290 – Summer Bucket Lists

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This week’s WELSTech Podcast has an education focus as Jason Schmidt joins Martin and Sallie to talk about a bucket full of summer tech learning opportunities, both online and face to face. Combine that with our picks of the week, event announcements and community feedback for a show you don’t want to miss!

The discussion:

Kick the bucket – Jason Schmidt from Bennington ISD near Omaha, NE guests hosts with Martin and Sallie this week, and the three of us reveal our bucket list of learning goals for the summer and beyond.

Picks of the week:

Calendar:

(28:28) WELSTech turns 300 in just 10 short episodes. Make plans to celebrate with us as we broadcast live from Synod Convention on July 30 at 8 p.m.!

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(38:46) Episode 291 – Prof. David Tess from Wisconsin Lutheran College joins Martin and Sallie to talk about what the Internet is doing to our brains. (Release date – 06/04/13)

The featured artist:

(39:30) We close the podcast with the instrumental music of In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – O Lord, Send Forth Your Spirit

Get involved:

289 – Minding Your Members

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Today on WELSTech we look at online, collaborative solutions for managing member and prospective member information. Sallie kicks off her very own picks of the week series geared at summer vacation, and we debut a brand new promo video for the upcoming WELSTech Camp event. All that, and the answer to your burning questions about Martin’s jet lag as well!

The discussion:

Software to manage your church – Keeping up with information about members and prospective members can be a huge job for church pastors, secretaries and volunteers. Now many software solutions are moving to the cloud for online sharing or data updates and inquiries. Martin and Sallie discuss a variety of considerations including, most importantly, security of your data.

The interview:

(10:29) Church in the cloud – Peter Frank, Manager of Concordia Technology Solutions, talks with Martin and Sallie about one of their newest products, Church360: Members, a full-featured online church membership database. Watch for a look inside a demo installation.

News in tech:

(30:39) Google+ gets a feature-packaged redesign – Tips for navigating the new Google+ stream

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(43:51) We hope you enjoy our promo video for the first ever WELSTech Camp unconference.  Join us September 14th at Martin Luther College. For details and tickets for this free day, visit our event wiki.

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(49:11) Episode 290 – What’s on your learning bucket list? Tune in next week as Martin, Sallie and guest host Jason Schmidt share ideas for kicking that particular bucket (list). (Release date – 05/28/13)

The featured artist:

(50:01) We close the podcast with the music of Corban Creek – Psalm 46

Get involved:

288 – From Hong Kong to Sleepy Eye

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This week’s WELSTech Podcast spans the globe as Martin joins us from the future, 13 hours ahead in Hong Kong! We feature a wrap up of the Presentation Zen book discussion and a new “Listener Review” segment. Martin also shares his thoughts on his Windows Surface Pro tablet, which he deemed worthy of making the trip to Hong Kong.

The discussion:

How engaging! – Martin and Sallie reach the conclusion of our latest book discussion, Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds (garrreynolds.com | @presentationzen), with a look at techniques for engaging your audience including getting rid of barriers, having the right equipment and keeping it real.

Listener reviews:

(19:40) This week we introduce a new feature on WELSTech … Listener Reviews.

  • Pastor Matt Arnold from St. Paul in Oconto Falls, WI kicks it off with his review of the Nexus 7 tablet.
  • Send us a video, audio or text review of your favorite tech-in-ministry product, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for great prizes!

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

  • (30:45) WELSTech Camp – September 14 at Martin Luther College – FREE!!
  • Google Education Summit – June 16-21 at Wisconsin Lutheran College – $200 registration discount with “WELSTech” promo code

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(45:30) Episode 289 – Martin and Sallie talk with Peter Frank from Concordia Technology Solutions about the online member database Church 360. (Release date – 05/21/13)

The featured artist:

(46:46) We close the podcast with the music of Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com and on Facebook) – Holy Holy Holy

Get involved:

287 – Connected Youth

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Since it’s confirmation season, today’s WELSTech focus is keeping teens connected to the Word, and we look at ways technology may be able to assist. We also talk with Brandon Steenbock, who is serving “in the trenches” when it comes to youth ministry. There’s Google news, missionary videos and much more packed into this episode.

The discussion:

Relationships and Connections – Today’s youth are more plugged in than any previous generation, but before you connect in a digital fashion with them, it’s important to establish a face-to-face relationship. Martin and Sallie share ideas for making digital connections and keeping your communication safe.

The interview:

(8:36) Not Just an Event Organizer – Brandon Steenbock, Youth and Family Minister at St. Paul’s in New Ulm, MN, shares his experience with Martin and Sallie. From polling youth about their preferred communication channel (Facebook, Text or E-mail) to sharing video clips as discussion starters to engaging youth in summer mission trips, Brandon has had a variety of success in connecting with youth in his congregation.

Ministry resources:

(26:30) Bible Challenge from Back to the Bible

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

WELS.net feature:

(37:03) Check out the schedule of upcoming live streamed events including Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and Martin Luther College graduation activities

Of interest:

  • (37:55)Google Education Summit will take place June 16-21 at Wisconsin Lutheran College
    • Use promo code “WELSTech” and receive a $200 discount on your registration!
  • The first ever WELSTech Camp unconference will be held September, 14 at Martin Luther College. For details and tickets for this free day, visit our event wiki.

Community feedback:

  • (40:22) Missionary Mike Hartman from Leon, Mexico shared a video recap of the recent Greek Fluency Workshop he attended in Israel
  • Summer #WELSed Twitter chat dates are June 13, July 11 and August 8
  • David Schumann from Peace in Janesville, WI is looking for a free or affordable automated solution for telephone messaging to members. Anyone have experience or a suggestion for David?
  • Via Diigo, we learned about …

Coming up on WELSTech:

(49:27) Episode 288 – This year’s book discussion of Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds wraps up next week as we look at chapters 10 and 11 of the book. (Release date – 05/14/13)

The featured artist:

(50:03) We close the podcast with the music of  Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com and mikewestendorf on Twitter) – Four To Go

Get involved: