497 – Guess Who’s A Pinterest Lover?

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This week on WELSTech, there’s a shocking turn of events! Somehow a show filled with some great community feedback turned into an admission by one of the hosts that Pinterest is actually a pretty useful tool. Tune in to find out who and why. Also, Sallie shares an invaluable resource to get you ready for worship this Sunday!

The discussion:

Community feedback at its finest – WELSTech listeners never disappoint when they share the tips, tricks, and news of technology that assists with ministry.

Countdown to episode 500:

Revisit year 7 (2014) of WELSTech (episodes 323 to 373), when Google Forms, Kanban and Instagram for Churches were the upstarts.

WELS now:

New Shepherd’s Staff WebTools on Sale through May 31

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Worship Helps

Featured video:

New on the WELSTech Music playlist is Koine’s The King of Love My Shepherd Is.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 498 – We welcome back Jason Schmidt for our last edtech discussion of the 2016-17 school year. Release date: Wednesday, May 23.

Get involved:

Worship Helps

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During weekly worship, Christians join with other believers in prayer and praise to God. More importantly, they join with other believers to hear the Word of God. One way the Word is proclaimed during worship is through the assigned readings from the Bible for the particular day in the church year.

Using WELS Worship Helps, Christians can prepare their hearts for worship by studying the assigned readings in advance. Worship Helps are released weekly, on the Monday prior to worship. They are available on the WELS.net web site as well as via e-mail subscription.

Each week, the Worship Helps introduction identifies a theme that runs through the various Bible readings for the week. Each reading is followed by questions and answers related to the reading, and both traditional and supplemental readings are included in Worship Helps.

Application/audience

Personal and group Bible study can be designed around Worship Helps. Time spent studying the worship passages is later reinforced and magnified in the Christian’s worship experience. Share links to the resource in e-newsletters and via social media channels to encourage others to use it to prepare for worship. Consider using Worship Helps for church and school faculty/staff devotion or family devotion.

We actually use Worship Helps in the WELS Technology office for team devotion to start our weekly staff meetings. Different team members volunteer to read the passages ,and we discuss the questions (before looking at the answers) as a group. When the reading comes up in church the next Sunday, I’m always excited to hear it and learn more about it through the songs and sermon for the week.

Related resources

Additional Bible study and devotional resources from WELS include ..

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496 – Social Media Superstars

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On WELSTech this season we’ve been exploring the use of social media in ministry. Today’s episode wraps up that series with a look at great examples of church and school accounts on each of the major social media platforms. We also talk with Pastor James Aderman regarding the WELS Intersections Facebook group, and Martin gives us a tour of the new WELS Locator tool which is integrated into the WELS Online Yearbook.

The discussion:

Watch and learn – Capping off a season-long focus on Social Media for Ministry, Martin and Sallie identify standout churches and schools who are making excellent use of social media channels. View the Social Media Superstars infographic.

The interview:

Up close with a social media superstar – Meet Retired Pastor James Aderman, the man behind WELS Intersections, a Facebook group which had its start at WELSTech Conference 2015. Almost 2 years later, the group is a great resource for topics at the intersection of technology and ministry.

Countdown to episode 500:

Revisit year 6 (2013) of WELSTech, episodes 269 to 322. This was the year of the “unconference,” and 100+ attended WELSTech Camp, our very own unconference event. Relive the great moments of 2013 with our Best of 2013 episode.

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

New WELS Locator Joins Yearbook

Featured video:

MLC Day 2017 is history, but the fun and excitement lives on in this MLC Day Lipdub 2017 video, the newest addition to the WELSTech Likes List on Vimeo.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 497 – We shine the spotlight on WELSTech listeners as we share the latest community feedback! Release date: Wednesday, May 17.

Get involved:

New WELS Locator joins Yearbook

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Recently the WELS Locator application was rewritten and enveloped into the existing WELS Online Yearbook. The yearbook has slowly been updated with functions and data to make it a viable replacement for it’s paper sibling. You can search for a called workers name or city and receive a listing of those that match. Clicking on a called worker will reveal a profile that shows contact information, year graduated and what organization they work for.

Where things get even more interesting is on the organization tab. For some time you could search for a church or school by name and/or city. With the inclusion of locator functionality, you can now find a church or school by proximity to criteria you enter. You can enter an address, city, state or zip code and find all organizations within a radius of miles you determine. You may also select the option to find your current location as the search criteria…great if you are traveling and want to find nearby churches.

Also available within the locator functionality is to filter your search results by special criteria including Church, Pre-School, Elementary School, High School, Counseling Center and Care Facility. You can get even more filters related specifically to worship with filters like Signed Services, Hearing Loop, Personal Sound Equipment, Livestreaming, and Languages Offered.

There are a number of ways to find the Yearbook/Locator. You can simply visit the synod’s website at www.wels.net and click on the “Find a Church/School” at the top of the screen. This will take the visitor directly to the Organization tab of the yearbook app. You may also visit the Yearbook site directly at https://yearbook.wels.net, or the Locator portion at https://locator.wels.net. Finally, if you use the WELS Mobile app you can find a link to the Locator in the side menu or the Yearbook itself under the Synod Reports area.

Application/audience

The Yearbook with locator functionality is a useful tool to get in touch with any called worker. Perhaps you have a friend or neighbor moving out of town and you want to contact the local pastor to perhaps get in touch. Simply search for a city in either the People or Organization tab and then reach out to that church or pastor directly to let them know that their might be a family to be in touch with. Studies have shown that if a new resident doesn’t get “connected” with a church in the first 90 days, it is far less likely they will find a church home at all. With the locator functionality you could also pinpoint the nearest church or school to a specific address if you know it. Obviously if you are moving, this would be a great way to determine the proximity of the closest church or school.

If you or someone you know needs to take advantage of special services offered like signed services, or hearing equipment, those filters are available. You can even find the closest services offered in Spanish or whatever other language is needed. And of course with vacation season just around the corner the Yearbook’s locator function will be a great way to find a service close to wherever you are, plus directions with the click of a single button.

It is important to stay connected with a church family. The WELS Yearbook with Locator helps you, or those you know, do that.

Related resources

One related resource that was mentioned above is the WELS Mobile app. It has links to the Yearbook, but also great devotional content you can access wherever your phone or tablet is like Daily Devotions, Bible Readings, Worship Helps, WELSTech and much more. Just search for WELS Mobile in your favorite app store.

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495 – Friends & Family Tech Support

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Join this week’s WELSTech for a lively discussion almost all of us “techies” can relate to…providing tech support for friends and family. We walk through several tips and best practices that will make your next “support call” a pleasant one for all involved. Additional discussion includes a discussion of upcoming concerts, graduation, and assignment events at synod schools, multi-media options for your entertainment and a church copyright ministry resource.

The discussion:

Dedicated to WELSTech Moms – Martin and Sallie explore various hardware and software support tactics which are helpful for supporting family and friends, especially from a distance. Secret weapons include using cell phones or tablets to snap a photo of the problem and keeping solutions simple!

Countdown to episode 500:

Revisit year 5 (2012) of WELSTech, episodes 217 to 268. The top picks of the year included long-standing favorites Raspberry Pi, MathCounts, PicMonkey, Camtasia Studio, Google 2-Step Verification, and Google Hangouts.

News in tech:

Amazon’s new Echo Look has a built-in camera for style selfies

WELS now:

Synod Schools wrap up the school year with graduation and assignment events. Visit their sites for live streaming links:

  • Martin Luther College
    • Commencement Concerts – Friday, May 12 – 4:00 & 7:30 pm
    • Graduation – Saturday, May 13 – 10:00 am
    • Assignments – Saturday, May 13 – 2:30 pm
  • Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
    • Vicar Assignment – Tuesday, May 16 – 7:00 pm
    • Graduate Assignment – Thursday, May 18 – 10:00 am
    • Commencement Concert – Thursday, May 18 – 7:00 pm
    • Graduation – Friday, May 19 – 10:00 am
  • Luther Preparatory School
    • Commencement Concert – Friday, May 19 – 7:00 pm
    • Graduation – Saturday, May 20 – 10:00 am
  • Michigan Lutheran Seminary
    • Commencement Concert – Friday, May 26
    • Graduation – Saturday, May 27

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Church Copyright

Featured video:

The newest addition on the WELSTech Product Demos YouTube playlist is LastPass 101: Meet the Browser Extension.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 496 – Next week we wrap up the Social Media for Ministry series with a look at some social media superstars and an interview with Pastor James Aderman. Release date: Wednesday, May 10.

Get involved:

Church Copyright

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Copyright law exists to protect and ensure those behind creative works are appropriately compensated when the work is reproduced or performed. For churches, regular Sunday worship typically includes a host of creative works which are reproduced and performed. The Bible text, sermon, hymns, liturgy, and choral works often pop to mind, but in this digital age, many forget that copyright law also protects projected lyrics, images, and video, streaming worship (live), and podcasting worship (archived), among other things. The complexities and variations are many and finding clear answers to copyright questions can be challenging.

Application

An article from Christian Copyright Solutions details 6 Myths About Copyright That Puts Your Church At Risk. The key to following copyright law is designating someone in your church to become educated on copyright and obtain proper licensing of the creative works you use. Unfortunately, this isn’t a “one time and done” activity. It requires reviewing and reporting individual music selections which are included in worship each week. Christian Copyright Solutions offers excellent, free copyright education resources for churches including an eight-page toolkit, 57-page eBook, webinar videos and fact sheets. They, along with other companies, also offer performance and streaming licensing for churches.

WELSTech doesn’t endorse one licensing solution over another, but additional insight into licensing options is available on WELSTech 329, Are You Legal. Kristine Laufer, Rights and Permissions Coordinator for Northwestern Publishing House, talks with Martin and Sallie about copyright issues including various use of Christian Worship and Christian Worship Supplement.

Related resources

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494 – Rethinking the Roles of Teachers

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie are joined by Rachel Feld to discuss an interesting article from the Horizon report entitled “Rethinking the Roles of Teachers.” Has the rapid advancement of educational technology changed the role of our teachers?

The discussion:

A brand new classroom experience – Martin and Sallie are joined by teacher Rachel Feld from Bethany in Kenosha, WI (and soon to be MLC Professor!!) to discuss pages 24 & 25 of the New Media Consortium K-12 Horizon Report 2016 regarding teacher’s transformational role as educational technology becomes more prominent in the classroom.

Countdown to episode 500:

Revisit year 4 (2011) of WELSTech (episodes 165 to 216)!

News in tech:

Flying car debut

WELS now:

Digital display images from WELS

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

WELSTech Google Group

Featured video:

New from Lakeside Lutheran School on the WELS Schools YouTube playlist, Teacher Todd Hackbarth shared The Truth Told By Youth, featuring Lakeside Federation students from grades 1 & 2.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 495 – Tune in for tips on family tech support. Release date: Wednesday, May 3.

Get involved:

WELSTech Google Group

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As a person trying to figure out the best suited technology for a specific ministry application, wouldn’t it be great if you had an on-demand resource to help you? Great news! You do…the WELSTech Google Group. This group represents some of the smartest technologists our synod has to offer, and even better, they are very interested in engaging in tech-in-ministry conversations. What a blessing and a resource!

Some recent conversations have included topics like online giving solutions, electronic whiteboards, Hymnsoft running on Windows 10, getting Google Apps for Non-Profits up and running, and creating ADA compliant digital documents. Many years of these helpful conversations have been captured and made available for anybody willing to look.

Over the years many questions and answers have been shared. So if you are a seasoned technologist with experience and answers, or someone just getting started and feel overwhelmed, this resource deserves your attention. A true testament to what it means to “walk together” as a synod.

It’s very easy to join and use. You will need a Google account of some kind to request an invitation. Just visit https://groups.google.com/a/groups.wels.net/d/forum/welstech. Once in, you can email questions to the group at [email protected]. Simple. In settings, you can tell Google Groups to send you a daily summary, send combined messages 25 at a time, send them as they come in, or not to receive any emails at all. Very flexible and options to work the way you want them to.

If you’d like to search the archive, that’s easy too. Just visit the website https://groups.google.com/a/groups.wels.net/forum/#!forum/welstech and use Google’s excellent search tools. Years of previous conversations are available. See the quick video tutorial below for a walkthrough. Enjoy.

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493 – Feedback and Infographics

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Lots of listener feedback and some sweet infographics headline WELSTech this week! We even talk about a cool tool to create your own infographics, the rumored Microsoft “Cloudbook,” countless ways to grow in grace, a bit of Office magic, and some Ministry Resource goodness by way of Google Slides.

The discussion:

Pen, paper and microwave – Martin and Sallie dive into the WELSTech virtual mailbag and share some amazing technology for ministry and a few stunning infographics.

News in tech:

The Microsoft ‘CloudBook’ could be Chromebook’s worst nightmare

Countdown to episode 500:

Revisit year 3 (2010) of WELSTech (episodes 113 to 164), the year of the church Facebook page!

WELS now:

Opportunities for Summer study

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Desktop Publishing in the Cloud

Featured video:

New on the WELSTech Music playlist is Hallelujah featuring Dawn Michelle Williams.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 494 – Teacher Rachel Feld chimes in on the topic of the changing role of teachers. Release date: Wednesday, April 26.

Get involved:

Desktop Publishing in the Cloud

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As more and more of our work moves to “the cloud” and away from locally installed software, desktop publishing is one area which lacked a suitable online replacement. The desktop publishing standard, Microsoft Publisher, has long provided flexibility when it comes to layout so you can place images and text wherever you desire. Contrast this to word processing software which imposes strict rules around positioning text and images on the page.

Now with a simple modification of online presentation software, Google Slides, users can experience a parallel free-form layout environment for creative endeavors. The key is to change the page setup dimension from the traditional 4:3 or 16:9 ratio to A4 dimensions – 8.5:11 (portrait) or 11:8.5 (landscape). Watch this 1 minute video to learn how:

Application/audience

The work of church and school is greatly enhanced by excellent communication. From bulletins to event flyers to study materials to newsletters, called workers, church office personnel and volunteers alike will appreciate having this flexible design/layout tool in their digital toolbox. And moving this work to the cloud “ups the ante” on ease of sharing and collaboration during the development stage.

This sample 8.5 x 11 newsletter was created in Google Slides. It includes several different layouts for text as well as images and mailing space. Once the design work was complete, the files was downloaded in PDF format for printing.

Related resources

Try out different Slides themes, including the built in themes (Help) and those available from SlidesCarnival.com, to enhance design work.

Visit the Learning in Hand blog for a step-by-step tutorial on using Google Slides to print custom Post-It notes.

Also, Canva.com offers an alternative cloud-based design option. They have tons of professionally-designed layouts which can easily be customized. Much of their content is free, but some of the most desirable images do come with a price tag. Still, the cost is low (typically $1 per image) for superb design.

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