061 – The Five Don’ts

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This week on WELSTech the topic is digital evangelism.  Martin and Sallie discuss five “don’ts” for church web sites and talk with Pastor Ken Fisher about the WELS evangelism site, WhatAboutJesus.com.

The discussion:

  • Don’t make these mistakes on your church web site! – Your church or school web site is oftentimes making first impressions on the world so it is, of course, important that its design and content reflect favorably on your congregation. Martin and Sallie discuss five “don’ts” you’ll want to avoid when creating your site.

The interview:

  • Pastor Ken FisherReaching out with WhatAboutJesus.com (23:08) – Martin and Sallie talk with Pastor Ken Fisher from Risen Savior in Milwaukee, WI about the development behind the WhatAboutJesus.com evangelism web site. Pastor Fisher also shares info on some of the key site features, feedback they have received and future plans for the site.

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • We close with the music of WELS praise band, Koine (www.koinemusic.com) – Crown Him With Many Crowns from their CD titled Koine (59:45)

Get involved:

060 – Technology Planning Maui Style

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This week on WELSTech Martin, Sallie and Gail Potratz take a look at the components of a school technology plan.

The discussion:

  • School Technology PlanSchool Technology Plans – Martin and Sallie are joined by Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator at Emanual Lutheran School in New London, WI and our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, for a discussion of school technology plans.  Why do schools need a tech plan, who should be involved in writing it and what should go into it are a few of the questions addressed.

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • This week we close with the beautiful piano music of Dawn Gehlhar – Christ Be My Leader from her CD titled Inspirations (50:25)

Get involved:

059 – Tough Times…No Problem

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This week on WELSTech the conversation focuses on tech tips for effective ministry in a challenging economy and Martin and Sallie talk with Pastor Daron Lindemann about the new Message from the Master web site.

The discussion:

  • Technology in Tough Economic Times – Martin and Sallie share a host of ideas for wise use of technology in the church and school setting to save money. From reducing paper printing and distribution costs to prolonging the life of hardware, there are many ways to carry out effective ministry in times of economic challenge.

The interview:

  • Pastor Daron LindemannMessage from the Master (20:14) – Martin and Sallie talk with Pastor Daron Lindemann from Grace in Milwaukee, WI about his work on the Message from the Master project and their brand new web site.

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College, performs You are the God from their CD Led By The Light – www.revelationwlc.com (57:06)

Get involved:

058 – Is There Anybody Out There

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This week on WELSTech the discussion topic is distributing ministry-related video via the web and Martin and Sallie share ideas and resources to help you get started.

The discussion:

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (25:50)
  • Of interest (33:20)
    • WELS International Youth Rally 2009 – www.welsyouthrally.net
      • July 8-11 in Ames, IA
      • It’s time to get organized because online registration starts March 2nd
  • Community feedback (36:23)
    • Steve Brown from Messiah in South Windsor, CT and blogger at Worship Ideas You Can Use enjoyed episode 057 and wrote to share stats on how his self-publishing voice is reaching 98 countries!  Congratulations Steve and keep up the great work!
    • Laurie Esch Taylor from Grace in Yorba Linda, CA wrote to tell us how the idea of closed-captioning sermon videos, which we discussed in episode 055, was especially appealing to her because she has family members who are hearing impaired.
    • Karen Zastrow from Zum Kripplein Christi in Iron Ridge, WI and blogger at Paper Delights had some nice things to say about WELSTech in a recent post.  Thanks Karen!
    • Follow us on twitter.com – mspriggs and weltechtrainer – and join the twitter conversation by tagging your WELSTech related twitter posts with “#welstech“
  • Coming up on WELSTech (41:40)
    • Episode 059 – We’ll discuss ways technology can assist ministry efforts in these tough economic times, and we talk with Pastor Daron Lindemann about the “Message from the Master” radio show and web site.

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com) – Forgiveness is Grace from his CD titled The Way (42:22)

Get involved:

057 – Are You a Media Outlet

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie discuss the effects on gospel outreach of the shift from traditional mass media to individual self-publication via the web.

The discussion:

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) – Press On from his CD titled Climb The Mountain (38:50)

Get involved:

056 – Get SMART

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie are joined by Gail Potratz for a discussion on SMARTBoards in the classroom.  Gail interviews Linda Kasten, a SMARTBoard-enabled teacher.

The discussion and interview:

  • Linda KastenSMARTBoards in the Classroom – As more schools integrate interactive whiteboards into their classrooms, Martin, Sallie and our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz, discuss resources for making the most of your SMARTBoard.  Gail interviews Linda Kasten (8:35), a first grade teacher from St. Paul’s in Muskego, WI and 6-year veteran SMARTBoard user about the impact SMARTBoards have had on her students.

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • This week we close with the music of In His Service featuring WELS musicians Dr. Patricia Backhaus and Valerie Floeter (www.adagioconcepts.com) – I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say from their CD titled In His Time (48:03)

Get involved:

055 – Reaching Out with CC

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie talk with John Shoosmith about the technology behind producing closed-captioned sermons and the outreach opportunities they provide.

The discussion:

  • Tips for Productive Writing – Martin shares an article he used in his Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Winterim productivity course, particularly focusing on tips that may assist with sermon writing.

The interview:

  • John ShoosmithClosed-Captioning (11:11) – Martin and Sallie talk with John Shoosmith, lay member from our WELS congregation, Redeemer, in Yakima, WA and a frequent WELSTech contributor.  John is somewhat of a pioneer in terms of using technology to reach out via the Web with gospel ministry resources for the deaf and hard of hearing.  Listen as John explains how he got started in the world of closed-captioning and the popularity Redeemer’s closed-captioned sermon videos have attained on the web.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (34:13)
  • WELS.net feature (38:38)
  • Community feedback (39:54)
    • David Savatski from WELS World Missions Promotionsasked about recording Skype conversations and Martin shares the process we use for recording the WELSTech podcast.
    • Cindy Krueger from Shepherd of the Hillsin Lansing MI shared some information about a Mac version TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio in development
    • Brian Kom wondered if Martin’s Productivity presentations (Episode 054) were available in PowerPoint format to share with his church council
    • Alyssa Dunning from WELS Web Services shared two impressive Web 2.0 applications
    • Brent Nemmers from Atonement in Plano, TX shared a link to oCulture.com online language training resources.
    • John Shoosmith of Redeemerin Yakima, WA asked about nailing down statistics on podcasts.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (51.18)
    • Episode 056 – Gail Potratz, our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, joins us for a day of discussing all things SMARTBoard

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Kevin Loersch – Mary Did You Know from his CD titled O Holy Night (52:11)

Get involved:

054 – The Art of Productivity

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This week on WELSTech Martin shares some productivity tips from his WLS Winterim session and Sallie talks with Missionary Mike Hartman and his wife Rachel about their use of technology in the Mexico mission field.

Christmas 2010 Scavenger Hunt:

Clue #5

clue5

Remember, you can use your smartphone or an online decoder to decipher the message. This is the final clue so you can enter the contest by supplying the mystery message!  Additional contest details available here. Have fun!

The discussion:

The interview:

  • The HartmansTechnology in the mission field (18:36) –  Missionary Mike Hartman and his wife Rachel talk with Sallie about the mission work being done in Torreon, Mexico.  Rachel shares information about her Lutherans in Mexico blog and how she uses it to spread the news about the mission work with the world.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (28:18)
  • Of interest (35:42)
  • Community feedback (36:25)
    • Dan Smith of Holy Trinity in Des Moines, WA is using Google Calendar for his school but the print version isn’t formatted well for their newsletter.  Check out Sallie’s Picks of the Week in Episodes 026 & 027 for a solution.
    • John Shoosmith of Redeemer in Yakima, WA requested we share guidelines for NIV copyright on the WELSTech wiki, and we are happy to do so – “Copyright Guidelines for the NIV Bible“.
    • Linda Travis would like to display RSS feeds on her church web site.  Learn more at www.wels.net/jump/rss.
    • In response to a question from the webmaster at Good Shepherd in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, Martin shares more details about the synod’s multi-camera set up, including some hardware and software recommendations for running multiple cameras.
    • By popular demand, we’ve added a page to the WELSTech wiki with tips for “Getting Started” building a church or school web site.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (43:47)
    • Episode 055 – We talk with John Shoosmith, a WELS member in Yakima, WA, about the process of creating closed-caption sermon videos for the deaf and hard of hearing

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, WendySue Fluegge (www.wendysue.com) – The Instrument from her CD with the same title, The Instrument (45:18)

Get involved:

053 – Happy Anniversary

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie look back at the first year of the WELSTech podcast and look forward to podcasting in 2009.

The discussion:

  • One Year of WELSTechCelebrating one year of WELSTech – Take a trip down memory lane as Martin and Sallie listen to clips from the first ever WELSTech podcast and discuss the goals and expectations which they had for the podcast a year ago, how well they’ve met those goals, and where they hope to see the podcast lead in 2009.
    • Let’s make 2009 a year of collaboration!

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (24:20)
  • WELS.net feature (32:17)
  • Community feedback (34:38)
    • John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA is looking for copyright details for posting segments of the NIV Bible on his church web site.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (40:30)
    • Episode 054 – Martin shares highlights from his Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Winterim session, “Mind Like Water: The Art of Productivity”

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS contemporary praise band, Koine (www.koinemusic.com) – Jesus Priceless Treasure from their CD titled Koine II (43:00)

Get involved:

052 – The Best and Worst of 2008

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie countdown their best and worst picks of 2008.

The discussion:

The tidbits:

  • Coming up on WELSTech (44:45)
    • Episode 053 – We celebrate the one year anniversary of the WELSTech podcast with a look back at our first show and a look ahead at our expectations for 2009

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Michael Schroeder (michaelschroeder.com) – The Reason For the Season from his CD with the same title, The Reason For the Season (45:50)

Get involved: