623 – Taking Family Devotions Online

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We’ve got a packed show this week on WELSTech. Our lead-off discussion covers ideas for family Bible study from a distance. We learn about the amazing plans for the upcoming Bread for Beggars Festival, and we discuss the hottest topic of the week, the coronavirus, specifically planning for the unknown in your church and school. There’s also picks of the week, audio/video planning resources, and free Bible images to round out the discussion. Don’t delay … Press play!

The discussion:

Family Bible study from a distance – Martin and Sallie share ideas for gathering your spread out family around God’s Word using technology to bridge the distance. They cover everything from finding materials for Bible study to tech tools for connecting to blessings and challenges they’ve encountered in the process.

The interview:

Upcoming Festival – Pastor Mark Parsons, who serves at Faith in Fond du Lac, WI and is the chief content creator for Bread for Beggars, shares details about the first ever Bread for Beggars Festival, happening June 11-13 in Fond du Lac. Festival attendees will leave full of the feast on God’s Word through sight, song, and story. Registration is open for the full festival (cost $195), or you can attend the Free Friday Night events.

News in tech:

Preparing for the coronavirus in …

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Worship the Lord series on Audio, Acoustics, and Video in the Worship Setting

Contact DSH Audio for assistance

Community feedback:

FreeBibleImages.org

Featured videos/online course:

Learn more about Smithsonian Open Access.

Next time:

Professor Rachel Feld from Martin Luther College brings edtech to the discussion.

Get involved:

CC 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

622 – Android Apps With Jason

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Tune in to this week’s WELSTech for an education-focused discussion including favorite Android apps for Chromebooks, classroom headphone recommendations, eRate, and the Issues in Lutheran Education blog. Plus, we’ve got you covered with details on the 2020 WELS International Youth Rally, Digital Learning Day, and atomic habit forming.

The discussion:

Android on Chromebook

Android apps on Chromebooks – Jason Schmidt, Instructional Technology Coach for Oconto Falls School District, joins Martin and Sallie to discuss Chromebook support and management of Android apps. And Jason throws in a side of headphone recommendations for classrooms to sweeten the conversation.

Apps

Headphones

Image courtesy of Masahiko OHKUBO via Flickr. License: Creative Commons 2.0

WELS now:

Registration opens March 2 for 2020 WELS International Youth Rally

  • June 23-26 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  • Early bird pricing through April 30
  • Get all the details in the registration booklet

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Issues in Lutheran Education – Martin Luther College Graduate Studies and Continuing Education blog

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Enjoy this short introduction to Jason’s pick of the week – Rivet: Better Reading Practice for Kids.

Get involved:

621 – The Points Don’t Matter

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This week on WELSTech we hear about a new online teaching platform that provides a professional, intuitive design across all types of devices and about plans to use it for online Bible Information Class. Registration is open for the Christ in Media XR Festival, and WELS recently published their annual report. Plus, Martin and Sallie keep score of new tech finds to assist in your personal productivity, stewardship, and more.

The interview and discussion:

Online Bible Information Class – Seminary Senior Micah Koelpin and Pastor Jared Oldenburg from Eternal Rock in Castle Rock, CO share their goals, research, and experience creating an online Bible Information Class.

News in tech:

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

One By One: Revitalizing a Congregation – A Lutheran Leadership Conference keynote presentation by Rev. David Rosenau

Community feedback:

Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons

Featured videos/online course:

To learn more about publishing online course materials with Thinkific, check out their free Fast Track Training course and their Creating a Course support resources.

Next time:

Tune in for discussion of family devotions with the aid of technology plus online Bible Information Class.

Get involved:

620 – Classroom Management Apps

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WELSTech is packed with ministry goodness this week including tech tools for classroom behavior management, early childhood ministry educator’s devotions, a variety of Microsoft news, Easter 2020 resources, and a preview of the new Christian Worship hymnal. Join the conversation!

The discussion:

A variety of tech for classroom management – We welcome Professor Rachel Feld to the edtech co-host seat and preview the Classroom Management picks from the Cult of Pedagogy’s Teacher’s Guide to Tech in 2020.

The interview:

Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s Devotions – WELS National Coordinator for Early Childhood Ministry Cindi Holman chats with Martin and Sallie about a devotion series geared to those who work with preschool aged children and their families.

News in tech:

WELS now:

E20 (Easter) resources available

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

ChristianWorship.com

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Get moving with Go Noodle’s GET FIRED UP!

Next time:

Tune in for discussion of family devotions with the aid of technology plus online Bible Information Class.

Get involved:

619 – Forward In Christ in 2020

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Welcome to 2020 on WELSTech! Martin and Sallie usher in a new decade of tech-in-ministry podcasting with a look to the future. We dive into all that’s new with Forward In Christ magazine, including the shiny new website. And there’s plenty of traditional WELSTech goodness included as well – news in tech, a conference announcement, creative new hardware, and plenty of community chatter.

The interview & discussion:

Something old, something new – We turn the tables on Together video host Nicole Balza, and she becomes the interviewee as she shares details about the Forward in Christ (FIC) magazine redesign and the new ForwardInChrist.net companion website.

News in tech:

It’s the end of the support life cycle for Windows 7

WELS now:

Register now for the first WELS Women Writers Conference – April 24-25

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Search five years of Forward in Christ PDF archives

Community feedback:

Featured video:

A great introduction to the Art with Flo channel is this video of 5 FUN drawing exercises. Bonus: There’s llamas!!

Next time:

Professor Rachel Feld from Martin Luther College shares the latest education technology trends.

Get involved:

618 – Closing Out A Decade Of Podcasts

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We close out the decade with the traditional WELSTech year-end review of favorite moments from past episodes. May God bless the WELSTech community in 2020 and beyond!

The discussion:

Best of 2019 – Martin and Sallie look back at the past year of podcasts and reminisce about a change in show frequency (less is more!), the event that was 2 years in the making, and cats, of course!

Events

Milestones

Favorite episode titles

Ministry resources:

Interviews:

Picks of the week:

Featured video:

Enjoy The Divers singing Let Us Go.

Get involved:

617 – A Season of Giving

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The WELSTech Christmas Special is a favorite episode each year, and 2019 doesn’t disappoint. Join Martin and Sallie as we learn more about the Ministry of Christian Giving.

The interview:

Online giving – Pastor Kurt Lueneburg and Adam Goede from WELS Christian Giving are on camera with Martin and Sallie for this special Christmas interview.

Next time:

On our New Year’s Eve special, we look back at the best of 2019 on WELSTech.

Get involved:

616 – Bible Study in a Tree Stand

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December has arrived on WELSTech, and its got us talking about Bible study ideas for the upcoming new year. This episode also includes news from Hour of Code, Christmas concert schedules, a family stewardship devotion series, and an opportunity to help Michigan Lutheran Seminary enhance their YouTube options.

The interview & discussion:

In the Word – Principal Brad Gurgel from St Peter Lutheran School in St Peter, MN provides an update on their school and church Bible reading initiative which he first shared at this summer’s EdTechLead19 (presentation link). Alycia Cameron also updates us on the Berean Bible Challenge she is leading, and Martin and Sallie have additional ideas for Bible study as we approach a new year.

News in tech:

Hour of Code – December 9-15

WELS now:

  • Christmas Concerts
    • Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (Live Stream)
      • Sunday, December 8 at 3:00 and 7:00 pm
    • Martin Luther College (Live Stream)
      • Saturday, December 7 at 7:30 pm
      • Sunday, December 8 at 4:00 pm
  • Shop online with Northwestern Publishing House from their ‘Tis His Season catalog
    • Use coupon code FREETIDINGS at checkout to receive a free copy of Tidings of Comfort and Joy when you make a $50 or more purchase from the catalog

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Christians Under Construction family stewardship devotion series

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Check out Smart Dezign: Church Media Made Simple on YouTube, including this video on Making a $4 Dollar Store DIY Teleprompter

Next time:

Pastor Kurt Lueneburg and Adam Goede from the Christian Giving office share ideas for online giving.

Get involved:

615 – Bitmoji All Around

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On WELSTech this week we learn a lot of things … how to facilitate school-home communication, where to find security guidelines for churches and schools, how to remotely operate Google Slides, that Apple has a new MacBook Pro on the market, and that the trio of co-hosts are all Bitmoji users. Who knew!

The discussion:

Connecting Guardians and Schools – In the recently released Future of the Classroom report, Google shares 8 trends which they believe will have an impact on how schools prepare students for a yet-to-be-defined future. Teacher-parent communication, one of the 8 trends outlined in the report, is an area where technology can assist, and Jason Schmidt, Instructional Technology Coach for Oconto Falls School District, joins the conversation to share his experience with a tech tool designed for this purpose.

News in tech:

New MacBook Pro 16″

WELS now:

General Information Security Guidelines for WELS Organizations

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Remote for Slides

Community feedback:

Google’s rollout of RCS chat for all Android users

Featured video:

Enjoy Koine Worship Media’s Now Thank We All Our God.

Get involved:

614 – Glide

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On WELSTech this week we focus on mobile app creation using Glide. It’s ease of use, versatility, and price tag (free!!) make it a great candidate for building apps for ministry. We’ll hear from two men who are using Glide in the high school setting. Spark your own app development effort with the resources and ideas from this week’s episode.

The discussion & interview:

Go mobile – Martin and Sallie discuss the features of Glide App, a free tool for developing mobile apps driven by data in Google Sheets. Teachers Carl Hochmuth from Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, WI and Jonathan Witte from Luther High School in Onalaska, WI share their experience using Glide apps in their ministry settings.

Glide Apps Examples

News in tech:

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Gospel Outreach With Media – Fall 2019 Online Conference

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Check out the latest updates to Glide Apps with this Data Editing playlist of video tutorials.

Next time:

We talk edtech with Jason Schmidt!

Get involved: