433 – Feedback and Skinny Snowmen

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On WELSTech this week the community is front and center as we share feedback and explore new tech finds that can have a positive impact on church, school and personal ministry. Tech news includes a controversial customer letter from Apple, and this week’s picks leads to an “official” name for a new design element from Google.

The discussion:

skinnySnowman2 145x125From all the channels – Martin and Sallie share tips and tricks from the WELSTech audience via all our social channels. From printing the moon to church websites to digital media, there’s WELSTech goodness of all flavors represented!

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

On My Heart Lutheran Memory Work Program

Featured video:

New to the WELSTech “Like’s” list on Vimeo is a promotional video tour of Divine Savior Lutheran Academy in Doral, FL.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 434 – Gail Potratz is in the {virtual} house for what promises to be a lively discussion of the edtech horizon. Don’t miss it! Release date: Wednesday, March 2

Get involved:

432 – With All Your Heart: Ch 6

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This week’s WELSTech features a discussion of the key role volunteers play in the work of faith-based organizations. Leaders of the Member Ministry team at St. Paul’s, New Ulm, share their experience with nurturing spiritual gifts of congregants. Sallie shares an image hack that doesn’t require Photoshop, and there’s a special Lenten video in the Ministry Resources segment of the show.

The discussion and interview:

volunteers145x125Volunteers- Martin and Sallie write the next chapter of With All Your Heart, this season’s DIY book discussion. Many church and school projects are entirely dependent on the work of volunteers in the organization.  Turning those volunteers from renters to owners of the project is key to motivation and success. The good news is there are many tech tools to help!

Linette Scharlemann and Jeff Boyce, part of the Member Ministry team at St. Paul’s, New Ulm, share their experience (and awesome resources) with Discovery Workshops, which help members find out who they are in Christ and live that out to God’s glory each day .

memberMinistryTeamc

News in tech:

Twitter changes on the way

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

What is Lent video from Concordia Publishing House

Featured video:

Enjoy Do Something from the St. Paul’s, New Ulm, Member Ministry team. We’ve added it to the YouTube Promo playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 433 – Next week Martin and Sallie dip into the WELSTech mailbag to share a variety of community feedback. Release date: Wednesday, February 24

Get involved:

431 – Our Digital Habitats

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This week’s WELSTech features a discussion of the hardware, software, browser extensions and devices which Martin and Sallie use in their day-to-day digital work. We also take a look at the newly redesigned Martin Luther College web site, discuss open source church software and feature a video from Lakeside Lutheran High School’s uber popular YouTube channel.

The discussion:

mergedc145x79Information workers – Martin and Sallie share the tech that makes them smile {big monkey grins}!

Hardware

Desktop

Software

Browser & Extensions

Devices

News in tech:

Google for Education Presents – Content 2.0 Webinar

WELS now:

Ministry resources:

Open Source Church Software Roundup

Featured video:

This week we feature Lakeside Lutheran High School’s Soaring to New Heights video on the WELSTech Promo YouTube Playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 432 – Chapter 6 of With All Your Heart, the WELSTech book project, is on the docket. The focus will be volunteers, and we’ll talk with folks from the Member Ministry team at St. Paul’s Lutheran in New Ulm, MN. Release date: Wednesday, February 17

Get involved:

430 – eRate, Grants, and Freebies

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The snow is flying sideways, but WELSTech is on the air! Jason Schmidt brings his brand of sunshine to enlighten listeners on financial options for implementing technology in schools. This episode also includes info on a safer internet, an upcoming online conference, and free Bible maps.

The discussion:

We deliverWe deliver despite the blizzard – Jason Schmidt from Bennington Public Schools joins Martin and Sallie to share a variety of methods to assist schools with funding educational technology.

News in tech:

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Free Bible Images has free Bible maps

Featured video:

Check out Lucidpress in 60 seconds on the WELSTech Product Demo YouTube Playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 431 – WELSTech hosts, Martin and Sallie, reveal the tech that makes them tick. Release date: Wednesday, February 10

Get involved:

429 – Free eBooks For Everyone!

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This week’s WELSTech features an expansive list of resources from the WELSTech Community, including a fair number of free eBooks to read at your leisure. Martin proves to be a verb rebel, we give a special shout out to a talented WELS Photo Challenge contributor, and WELS launches a new teen devotion.

The discussion:

Free eBooksFree eBooks and so much more – WELTech’s mailbag and social channels are bursting at the seams with all kinds of tools and utilities and eBooks to read! Martin and Sallie are sure to share something of interest for everyone.

News in tech:

iOS 9.3 – What features are in the new iPhone and iPad update

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Alive in Christ Music

Featured video:

New to the WELSTech “Like’s” list on Vimeo is a Community Feedback pick by Gail Potratz, Wanna Work Together?, a 3 minute overview on copyright and Creative Commons from the CC About the Licenses page.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 430 – Jason Schmidt is back with his brand of edtech sunshine! Release date: Wednesday, February 3

Get involved:

428 – Learning To Teach With Tech

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WELSTech broadcasts from Martin Luther College this week as we get the inside scoop on the new teaching with tech curriculum from two professors leading the charge.  You won’t want to miss the abundance of great picks which are shared, and the podcast wraps up with uplifting worship video from MLC’s Evangelism Day.

The interview:

JandJ428 145x125Teaching with tech – Professors James Carlovsky and Dr. Jim Grunwald join WELSTech and share how students at Martin Luther College are using Google Apps, iPads and many web-based tools to explore ways technology can modify and redefine learning today and preparing to make use of future-tools, yet to be imagined, in their ministries of tomorrow.

WELS now:

Interactive Faith – Who Is Your God?

Picks of the week:

Featured videos:

This week we share the archived Evangelism Day service from Martin Luther College

evangelismDay012016

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 429 – Tune in for “anything-goes,” as Martin and Sallie share loads of great community feedback. Release date: Wednesday, January 27

Get involved:

427 – With All Your Heart: Ch 5

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Tune in to WELSTech this week for chapter five of WELSTech’s very own project management book for faith-based organizations, With All Your Heart. The focus is scheduling and the chapter includes an interview with some calendaring gurus from Kettle Moraine Luther High School. The show also includes a look at a new, multi-angle video camera and tips for starting great Bible-reading habits.

The discussion and interview:

time 371226 145x125Scheduling – Martin and Sallie are back with a {timely} discussion of chapter five of With All Your Heart, the WELSTech DIY book on project management for churches, Christian schools and other faith-based organizations. Taking a cue from Nehemiah, we share ideas to survey a project for all tasks, map dependencies and meet project milestones. The chapter includes an interview with some uber Google Calendar users from Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, WI, Joshua Schoeneck, Erin Laabs and Melanie Schoeneck.

KMLCalendarCollageW550x224

News in tech:

WELS now:

WELSTech Photo Challenge for January 2016

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

7 Days to Your New Bible Habit

Featured video:

New to the WELSTech Product Demo playlist on YouTube is this overview of the FollowUpThen e-mail reminder service.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 428 – On location at MLC … Martin and Sallie talk with Dr. Jim Grunwald and Prof. James Carlovsky about MLC’s “Teaching with Tech” training. Release date: Thursday, January 21 (A day late, but worth the wait!)

Get involved:

426 – A Virtual 2016

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Welcome back to WELSTech 2016 – the 9th year! Today’s show features a discussion of virtual reality, a fun new free photo app, ad blocker options for iOS and a group of social ways to study God’s Word.

The discussion:

18013664463_af890882b4_k 145x125VR in ministry – With eight years of podcasting behind them, Martin and Sallie kick off year nine of WELSTech with a discussion of affordable virtual reality using smart phones and Google Cardboard and how it might intersect with ministry.

WELS now:

If you’re in the Milwaukee area on Saturday, January 9, stop in for a tech-in-ministry Intersections breakfast with fellow WELSTech-ers, including Martin, at Divine Peace at 3203 South 7th St. Fellowship begins at 8:30 am with discuss from 9 to 10:30 am. Learn more and RSVP via the Intersections Facebook group.

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Start 2016 with one of the great social opportunities to study God’s Word online:

Featured video:

Check out Google’s big jump into virtual reality from The Verge on WELSTech’s Product Demo YouTube Playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 427 – Next week Martin and Sallie share tips to keep your project on time as they discuss chapter 5 of their project management book, With All Your Heart. Release date: Wednesday, January 13

Get involved:

Image courtesy of Maurizio Pesce

425 – The Best of 2015

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WELSTech ushers out 2015 with a look back at the best of the best from all throughout the year. From contests to ministry resources to interviews, from episodes to picks to recording the 400th episode in front of a live audience at WELSTech Conference, there’s abundant WELSTech goodness to relive!

The discussion:

Looking back – Martin and Sallie share favorite memories of WELSTech from 2015.

2015cubes 145x125Favorite events

New and notable WELS tech-in-ministry
  • We’re writing a book! WithAllYourHeart.tech
  • We’ve dedicated one episode per month to Community Feedback
Favorite episodes
Favorite interviews
Contests
Picks of the year

Featured videos:

This week we’ve add a new video to the WELSTech Music playlist on YouTube. We hope you enjoy A Son, Emmanuel by Koine featuring stop motion sand art by Jason Jaspersen.

 

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 426 – Martin and Sallie kick off 2016 with a celebration of the 8th anniversary of WELSTech and a discussion of virtual reality with Google Cardboard. Release date: Wednesday, January 6, 2016.

Get involved:

424 – Have A Very Social Christmas

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Celebrate Christmas week with WELSTech’s special interview of Pastor Paul Prange, WELS Administrator for Ministerial Education. Martin and Sallie share their final picks of the week for 2015 plus special videos from President Schroeder and the College Choir from Martin Luther College.

The interview:

Get on their channel – Martin sits down with WELS Administrator for Ministerial Education, Paul Prange, to talk about using online media channels to let your light shine. He shares his unique insight on helping teens use tech to the glory of God and the advantages of tuning into the best communication channels (from telephone to e-mail to Facebook) to reach out to others. Pastor Prange also has some great advice about being salt and light in what you do online.

WELS now:

Christmas message from WELS President Schroeder

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

My Son , My Savior

Featured video:

New to the WELSTech “Like’s” list on Vimeo is this recording of the Martin Luther College’s College Choir singing Star in the East.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 425 – Martin and Sallie close out the year of podcasting with a look back at the best of 2015. Release date: Wednesday, December 30.

Get involved: