107 – Feasting on RSS Feeds…and Grits

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This week the WELSTech podcast discussion topic is RSS – consuming and producing “Really Simple Syndication”.

The discussion:

RSSRSS for personal and congregational usage – Martin and Sallie debut the new “Using RSS Feeds” page on the WELSTech wiki.  The page is dedicated to using RSS or Really Simple Syndication, both as a consumer and as a feed producer.  Listen as they share resources, ideas and ministry applications for RSS.

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(49:01) Episode 108 – Our tech in education specialist, Gail Potratz, joins the WELSTech fun to share practical ideas for integrating technology into your religion curriculum.   (Release date 12/02/09)

The featured artist:

(50:20) Celebrating Thanksgiving, we close with the music of WELS instrumentalist In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow from their fourth CD titled In Our Hearts

Get involved:

106 – One-Eyed Prophets

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we kick off a new book discussion.

The discussion:

A lesson from the classics – Martin and Sallie kick off discussion of a brand new book, Shane Hipps’ The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, The Gospel and Church.  In Chapter 1, titled “Seeing But Not Perceiving,” the theme of the book is introduced as the author uses a variety of illustrations to show how the method or media used to deliver a message has an impact on the message. Planning for media usage should be done with an eye on both sides of the potential impact.

Ministry resources:

(27:47) BibleMap.org

News in tech:

(29:15) Google storage price drop

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (37:10) Checking the pulse of the #WELSTechtweet traffic …
    • Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI verifies SpellingCity.com includes pronunciation and uses words in sentences. He’s a fan of SkyDrive Explorer, the Everyday teen video series and Living Bold podcast devotions.
    • Robert Faust used Twubs.com to track the #WELSTech hashtag on Twitter
    • Nancy Thompson shared a free video clip from Igniter Media Group
    • Sallie retweeted a sample Glogster project for religion class from Rob Jacklin (rjacklin on Twitter)
  • Jeremy Johnson from Risen Savior in Milwaukee, WI will share iTalc with his congregation technology team and uses Dropbox and ADrive for cloud storage.
  • Join the WELSTech listserve discussion on midi in worship
  • The WELSTech public Google Wave continues to grow.  Join by searching for “Calling all WELSTech-ers!”  Send us your e-mail address if you would like a Google Wave invitation.
  • Martin used the WELSTech tag on diigo to share a link to 19 Educational Uses for Google Wave
  • Pastor Phil Huebner from Christ the King in Palm Coast, FL was inspired by Pastor Rob Guenther’s Google site (gethsem.info) and is developing one for his congregation.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(51:11) Episode 107 – Everything RSS is the discussion topic for next week.   (Release date 11/18/09)

The featured artist:

(52:09) This week we close with Corban Creek’s Fly Away

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

105 – Learning – Long Distance Style

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we celebrate National Distance Learning Week and talk with teacher Karl Henselin about free computer management software.

The discussion:

Online learning – It’s time again for our annual celebration of National Distance Learning Week.  Martin and Sallie define distance learning in terms of student experience and needed skills, and they explore the possibilities for distance learning in a ministry setting.  Visit our distance learning web page where we showcase all of the WELS distance learning resources.

The interview:

henselin1s(17:15) Managing your school computers – Teacher Karl Henselin from St. Mark in Green Bay, WI was a presenter at the recent Wisconsin State Teacher’s Conference and spent a few minutes with Martin to discuss free software tools for maintaining computers.

Ministry resources:

(28:55) Logos for iPhone/iTouch

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(51:35) Episode 106 – We’re kicking off a new book discussion, Chapter 1 of Shane Hipps’ The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture. (Release date 11/18/09)

The featured artist:

(54:54) This week we close with the music of Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com) – The Beatitudes from his CD titled “A Witness”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

104 – Glowing About The Bible

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast Martin and Sallie discuss online and personal Bible study with a digital flavor.

The discussion:

onlinebiblestudysDigital Bible Study – Martin shares a recap of his recent presentation at the WI State Teacher’s Conference. We learn about the many types of digital Bible study and about many free and affordable tools for online study.

News in tech:

  • (33:07) Google Wave update
    • E-mail us for an invite, and join the public WELSTech wave by searching “Calling all WELSTech-ers!”
    • The Complete Guide to Google Wave
  • OpenDNS Enterprise – Pricing for K-12 is $500 per year

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(56:10) We celebrate National Distance Learning Week by highlighting all of the online learning opportunities offered by WELS. (Release date 11/11/09)

The featured artist:

(57:05) This week we close with the music of WELS artist Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com – Follow mikewestendorf on Twitter) – Come from his CD titled ”Color Through The Gray”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

103 – Games With A Purpose

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This week the WELSTech Podcast focus is educational gaming and Gail Potratz joins the conversation.

The discussion:

Gaming in EducationSafe sites that teach – Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator for Emanuel in New London, WI and WELSTech’s semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, joins Martin and Sallie for a discussion on gaming in education.  There’s no denying student interest is peaked by video games, and there are many excellent gaming options which also teach.  As schools develop lists of these recommended edu-gaming sites, they are also creating a safe environment for students to surf the web from home.

Safe site suggestions by age group

Pre-K to 2nd grade (non readers):

3rd to 5th grade:

6th to 8th grade:

Ministry resources:

  • (28:15) BabelWith.Me – Real time translation engine for chat
  • Check out the new Lutheran Study Bible from Concordia

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(37:17) We’ve created a new compilation page for our Ministry Resources

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(41:39) Martin is presenting a workshop on Digital Bible Study at the Wisconsin Teacher’s Conference, so we’ll tap into his session notes and hear from the attendees. (Release date 11/04/09)

The featured artist:

(43:03) This week we close with the music of WELS artist Stephen Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com – Follow stephenbautista on Twitter) – Abandon from his CD of the same title ”Abandon”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

102 – Promises, Tools, and Bargains

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast we take a final look at the concepts presented in the book Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky.

The discussion:

Expanding Your Life Scope – Martin and Sallie wrap up their discussion of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody, looking at chapter 11 and the epilogue.  Tying all the concepts from the book together, three key components of digital groups emerge, and we see that these revolutionary changes should be accepted and taken for granted as we make use of them to spread the gospel message.

Ministry resources:

glo(22:44) BibleGlo.com – Multimedia Bible software

News in tech:

(26:28) Google Wave invites are trickling out.

  • Join the WELSTech public wave – search for this phrase …

with:public “Calling all WELSTech-ers!”

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (36:30) Perry Lund from Grace in Oskaloosa, IA sent us a link to his catechism class timeline of Luther’s life.
  • David Schuman from Peace in Janesville, WI shared thoughts on the use of virtual meetings in congregations and further thoughts on raising congregational awareness of technology.
  • As a follow up to our new public Google Calendar with the Christian Worship and Christian Worship: Supplement lectionary, Mark Ochsankehl shared a sample site with Google Calendar instructions for members.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(42:26) Gail Potratz joins the WELSTech crew as we share our picks of safe web sites for kids of all ages. (Release date 10/28/09)

The featured artist:

(43:25) This week we close with the music of WELS instrumentalist In His Service – Gabriel’s Message from their CD titled ”In the Fullness of Time”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

101 – Help! We are Wave-less!

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we focus on the powerful Bible study software tool, Logos.

The interview:

Pastor Aaron Frey(3:15) Logos Revisited – WELS resident Logos guru, Pastor Aaron Frey from Emanuel in Tawas City, MI, rejoins Martin and Sallie to share the latest news on the software.  Pastor Frey was previously on Episode 007 of the podcast and has since seen amazing growth in the Logos For Lutherans (L4L) Yahoo group which he created and administers. Listen as he shares tips he’s learned along the way, stories from Camp Logos II and a look into the future of the software.

Ministry resources:

  • (30:50) ref.ly from Logos generates short URLs for Bible references
  • Logos Ref Tagger creates roll-over links to Bible passages on your web site

News in tech:

(33:33) Google Wave invites trickle down to the masses.  Do you have one?

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (43:38) Pastor Rob Guenther from Gethsemane in Raleigh, NC is using Google Sites with Google Docs to power his member-oriented church web site – www.Gethsem.info. Check out his excellent “how-to” resources.
  • Mark Ochsankehl commented on the Google Books discussion and recommended Project Gutenberg for e-books
  • John Schoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA sent us a heads-up that the copyright holder of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible has changed to Biblica.  We’ve updated our copyright page on the WELSTech Wiki to reflect the change.
  • Perry Lund from Grace in Oskaloosa, IA was looking for a public Google calendar with the Christian Worship Lectionary.  We did some digging, found iCal versions of the lectionary on the WELS Worship site, created the calendar and added a new WELSTech Wiki page with instructions and video tutorials for accessing, importing and embedding it.  Thanks Perry for the great idea!
  • Via #WELSTech tweets we heard from … 
  • Jeffrey Clark and Jimmy Holub commented on the growing audio video needs around events.  Jimmy even put a name to many of the “live reinforcement technology” components.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(54:42) Episode 102 – We wrap up our discussion of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody – Chapter 11 – Promise, Tool, Bargain. (Release date 10/21/09)

The featured artist:

(56:40) We close the podcast with the music of Kevin Loersch – The Lord’s Prayer from his CD titled “Abide With Me”

Get involved:

100 – WELSTech Celebrates the Century Mark

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie commemorate their 100th podcast with tech-in-ministry success stories from the listeners.

The discussion:

WELSTech and YOU! – The 100th WELSTech podcast anniversary is dedicated to the success stories WELSTech listeners have experienced using technology in their personal and public ministry.  Join Martin and Sallie as they share stories of audio and video editing, social networking, personal time management, Bible study, RSS reading, blogging, and more.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(39:50) Pastor Aaron Frey shares the latest news from Logos (Release date 10/14/09)

The featured artist:

(41:18) We close with music of WELS praise band Koine (www.koinemusic.com) – Jerusalem the Golden from their CD titled “Koine II”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

099 – Books In The Cloud

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast Gail Potratz joins the discussion as we look at Google Books.

The discussion:

Google BooksGoogle Books – Google’s mission to organize the world’s information extends to offline content with their Google Books initiative.  Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator at Emanuel in New London, WI joins Martin and Sallie to discuss the impact Google Books will have on the future of education.

Ministry resources:

(16:44) Church Marketing Lab Flickr group

Picks of the week:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(34:37) The long anticipated 100th episode awaits and you won’t want to miss this special episode dedicated to YOU, the WELSTech listeners! (Release date 10/07/09)

  • Send us your tech-in-ministry (public or personal) success story for inclusion
  • All submissions will be including in our prize drawing for a WELSTech Sigg Water Bottle
  • Deadline for entries is October 2, 2009

Community feedback:

  • (36:40) Following up on the Intranet discussion in Episode 098
    • We’ve added a new Intranet page to the WELSTech Wiki.  Listeners are invited to share their Intranet experience!
    • Follow the Intranet conversation on the WELSTech listserve
  • #WELSTech tweets this week include …
    • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared links to Woofer for macroblogging and Aviary Phoenix image editor
    • Gail thinks Myna from Aviary is an excellent alternative to Audacity for audio editing

The featured artist:

(39:37) This week we close with the music of WELS pianist Dawn Gehlhar – Nearer My God To Thee from her CD titled ”Inspirations”

Get involved:

098 – Intranets and Internal Communication

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This week the WELSTech podcast we look at the set up of private, member oriented web sites.

The discussion:

Member focused web sites – Facilitating member-only online communication and collaboration is the purpose of a church or school Intranet.  Martin and Sallie test drive a few Web 2.0 tools that could function as congregational Intranets and share some of the pros and cons of implementing this type of solution.

The interview:

Brad Wheeling(23:16) Member Connect – Brad Wheeling, Marketing Manager for Concordia Technology Solutions (CTS), joins Martin and Sallie to discuss their intranet and church managment software solutions.  The CTS web-based solutions allow congregations flexibility in terms of where and who can make needed updates to information.

  • Visit Concordia Technology Solutions online – cts.cph.org
  • Learn more about WELS partnership discounts from CTS

Ministry resources:

(39:53) 100 Open Courses to Make Yourself an Internet Whiz

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(46:20) WELSTech & YOU! – The WELSTech 100th episode is just two weeks away and we need your help celebrating.  Share your favorite take-aways from the show via any of the WELSTech communication channels.

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(57:50) Episode 099 – Gail Potratz, our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, joins the podcast to discuss the impact of the Google Books initiative on education. (Release date 09/30/09)

The featured artist:

(59:25) This week we close with the music of Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) – God of Wonders from their CD titled “We Walk By Faith”

Get involved: