Tag Archive for: edtech

498 – Classroom Collaboration

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On WELSTech this week, Jason Schmidt wraps up our edtech school year discussion with a look at the many possibilities technology provides for student and classroom collaboration. We also share an NPH survey on “Being Lutheran,” look at an affordable smart lighting option, and explore automated e-mail to church visitors. Oh, and Chuck Norris makes an appearance!

The discussion:

Collaboration in the connected classroom – Wrapping up the 2016-17 school year edtech discussions on WELSTech, Martin and Sallie are once again joined by Jason Schmidt, Technology Director for Bennington Public Schools near Omaha, NE. From the New Media Consortium Horizon Report 2016 K-12 Edition, this week’s discussion spotlight is student collaboration. Whether the project makes use of technology or not, and whether it is is face-to-face or spanning the miles, collaboration initiatives need structure and guidelines for success.

Countdown to episode 500:

Revisit year 8 (2015) of WELSTech, episodes 374 to 425.

News in tech:

Ikea’s cheap smart lighting

WELS now:

Take the Forward In Christ survey on Being Lutheran

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Visitor Follow Up With Mailchimp Email Automation

Featured video:

Learn more about Kingdom Workers Apache efforts in this new addition to the WELSTech “Likes” List on Vimeo.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 499 – Martin and Sallie are together at the CMM to say goodbye to the WELSTech 400s. Release date: Wednesday, May 31.

Get involved:

494 – Rethinking the Roles of Teachers

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie are joined by Rachel Feld to discuss an interesting article from the Horizon report entitled “Rethinking the Roles of Teachers.” Has the rapid advancement of educational technology changed the role of our teachers?

The discussion:

A brand new classroom experience – Martin and Sallie are joined by teacher Rachel Feld from Bethany in Kenosha, WI (and soon to be MLC Professor!!) to discuss pages 24 & 25 of the New Media Consortium K-12 Horizon Report 2016 regarding teacher’s transformational role as educational technology becomes more prominent in the classroom.

Countdown to episode 500:

Revisit year 4 (2011) of WELSTech (episodes 165 to 216)!

News in tech:

Flying car debut

WELS now:

Digital display images from WELS

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

WELSTech Google Group

Featured video:

New from Lakeside Lutheran School on the WELS Schools YouTube playlist, Teacher Todd Hackbarth shared The Truth Told By Youth, featuring Lakeside Federation students from grades 1 & 2.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 495 – Tune in for tips on family tech support. Release date: Wednesday, May 3.

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490 – Scrambled Eggs with a Side of Equity

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The week’s edtech focused WELSTech episode features ideas for assisting students with broadband Internet access in their homes, the opportunity to host a movie theater screening of the new Luther movie, a new computer science curriculum for middle schoolers, a design tool for the church and school office, and some tasty(?) robotics.

The discussion:

Jason Schmidt, Technology Coordinator for Bennington Public Schools near Omaha, NE and one of WELSTech’s Semi-Regular Classroom Technology Correspondents, is just back from a exciting weekend of First Steamworks competition from First Robotics. Check out The Blue Alliance for live streamed competition videos.

Broadband equity for students – While Martin enjoys a little family time, Jason and Sallie discuss the topic of digital equity. Students inability to access the Internet via a broadband connection in their home environment can be caused by economic factors as well as lack of coverage in rural location. This inequity has been identified as a difficult challenge impeding technology adoption for K-12 students in the New Media Consortium K-12 Horizon Report 2016. We take a look at programs to assist with meeting this challenge.

WELS now:

Learn how your congregation can host a movie theater screening of the new Martin Luther movie, A Return To Grace.

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Featured video:

Promevo TV featured this Head to Head: Asus C302 vs. Samsung Chromebook Plus. Who wins!? video review, a new addition to the WELSTech Product Demo YouTube playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 491 – Pastor Stephen Daly shares his experience with the Bullet Journal, the analog system for the digital age. Release date: Wednesday, April 5.

Get involved:

486 – Online Ed

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This week on WELSTech Rachel Feld joins the conversation to discuss the latest developments in online and adaptive learning. Educators will want to listen on Rachel’s iPad/iPhone pick called “Duck, Duck, Moose.” Sallie is unplugging … for a day, and Martin shares a great site to get reviews of gadgets for those who are looking to plug more things in.

The discussion:

Individualized learning for littles – Using the New Media Consortium K-12 Horizon Report 2016 as a springboard, the edtech conversation du jour is online learning, but not just for high-schoolers. Teacher Rachel Feld from Bethany in Kenosha, WI shares her 1st and 2nd grade classroom experience with online tools that adapt for individualized student needs.

News in tech:

Amazon AWS S3 outage is breaking things for a lot of websites and apps

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Featured video:

Celebrate Lutheran Schools Week with students from St. Paul’s Lutheran School in New Ulm, MN, We’re Happy! on the WELSTech Schools YouTube playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 487 – Tune in for a primer on positive parenting in the digital age. Release date: Wednesday, March 8.

Get involved:

482 – Wearable Tech

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This week on WELSTech we talk about the future of wearable technology in education. It’s not quite ready but it’s coming! Listen also for news from Google Voice, a new edtech evaluation tool for schools, and WELSTech’s own Alex Trebek.

The discussion:

Sew in a circuit board – Jason Schmidt, Technology Coordinator for Bennington ISD near Omaha, NE and one of WELSTech’s Classroom Technology Correspondents, chimes in on the topic of wearable tech which has been identified as having mainstream K-12 educational adoption in the next 4-5 years in the New Media Consortium K-12 Horizon Report 2016.

News in tech:

The new Google Voice launches bringing a modern look, group chat, photo sharing & more

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Featured video:

Learn more about wearable technology in this TEDxSFU video, How wearable technology will change our lives, on the WELSTech Presentation/Teaching YouTube playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 483 – Amber Rose joins Martin and Sallie to share some about “Chatter That Matters” from the Holy Hen House. Release date: Wednesday, November 2.

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468 – Coding Literacy with Jason

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Tune in for a coding in education discussion on this week’s WELSTech. Jason Schmidt guest hosts with Martin and Sallie as we look at the trends detailed in the NMC K-12 Horizon Report 2016, and how the adoption of computational thinking across the curriculum might look in our WELS classrooms.

The discussion:

Coding as a Literacy – Jason Schmidt makes his 2016-17 season debut on WELSTech, bringing his own brand of sunshine to the edtech discussion space. Today we look at the New Media Consortium K-12 Horizon Report 2016 and specifically the short-term trend of coding as a literacy.

News in tech:

WELS now:

There’s still time to participate, but these events are ending this week:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Free Bible Images for Advent and Christmas

Featured video:

We celebrate the 499th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation with this week’s music video, A Mighty Fortress is Our God by Koine, from the WELSTech Music YouTube playlist.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 469 – Staff Minister Dan Schoeffel joins the conversation to share information on Internet addictions. Release date: Wednesday, November 2.

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456 – ISTE Afterglow

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This week on WELSTech Rachel Pierson and Perry Lund join the conversation to talk about the ISTE conference and what’s new in educational technology. Teachers, prepare for the new school year with information that might shape how you use technology and how it might help your students learn. Plus, listen for the winners in the year-long WELSTech Photo Challenge!

The discussion:

ISTE 2016Round table – Teachers and STEM enthusiasts Rachel Pierson and Perry Lund share their impressions and take-aways from the premier annual edtech conference, ISTE, which was held during June in Denver.

Photo Challenge winners:

After an exciting year of receiving 939 photos from 40 different photographers in the WELSTech Photo Challenge, Martin and Sallie announce the winners of the fabulous Photo Challenge prizes:

Picks of the week:

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 457 – Join Martin and Sallie for the kick-off of our final summer series which will focus on self-publishing. Release date: Wednesday, August 10

Get involved:

442 – Tabs…And More Tabs

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This week’s WELSTech features a variety of community feedback including tips for improving your Facebook page reach, an interesting new collaborative education game, free worship countdown timer videos, a tool for legally and easily editing out undesired scenes and language in movies, and lots more. Plus, we share event discounts, a great Gmail productivity add-on, and ideas for improving VBS registration. There’s something for everyone!

The discussion:

tabs v2 145x125Party time! – Join Martin and Sallie for the festive sharing of a month’s worth of great community feedback. You’re guaranteed to learn new tech goodness which may have a positive impact on your public or personal ministery efforts.

News in tech:

Facebook Messenger launches Group Calling to become your phone

WELS now:

Early-bird pricing ends this week for these two summer events:

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

5 Ways to Simplify VBS Registration

Featured video:

This week we’ve added not just one, but three new videos to the WELSTech Product Demos playlist on YouTube, all having to do with the new edtech collaborative “game” called Breakout EDU. Check out Introducing Breakout EDU, posted below, and watch Game Design Studio for an overview on designing your own game. Use the Breakout EDU Timer video when you are ready to try the race against the clock game.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 443 – Gail Potratz joins the conversation to share her thoughts on edtech standards. Release date: Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Get involved:

434 – Kid Creators

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It’s education technology week again on WELSTech as Gail Potratz shares her insights into the transformation of learning through the use of technology. Listen for a thoughtful discussion which educators and administrators can use as a springboard to examining the state of transformative learning in their own schools. Where do you stand on the SAMR path?

The discussion:

Kid CreatorConsumers to creators – Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator at Emanuel in New London, WI, joins Martin and Sallie for a WELS-style discussion of the New Media Consortium’s K-12 Horizon Report. As we observe dropping prices allowing for increased tech adoption in WELS schools, the new challenge becomes having administrative vision plus necessary time investment by all teachers (not just the tech coordinator) to redefine learning.

News in tech:

WELS now:

Check out the Educational Technology Certificate program at Martin Luther College

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Check out the Jelly Telly channel on YouTube – Sample 1 Samuel video

Featured video:

With a special shout out to Bread for Beggars for the link, enjoy the music of Joey Schumann … “If God Himself Be For Me” is saved on the WELSTech “Like’s” list on Vimeo

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 435 – Amanda Moldstad from On-My-Heart.com, a downloadable Lutheran memory work system, joins Martin and Sallie as they discuss ways to grow your faith digitally. Release date: Wednesday, March 9

Get involved:

412 – Google Classroom

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School is back in session, and that means the monthly WELSTech focus on educational technology is back also! Gail Potratz joins the conversation to share an overview of Google’s learning management system, Classroom. Young engineers are in the news, and Martin shares a sunny way to manage your schedule.

The interview and discussion:

Google Classroom Logo145x125Learning Google-style – Martin and Sallie welcome Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI back to the semi-regular classroom technology correspondent share for a new season of edtech knowledge sharing. This month the topic is Google Classroom as Gail walks through creating classes and sharing assignments, even using some of her favorite Google extensions, Doctopus and Goobric.

News in tech:

Congrats to the Shoreland Lutheran High School Engineering Team for winning the GE Design & Build Challenge at the Milwaukee Maker Faire!

WELS now:

Announcing the WELSTech Photo Challenge October categories … Reformation & Fall.

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

Brainscape flashcards

Featured video:

This week we’ve added a video from the WELS Hymnal Committee to the WELSTech “Like’s” list on Vimeo. Enjoy a special setting of In Christ Alone, one of the 50 favorite hymns identified in their recent survey. Learn more.

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 413 – Martin and Sallie welcome Missionary Mike Hartman to WELSTech as he shares an update on the tech enhanced work happening in Latin American Missions. Join us Tuesday, October 6 at 4 pm Central – welstechlive.wels.net

Get involved: