Tag Archive for: Artificial Intelligence

745 – WELSTech AI Summit Review

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Wednesday and WELSTech, an unlikely pairing, but so worth it! Join us for a recap of the recent WELSTech AI Summit plus discussion of an AI classroom tool/powerhouse, Lent and Easter resources, and browser tips to enhance your day. Blessings on this Ash Wednesday!

The discussion

There and back again – The WELSTech AI Summit was held February 21-23, 2025, at Divine Savior Church and Academy in Doral, FL. Martin and Sallie share details on the event format and the top AI-related ideas which emerged from the weekend.

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Secondary school tech integration will be the SAMR infused topic of the day as we welcome our resident EDU gurus, Rachel Renno and Jason Schmidt.

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744 – Smarty Pants AI

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WELSTech is back and talking AI (Artificial Intelligence) from the perspective of a pastor-in-training. Senior seminarian Jon Pederson shares insights from his thesis work on the topic. A teen online Bible study opportunity is coming up soon, and WELS is celebrating a special anniversary with a new online interactive timeline which details WELS history since the beginning.

The interview and discussion

AI and the public ministry – Martin and Sallie talk with Jon Pederson, a senior at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, about his thesis topic, AI Associate: Examining Artificial Intelligence and its Potential Impact on the Pastoral Ministry.

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It will be a bit longer wait for our next episode, but totally worth it as we’ll be sharing all the WELSTech AI Summit goodness!

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726 – Summer Tech Talks – Rob Davidson

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Welcome to the good ole summertime on WELSTech! Our “Summer Tech Talks” interview series will feature technology from around the synod and across the world. This week we start in St. Louis, MO, home of Concordia Technology Solutions. The back half of the show includes Sallie sharing teacher professional development resources and Martin divulging his new favorite AI chatbot.

The discussion & interview

Concordia Technology Solutions – Joining Martin and Sallie is Manager of Sales and Marketing for Concordia Technology Solutions (CTS), Rob Davidson. Rob shares the latest news about CTS products including Church 360°, Christian Worship Service Builder, and Shepherd’s Staff.

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Summer Tech Talks continue with a (virtual) trip to Thailand to learn more about technology at Asia Lutheran Seminary.

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724 – Getting Started with AI

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On this episode of WELSTech we finish our book discussion of The AI Classroom with a focus on school leadership’s role in shaping AI policy, curriculum, and usage. Along with edtech gurus Rachel and Jason, we share oodles of AI tools, events, and news, plus some non-AI tech topics including cybersecurity, end of school-year activities, and iPads.

The discussion

Leading School AI – We wrap up this season’s WELSTech book discussion of The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education, looking at Part 4 of the book – The AI Horizon. Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt join the conversation and agree on way more than normal!

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Recent AI in Education headlines

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We’ll celebrate Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Assignment Day with Senior Seminarian Silas Dose discussing his thesis topic – Here Be Dragons: Fantasy, Escapism, and a Christian Response.

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721 – AI, and More AI

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Tune in to this episode of WELSTech for a discussion of ways Artificial Intelligence (AI) can assist teachers with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) plans. We also talk about AI policy for schools and evaluating AI tools. The Newline C series is an affordable new interactive flat panel with no operating system on board. And Northwestern Publishing House (NPH) announced a new Christian Authors Live series.

The discussion

UDL + Tools – This season’s WELSTech book discussion of The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education by Daniel Fitzpatrick, Amanda Fox, and Brad Weinstein continues. Martin and Sallie are joined by edtech extraordinaries, Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt, and we talk about AI’s sweet spot with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as well as tips for wading through the myriad AI tools available for teachers and students.

Ministry resource

Rachel put together an AI Tool Repository with links, tutorials, and Terms of Use for the AI tools mentioned in Chapter 9 of The AI Classroom

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  • Newline C series interactive flat panel with no operating system
  • Christian Authors Live event featuring Dr. Michael Berg – April 25

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Future proof your tech

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717 – Promptcraft

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AI in education and church makes for an interesting WELSTech episode! Tune in for special guest hosts Rachel and Jason and help with crafting and refining useful AI prompts to assist with everything from report card comments to church graphics.

The discussion

PREP and EDIT – Martin and Sallie are joined by edtech gurus Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt to continue the discussion of The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education by Daniel Fitzpatrick, Amanda Fox, and Brad Weinstein. Chapters 6 & 7 are all about the prompts we give AI and what we do with the results.

Ministry resource

Posts on AI for Church from Church Tech Today

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  • ChatGPT for Teachers course from Blueprint Schools

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Women’s Ministry webinars with Rachel Halldorson

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713 – Enough With The Boxes!

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Wonderful … Creative … Verbose? This episode of WELSTech features a talent boost that’s sure to entertain while it educates! We’re sharing what we’ve learned about AI during our book discussion with our special guest edtech correspondents. There’s also a special Advent treat, picks to improve your productivity and video production, plus a couple of cool videos explaining multi-grade classrooms.

The discussion

Ped-AI-gogy – Martin and Sallie, along with our well-spoken education technology correspondents Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt, return to this season’s book discussion of The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education by Daniel Fitzpatrick, Amanda Fox, and Brad Weinstein. Chapters 4 & 5 are centered around pedagogy and make for an interesting, albeit boxy, look at the continuum of adoption of the current disruptive tool, Artificial Intelligence (AI), in education.

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WELSTech celebrates Christmas with an interview of Dan Nommensen

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WELSTech episode 709 promotion image - AI in the Classroom.

709 – AI In The Classroom

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The future has arrived on WELSTech as we kick off a series of shows on artificial intelligence. We also discuss The Foundation series from Congregational Services, making stickers on the Cricut Xtra, using your phone as a webcam, and more. Turn it up and enjoy!

The discussion

WELSTech episode 709 promotion image - AI in the Classroom.The Uprising – A new season of edtech discussion is underway with special guest host, Prof. Rachel Feld from Martin Luther College. We’re discussing the recently published book The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education by Daniel Fitzpatrick, Amanda Fox, and Brad Weinstein. Part one of the book is a bit of a history lesson on artificial intelligence (AI). We talk about what it is, how it works, and ways we’re already using it, plus we look at its potential for the future, and some of the not so admirable qualities of AI.

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We don’t know the topic yet, but it will be great because Martin and Sallie will be in the same place!

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702 – Jack Jack Meets AI…Meets The Classroom

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WELSTech is back! They may be a bit rusty, but Martin and Sallie are happy to be back at the podcasting desk and happy to be joined by edtech guest hosts, Rachel and Jason. The discussion focus is the currently “hot” tech topic, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and its effect on education. They share details on a free summer online conference from Martin Luther College (MLC) which includes that same topic, as well as watches and notes and streaming from Sweden to enjoy.

The discussion

Incredible AI – We welcome our semi-regular classroom technology correspondents, Prof. Rachel Feld, Director of Academic Computing and Online Learning from Martin Luther College (MLC), and Jason Schmidt, Executive Director of Wisconsin Virtual School to the show for a wrap up of our The Incredibles of EdTech series. This week we focus on the versatile, powerful, and somewhat scary character of baby Incredible, Jack Jack, and compare him to Artificial Intelligence (AI). From email to quizzes to images (Jack Jack in a Spiderman suit), and much more, an assortment of AI tools stand ready to generate whatever content a user desires. We discuss the challenges and blessings AI presents for education.

Ministry resource

Register now for Open Learning @MLC

  • June 13-14, 2023
  • This free online conference will feature Day 1 presentations focused on AI in Education
  • Day 2 includes discussions on replacing Saxon Math and assisting parents with spiritual leadership

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