054 – The Art of Productivity

/in ,

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:

  • Mind Like Water: The Art of Productivity – This week Martin is teaching a productivity course as part of the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Winterim schedule.  He recaps some of the information they are learning, and we hear from students in the class about why a productivity system is important.

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.
    • www.lutheransinmexico.com
    • missions.wels.net

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (28:18)
  • Of interest (35:42)
    • WELS marriage retreats – www.welsmarriageretreat.org
  • 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

/in ,

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!
      • Join the WELSTech facebook group
      • Contribute to the WELSTech wiki
      • Check out the “Get involved” links below for lots more ways to participate

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (24:20)
  • WELS.net feature (32:17)
    • Read through your Bible in 3 years – Pick your flavor!
      • Text-based (e-mail and RSS delivery available) – www.wels.net/jump/bible3
      • Audio-based (listen on your computer or MP3 player) – www.wels.net/jump/bible3podcast
  • 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

/in ,

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:

051 – A Conversation with the President

/in ,

This week on WELSTech synod President Mark Schroeder joins Martin and Sallie to discuss the synod and its use of technology to further the gospel message.

The interview:

  • President Mark SchroederA conversation with the President (2:25) – In a special Christmas Eve interview, WELS President Mark Schroeder talks with Martin and Sallie about what he’s learned in the year and a half since he became president, how technology is assisting with the work of the synod, and how he sees it being used in the future.

The tidbits:

  • Coming up on WELSTech (25:30)
    • Episode 052 – Tune in for our 2008 countdown of best and worst picks of the year

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS pianist, Dawn Gehlhar – Silent Night from her CD titled Christmas Dreams (26:40)

Get involved:

Episode 050 – Dec 17 2008

/in ,

This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie look at the ease of group formation in a Web 2.0 world as they continue their discussion of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody.  They also clean out the WELSTech mail bag.

The discussion:

The tidbits:

  • Community feedback – Cleaning out the WELSTech mail bag!(31:00)
    • Call for a web developer posted on the WELSTech facebook group by Carol Restovic
    • Following up on the Content Management System discussion in Episode 047, John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI shared links to tools to enhance blogging with WordPress and TypePad
      • Write blog posts from your desktop with wbloggar.com
      • Anti-SPAM plugins for TypePad
    • Following up on Episode 045, George Efsen asked how to find the interview segment about Search Engine Optimization.  Time markers for all WELSTech episodes are included in the show notes.
    • David Savatski recommended box.net for online storage and group collaboration
    • John Shoosmith of Redeemer in Yakima, WA shared several comments
      • Sample closed-caption sermon created with Microsoft Silverlight
      • Suggestion for a WELSTech directory of listeners with techie knowledge and skills which they are willing to share
      • Questions about copyright of Luther’s works and the Bible
    • Alyssa Dunning shared a link to digsby.com – useful for aggregating your web presence including instant messaging, e-mail and social networks
    • Closing the loop on a question we received in Episode 033 from Pastor John Maasch of Peace in Bradenton, FL – WELS Worship has published the current lectionary series in “ical” format for importing into your calendaring software – in the “Lectionary Planning” folder
    • Our occasional guest host, Gail Potratz, from Emanuel in New London, WI shared a link to David Warlick’s School Acceptable Use Policy wiki
    • Richard Travis from Divine Peace in Garland, TX is using FlashPoint to convert PowerPoint files to Flash format for their church web site
  • Coming up on WELSTech (56:01)
    • Episode 051 – A special treat for Christmas Eve – We’ll talk with WELS President Mark Schroeder
  • WELS.net feature (57:15)
    • Tune in to Streams Live for a Michael Schroeder Christmas concert
      • December 20 @ 5 p.m. CST from Christ Lutheran in Pewaukee, WI
      • Sponsored by WELS Military Services

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Michael Schroeder (michaelschroeder.com) – What Child Is This from his CD titled The Reason For the Season (57:48)

Get involved:

Episode 049 – Dec 10 2008

/in ,

This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie take a look at chapter one of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody.  Ray Brown joins the conversation to share how he uses video e-mail for outreach and congregational communication.

The discussion:

  • Harnessing the power of groups – Martin and Sallie kick off a discussion of the book Here Comes Everybody – The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky with a look at the concepts presented in the first chapter. The author uses a true story of a “one-person media outlet” to illustrate how easily groups can form on the Internet and the power these groups can yield.  Based on these concepts, the discussion shifts to how the church will be affected by these types of groups and also how it can make use of the ease of group formation to effectively carry out ministry.

The interview:

  • Ray BrownVideo e-mail (22:33) –  Ray Brown, Congregational Assistant from Summerlin Lutheran in Las Vegas, NV, joins Martin and Sallie to share information on their use of video e-mail as a communication tool to members and prospects.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (43:27)
    • Create a flash scrapbook for your church or school web site – ScrapBlog.com
    • Windows Live SkyDrive – 25 Gb of “in the cloud” online storage
  • WELS.net feature (50:05)
  • Community feedback (51:42)
    • John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI shared a fun link to enter to win a USB powered Dirt Devil KWIK vacuum for your keyboard.  The contest runs daily until December 12th.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (52:47)
    • Episode 050 – We’ll discuss Chapter 2 of Here Comes Everybody and open our mail bag to share loads of community feedback

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS pianist, Dawn Gehlhar – Carol of the Bells from her CD titled Christmas Dreams (54:35)

Get involved:

Episode 048 – Dec 3 2008

/in ,

This week on WELSTech we are joined by Gail Potratz, our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, and we take a look at the skills our students need to succeed in the Web 2.0 world.

The discussion:

  • SearchingResearch Skills in a Web 2.0 World – Joining Martin and Sallie for our monthly classroom technologies discussion is Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator for Emanuel in New London, WI.  Today’s schools are preparing students for careers that don’t even exist currently.  The discussion centers around how to equip students with skills to succeed in this Web 2.0 world.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (26:10)
  • Of interest (34:35)
    • Live streaming of the Koine Christmas concert
      • December 6 @ 5 p.m. CST from Christ Lutheran in Pewaukee, WI
      • Sponsored by WELS Military Services
  • Community feedback (36:20)
    • Jason Winget shared a link on the WELSTech Listserve
    • Add your feedback or ideas about Church Media or Content Management Systems to the WELSTech wiki @ welstech.wetpaint.com
  • Coming up on WELSTech (38:29)

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Revelation music ministry (www.revelationwlc.com) – I’m Free from their Led by Light CD (40:42)

Get involved:

Episode 047 – Nov 26 2008

/in ,

This week the focus of the WELSTech podcast is Content Management Systems.  Martin and Sallie are joined by WELS.net webmaster, Julie Duran, and we take a look at WordPress, Joomla and Drupal.

The discussion:

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (24:45)
  • WELS.net feature (33.15)
    • Church Year Worship Resources
  • Community feedback (33:55)
    • John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI shared additional search engine optimization tools from Google
  • Coming up on WELSTech (35:33)
    • Episode 048 – Gail Potratz joins us for a discussion on teaching our children research skills in a Web 2.0 world

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Michael Schroeder (michaelschroeder.com) – O Come, O Come Emmanuel from his CD titled The Reason For the Season (37:35)

Get involved:

Episode 046 – Nov 19 2008

/in ,

This week the WELSTech discussion centers around using your web site for event promotion.  Brian Shaffer joins Martin and Sallie to announce enhancements to the FinalWeb system.

The discussion:

  • Event promotion – Martin and Sallie share ideas for taking your congregation or school web site to the next level by moving beyond the basics – location & service times – to focus on the events that are happening, utilizing your web “channel” as an important component in your overall communication plan.

The interview:

  • Brian ShafferNew features on FinalWeb (18:14) –  Brian Shaffer, of FinalWeb.com, joins Martin and Sallie to announce some exciting enhancements to the FinalWeb system including higher storage capacity, calendar enhancements, and a custom tool for building templates.
    • Learn more about FinalWeb – www.wels.net/jump/webhosting

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (37:19)
  • WELS.net feature (41:31)
    • Streams Seasonal Radio
    • ShopWELS.net – new relationship with Ricoh grants special pricing on copiers for WI participants
  • Community feedback (44:10)
  • Coming up on WELSTech (46:55)
    • Episode 047 – Julie Duran, WELS Webmaster, joins us as we take an inside look at popular Content Management Systems (CMS) including WordPress, Joomla and Drupal

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) – Climb The Mountain from his CD with the same title (48:26)

Get involved:

Episode 045 – Nov 12 2008

/in ,

This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie are celebrating National Distance Learning Week.  They also interview WELS member and businessman John Simonson on web marketing techniques.

The discussion:

  • Check out Martin’s completed deck project
  • National Distance Learning Week – Distance education is growing in popularity, and with today’s Web 2.0 tools, the barriers to creating your own distance learning initiative are virtually gone.  Martin and Sallie discuss the components of a distance learning offering and share tips for starting your own objective-based online learning.  We also showcase WELS’ many online learning resources for Bible study, ministry support and more.
    • www.wels.net/jump/ndlw

The interview:

  • John SimonsonSearch Engine Optimization (14:56) –  WELS member John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI is a business owner of a web development company, WebStream Dynamics.  John joins Martin and Sallie to share his knowledge on marketing web sites and search engine optimization, and we look at applications of these techniques for church web sites.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (31:35)
  • Of interest (37:29)
    • Live streaming of the Western Regional Choral Festival concert
      • November 16 @ 2 p.m. CST from Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School in New Ulm, MN
  • Community feedback (39:18)
    • The WELSTech facebook group has 94 members! Will you be member 100?
    • Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI shared a link to LibriVox.org.  The goal of the site is to make all public domain books available as free audio books.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (42:53)
    • Episode 046 – We’ll take a look at “Event Driven Marketing” as you prepare your web site for the Advent and Christmas season.  The interview will be with Brian Shaffer of FinalWeb.net, and he’ll share new features being implemented for their web hosting customers.

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) – Gabriel’s Message from their CD titled In His Time (45:03)

Get involved: