The interview:

Jonathan Favorite and family(23:00) Crosswalk Communications – Staff minister Jonathan Favorite from Crosswalk Lutheran Ministries in Phoenix AZ joins Martin and Sallie to share details about their use of technology to communicate the Gospel.

  • Umbraco content management system

Ministry Resources:

(38:44) Do you accept online donations on your church web site?  Share your experience!

News in Tech:

(40:41) Port your existing mobile number to Google Voice (Video tutorial)

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(54:28) Episode 170 – Missionary Mike Hartman joins us to share news about the newest “Proclaimer” of God’s Word in Mexico, and we discuss chapter 6 of Leading 21st Century Schools. (Release date 02/09/11)

The featured artist:

(55:20) This week we close with the music of Crosswalk Lutheran Ministries featuring our interviewee, Jonathan Favorite- Dive Into God’s Word from their CD titled ”Crosswalk Lutheran Ministries”

Get involved:

168 – SoundzAbound

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast the focus is the use of copyright-safe audio in the 21st century classroom.

The discussion:

Audio Resources for Students – Gail Potratz (gailpotratz on Twitter), our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent from Emanuel in New London, WI, joins Martin and Sallie this week as we review 21st Century Skills, specifically the use of audio resources for communication and problem solving.

The interview:

Barry Britt(8:31) Copyright friendly- Barry Britt from Soundzabound.com talks with Gail about the development of the copyright-safe-audio-for-education web site.

Ministry Resources:

(32:18) my.BrainShark.com is a simple way to narrate files and embed them on your web site – View a sample WELSTech presentation

News in Tech:

(36:38) DimDim.com web conferencing is no longer free (FAQ).  There are many free alternatives, including a few we’ve recently discussed on WELSTech …

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(59:33) Episode 169 – Evangelical websites is the planned discussion topic as we chat with Staff Minister Jonathan Favorite from Crosswalk Lutheran Ministries in Phoenix, AZ. (Release date 02/02/11)

The featured artist:

(1:01:01) We close with the music of Koine (www.koinemusic.com | Facebook) – Christ is our Cornerstone from their CD titled ”Koine II”

Get involved:

167 – Files, Files, and more Files!

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On this episode of the WELSTech Podcast we explore many alternatives for file sharing in the church and school office.

The discussion:

NetworkManaging files in the Digital Age – Gone are the days of working solo on our pen and paper projects at the office. Now we want and need to be able to access our digital files from remote locations and easily share files with others for collaboration.  Martin and Sallie detail a variety of solutions for file sharing.

News in tech:

(16:23) iPhone coming to Verizon

Picks of the week:

  • (18:25) National Geographic Wallpapers for your Windows 7 (or any) desktop
  • Pogoplug

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(36:50) Episode 168 – Gail Potratz joins the conversation and shares an interview she recorded with Barry Britt from Soundzabound.com. (Release date 01/26/11)

The featured artist:

(37:15) We close the podcast with the music of  Branches Band (www.branchesband.com |Facebook) – Jerusalem the Golden from their “Light Eternal” CD

Get involved: