Tag Archive for: books

641 – Make It Attractive

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This week on WELSTech we share the story of one school’s largely digital rebranding efforts that gave them community recognition and a large enrollment increase. We also have more from our Atomic Habits book discussion, a couple of great picks of the week, free early childhood education resources and more!

The interview

Rebranding for Outreach – Brian Polfer serves on the Board of Education at Carlsbad Christian Academy, the school ministry of Beautiful Saviour Lutheran Church, Carlsbad, CA. He joins Martin and Sallie to share details of the steps they took to more than quadruple their school enrollment this year – from changing the school name to Google and Facebook advertising to a mobile-friendly website and more.

The discussion

Temptation Bundling – Martin and Sallie explore the second law of Atomic Habits by James Clear, which adds temptation (incentive) bundling to habit stacking (chapters 8-10).

Picks of the week

Ministry resource

Christmas Event Planning Amid COVID-19 from Church Tech Today

Community feedback

WELS now

ChristLight Sunday School at Home is extended through Winter and Spring!

Pastor Donn Dobberstein, Administrator of WELS Discipleship, shares thoughts on the program.

Next time

Edtech with Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt!

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639 – Make It Obvious

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Tune in for 52 minutes of WELSTech goodness including great tips on habit forming as well as special guest insight into the tech behind world mission work. There’s also recycling tips for old devices, Bible commentary discounts, church WordPress themes, and the perfect YouTube channel for budding videographers.

The discussion

Implementation and stacking – Martin and Sallie continue their book discussion of Atomic Habits by James Clear, looking at starting new habits, motivation, and the secret of self-control (chapters 4-7).

The interview

Pastor Paul Nitz recently returned from 25+ years of service as missionary to God’s people in Malawi and central Africa. Hear about his new role in World Missions and the tech that makes it all happen!

BONUS: Check out Pastor Nitz’s OneNote template for meetings for ideas on how templates can improve your work processes. Pastor Nitz writes, “I create the template in Excel and paste it in. I always choose to put in a page color to make the tables pop out. That, for me, takes care of the one thing about OneNote I really DON’T like, the huge colorless blank canvass effect.”

Picks of the week

Ministry resource

James Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter

Community feedback

WordPress Themes for Churches – Google group discussion

WELS now

Looking for the perfect Pastor Appreciation gift? Visit Northwestern Publishing House for 25% off Bible Commentaries through October 15.

Next time

Video ministry and Atomic Habits – Make It Attractive (chapters 8-10)

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637 – Atomic Habits

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This week, WELSTech starts fresh for the 2020-21 podcast season with a revised show lineup, a great interview on 21st century catechism, a new book discussion, and a couple of hardware picks of the week. There’s also community discussions around Instagram for ministry, Google for Education application requirements, and document camera recommendations. We cap it off with a celebration of 100 years of Campus Ministry!

The discussion

Back to the books – Martin and Sallie kickoff a new book discussion of Atomic Habits by James Clear with a look at the mathematics of compounding tiny changes over time to reach the tipping point and benefit from the exponential “power of latent potential.”

The interview

Catechism instruction – Pastor Paul Waldschmidt from Peace Lutheran Church in Hartford, WI recently taught a summer course at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary titled Educational Technology for the Catechism Classroom. He chats with Martin and Sallie about the methods and tools he implemented in order to foster the 4Cs identified as 21st century skills – create, communicate, collaborate, and critical thinking – in his classroom.

Picks of the week

Ministry resource

Atomic Habits free resources

Community feedback

WELS now

WELS Campus Ministries celebrates their 100 year anniversary

Next time

We talk edtech with a pair of guest hosts – Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt!

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Faithfully Connected authors

601 – Don’t Give Jason Your Password!

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Spring has arrived on WELSTech as we wrap up our season-long book discussion of Faithfully Connected with guest host Jason Schmidt and an interview with the authors. Jason shares a “life changing” Google tool and a great book recommendation for summer. Plus, there’s news from Last Pass, a recommendation for Pear Deck, and the debut of the BORAM. Listen now!

The discussion and interview:

Faithfully Connected authors

Dr. Ben Boche and Dr. Jake Hollatz

Finding balance –  Jason Schmidt, edtech co-host extraordinaire, joins Martin and Sallie to wrap up our book discussion of Faithfully Connected. We cover chapter 9, Digital Security, and the conclusion.

And, as a special bonus, Martin and Sallie talk with the authors of Faithfully Connected, Dr. Ben Boche and Dr. Jake Hollatz, to learn more about the motivation and message of the book.

  • ISTE Standards
  • Register by May 31 for WELS Education, Technology, and Leadership Summit

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

  • Summer reading from ISTE author, Liz Kolb – Learning First, Technology Second

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Learn more about Pear Deck for Google Slides in this introductory video.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 602 – Pastor Jim Behringer, administrator for Special Ministries, kicks off our summer focus on WELS Congregational Services.  Release date: Wednesday, June 5.

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598 – Digital Health and Wellness

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Tune in to this week’s WELSTech for a “healthy” discussion of the positive and negative effects of a digital lifestyle on our overall wellness plus ideas for teaching and modeling smart tech limits. We’re happy to have Martin Luther College Professor Rachel Feld on hand as we celebrate MLC Day, and Martin shares details on our current audio recording platform.

The discussion:

Finding balance –  Rachel Feld is back in the edtech guest host chair to chat with Martin and Sallie about chapter 8 of Faithfully Connected – Digital Health and Wellness.

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Check out Google’s Applied Digital Skills playlist on YouTube for more free training, such as how to Create an Interactive Story.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 599 – Jonathan Witte shares a sneak peek into his Church and School Promotional Videos sectional happening this summer at #EdTechLead19.  Release date: Wednesday, May 8.

Get involved:

595 – Digital Law … and Gospel

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WELSTech returns with a discussion of digital law and digital rights and responsibilities, covering important lessons for students (and adults) regarding ethics, copyright, our freedom of speech, and responsibilities that come with it. We’ve also got Pinterest boards with supporting resources, as well as a further discussion of copyright related to movies and music in school settings.

The interview:

Can do/Should do –  Martin and Sallie welcome our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Jason Schmidt, and we discuss chapters 6 & 7 of Faithfully Connected – Digital Law and Digital Rights and Responsibilities.

Photo by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash

WELS now:

Picks of the week:

Ministry Pinterest resource:

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Learn more about Jason’s pick of the week – Bark for Schools Demo

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 596 – Using Google for your School Intranet.  Release date: Thursday, April 18.

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590 – Digital Etiquette

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It’s edtech week on WELSTech, and Professor Rachel Feld is on hand to discuss the next chapter of our season-long book discussion, Faithfully Connected. Martin has new wearable tech, and Rachel shares pins for Lent. Plus, find out who’s up for celebrating the National Day of Unplugging.

The interview:

Mind your manners –  Martin Luther College Professor Rachel Feld joins our edtech book discussion of Faithfully Connected, chapter 5 – Digital Etiquette.

News in tech:

National Day of Unplugging

WELS now:

Serving those who serve

Picks of the week:

Ministry Pinterest resource:

Check out Rachel’s Bible Lessons for Lent board

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Pastor Jeremy Mattek talks about how Grow in Grace has touched his ministry.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 591 – Pastor Peter Hagen shares his ideas regarding digital side doors to church.  Release date: Wednesday, March 6.

Get involved:

586 – Minus 23

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It’s cold outside, but we’re warm on WELSTech! Thaw out while you listen to our edtech discussion of digital literacy. We’ll also share the latest from Apple regarding the Facetime bug that may allow others to spy on you, a Chrome extension that solves memory issues, and the first-ever commercial on WELSTech!

The discussion:

Stay warm – The post office may have suspended operation on this record setting cold day, but WELSTech must go on! Join Martin, Sallie, and guest host Jason Schmidt, our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, for a discussion around teaching digital literacy from chapter four in our Faithfully Connected (available from Concordia Publishing House and Amazon) book discussion.

News in tech:

WELS now:

Grow in Grace Notes Devotions

Picks of the week:

Ministry Pinterest resource:

Digital Literacy board

Community feedback:

Featured video:

Check out Common Sense Media’s Educator’s Professional Development Library for a host of great resources. Many of the videos link to lesson plans. A free account is required. Sample: Private and Personal Information.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 587 – Martin and Sallie chat with Philip Wels about live streaming and archiving worship video.  Release date: Wednesday, February 6.

Get involved:

577 – Share Your Gifts

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On WELSTech this week, we welcome guest host Prof. Rachel Feld and talk about letting our lights shine online, and teaching our children to do the same, in the digital communication that we share. Martin Luther College has a new devotion booklet and all the higher education schools have Christmas concerts available via live stream starting this weekend. An added bonus – we cozy up the (virtual) fireplace!

The discussion:

Digital footprints – We welcome back Martin Luther College’s Rachel Feld, Director of Academic Computing and Online Learning, to discuss the third installment of our edtech book discussion of Faithfully Connected: Integrating Biblical Principles in a Digital World by Ben Boche and Jake Hollatz (available from Concordia Publishing House and Amazon). The chapter is titled “Digital Communication” and addresses the guidance we can give young people to understand the permanency of posting on the Internet and how our digital footprints can and should reflect our Christian beliefs.

News in tech:

Share Your Gifts – Apple Commercial

WELS now:

Live streaming Christmas concerts

Picks of the week:

Ministry resource:

Martin Luther College devotion booklet – The Names of Jesus

Community feedback:

Featured videos and more:

What’s better than a cozy fire and Koiné Christmas music? Enjoy both in this Christmas Song Playlist of 2 Hours of Christmas Hymns from Koiné.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 578 – Next week we’ll share the mobile apps we were willing to pay for, and whether we think it was money well spent. Release date: Wednesday, December 5.

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573 – Kids and Commerce

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This week WELSTech is all about edtech as Martin and Sallie are joined by Jason Schmidt, and we continue the discussion of Faithfully Connected. Add to that a long list of news, picks, Pinterest ideas, and community feedback, and this episode is brimming with ideas for tech-in-ministry.

The discussion:

Digital commerce – Jason Schmidt, Technology Coordinator for Bennington Public Schools, joins Martin and Sallie to continue our edtech discussion of Faithfully Connected: Integrating Biblical Principles in a Digital World by Ben Boche and Jake Hollatz (available from Concordia Publishing House and Amazon). Chapter two of the book focuses on teaching children a Christian worldview of self-control and contentment in our marketing-driven society.

News in tech:

WELS now:

5 to Thrive podcast

Picks of the week:

Ministry Pinterest resource:

32 Practical Ways to Use Pinterest as an Educator

Community feedback:

Featured videos and more:

A bit of history you may not be aware of …. The History Behind Cntl+Alt+Del, a new addition to the WELSTech Presentation/Teaching Videos Playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 574 – “Harnessing the Power of Technology – Before it Harnesses You” was the topic of a recent presentation Martin shared at the Men of His Word Conference in Rochester, MN. Tune in for the highlights of this interesting talk. Release date: Wednesday, November 7.

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