Tag Archive for: education

155 – Teachers’ Conference Redux

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The WELSTech Podcast conversation this week is around fall teachers’ conferences.

The discussion:

TeacherTech – The WELSTech semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz, from Emanuel in New London, WI joins Martin and Sallie as we recap the recent Minnesota District Lutheran Teachers’ Conference.  Special thanks to Jason Hahn, Beth Fischer, Heidi Horak, Kay Abts, Andrea Hahm, and Justin Krause for adding their voices to today’s podcast!

MN District Lutheran Teachers Conference

Ministry resources:

Picks of the week:

  • (27:26) Google Sites
  • twiducate.com – Social networking for schools
  • Synape Party Game and iTunes app (99 cents until 10/28) – Teamwork at the speed of laughter
  • Square – Accept credit cards with your mobile device

WELS.net feature:

(43:12) WELS Locator Search geo-location files – Use your GPS or Google Earth to find any WELS church or school in the US & Canada

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(55:20) Episode 156 – Martin and Sallie talk about St. John’s, Sleepy Eye, new DIY rear projection screen and new wireless mics.  (Release date 11/03/10)

The featured artist:

(56:05) This week we feature the music of Branches Band (www.branchesband.com | Facebook) – Renew Me, O Eternal Light from their CD titled ”Light Eternal”

Get involved:

153 – Tech Cobbling

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast we return to our monthly book discussion and have the special privilege of talking with one of the authors, Lynne Schrum.

The discussion:

Millennials and Gen Zs – In Chapter 2 of Leading 21st Century Schools by Lynne Schrum and Barbara B. Levin the focus turns to today’s students and teachers and the technology experience and expectations they bring into the classroom.

The interview:

Lynne Schrum(13:20) A chat with the author – Lynne Schrum, author of the current WELSTech book selection, joins Martin and Sallie with tips for leaders to help them identify where they are in terms of technology integration and work within the various comfort levels of all types of teachers to provide “just in time” training on the tech tools of today.

Ministry resources:

(41:05) Google Translate Adds Latin

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:12:47) Episode 154 – Office workers will want to tune in for next week’s discussion of all things volunteer related.  (Release date 10/20/10)

The featured artist:

(1:13:34) This week we close with the music of Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) – You Are the God from their CD titled ”Led by the Light”

Get involved:

151 – Gail’s Back!

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This week WELSTech welcomes back our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz, and we talk about technology accountability for teachers.

The discussion:

Technology accountability – After a summer hiatus, Martin and Sallie are happy to welcome back to WELSTech Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI.  Gail shares her ideas about encouraging teacher technology proficiencies and discusses the plan they will follow in her school this year.

  • Emanuel Lutheran’s Teacher Tech 2010-11 wiki

The interview:

Dr. Bernard Bull(21:12) Information Literacy – Dr. Bernard Bull, Assistant Professor of Education at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, WI, talks with Gail about teaching digital natives to be educators and shares advice for all teachers of today’s digital native students.

  • Standards for the 21st-Century Learner from the American Association of School Librarians
  • Big6 – Teaching information and technology skills

News in tech:

(38:38) Double authentication coming to Google

Picks of the week:

WELS.net feature:

(57:37) Follow WELS online:

Community feedback:

  • (59:39) Pastor Emile Burges from Trinity in Caledonia, WI shared a suggestion for a Office Administrator Conference.
  • Terry Baier from First Lutheran in La Crosse, WI is considering  the possibility of collaborating with other congregations to share a software support position
  • E-mail WELSTech with ideas, comments or inquiries about either comment

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:04:15) Episode 152 – WELSTech addresses “The Evils of E-mail” as we share tips and tricks for managing your overwhelming e-mail inbox. (Release date 10/06/10)

The featured artist:

(1:05:50) We close the podcast with the instrumental music of In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – Thy Strong Word from their CD titled “In His Time”

Get involved:

148 – Sallie’s Pick

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This week the WELSTech Podcast “hits the books” with the kick-off of a new book discussion.

The discussion:

Leading 21st Century SchoolsA new book selection – Leading 21st Century Schools by Lynne Schrum and Barbara B. Levin (browse sections on Google Books) is the latest book discussion selection for WELSTech.  To get the ball rolling, Martin and Sallie highlight Chapter 1 and apply the concepts to school leaders, teachers and pastors.

Ministry resources:

(19:19) Men’s Network

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (31:22) Gmail Priority Inbox – gmail.com/priorityinbox.  What do you think?
  • Alycia Cameron shared a link to a fun blog post titled A long time ago, before death by PowerPoint by Presentation Zen
  • Martin shared a link to an Pew Research Center study on Cell phones and American adults
  • Teacher Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE tagged a “WELSTech” link on Diigo to ePals Global Community for classroom collaboration
  • Sallie shared a parent workshop wiki by David Truss titled Raising ‘Digital’ Kids – Presentation and Notes

Coming up on WELSTech:

(41:47) Episode 149 – Joanne Nemmers, school secretary at Calvary in Dallas, TX, joins Martin and Sallie as we look at technology in the school and church office.  Encourage your office administrator to tune in!  (Release date 09/15/10)

The featured artist:

(44:01) We close the podcast with the music of Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com and mikewestendorf on Twitter) – Press On from his CD titled “Climb the Mountain”

Get involved:

145 – WELSTech Road Trip: Citrus Heights, CA

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The WELSTech Podcast Road Trip travels to California to hear the tech-in-ministry success story of St. Mark’s in Citrus Heights.

Road trip:

roadtrip02c(3:20) Technology serving St. Mark’s – Joining Martin and Sallie today are Maren McPeak, Webmaster, and Matt Bauer, Principal, from St. Mark’s in Citrus Heights, CA.  Listen as they share technology ideas from their church and school including use of their web site, iTunes, Facebook and Moodle.

  • Check out all the content on the St. Mark’s site to get ideas for your church or school site
  • View the sample Moodle course used to train students to update the St. Mark’s church and school Google calendar
  • Download the Google calendar Moodle course backup and restore on your own Moodle site
  • View instructions for logging into a sample Schoology.com course created by Maren

Maren McPeak and Matt Bauer

Citrus Heights CA
The WELSTech Road Trip Tracker

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(36:34) Episode 146 – The summer 2010 WELSTech Road Trip series wraps up with a virtual visit to three states as we compare and contrast Bible study software.  (Release date 08/25/10)

The featured artist:

(37:44) This week we feature the music of  Koine (www.koinemusic.com | Facebook) – Fight the Good Fight from their CD titled ”Church Bells”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:

141 – WELSTech Road Trip: Fond du Lac, WI

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Buckle up for this week’s WELSTech Podcast Road Trip.  We visit Fond du Lac, WI and talk with teacher Ryan Rosenthal about integrating technology in the classroom.

Road trip:

roadtrip02c(2:18) Integrating Technology into the Classroom – Seveth grade teacher Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI joins Martin and Sallie for an interesting conversation about his Web 2.0 classroom experience.  Ryan offers great advice including encouraging teachers to “tweak” existing projects to include technology elements, rather than coming up with a new project.

Ryan Rosenthal

Fond du Lac
The WELSTech Road Trip Tracker

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (27:37) Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared two helpful links:
  • Alycia Cameron form Light of Life in Greenwood, IN and Brent Nemmers from Atonement in Plano, TX double up on the online church directory question.  A couple of potential solutions include
    • Concordia Technology’s Member Connect
    • Private pages on a FinalWeb site
    • Google Sites

Coming up on WELSTech:

(33:57) Episode 142 – We talk with Sally Valleskey from Abiding Word in Houston (deep in the heart of), Texas about their use of Shepherd’s Staff church management software. (Release date 07/28/10)

The featured artist:

(34:12) We close the podcast with music from Cross to Glory (www.crosstoglory.com) – My Old Friend from their CD titled “Life’s Song”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:

139 – WELSTech Road Trip: Omaha, NE

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This week the WELSTech Podcast Road Trip visits Teacher Jason Schmidt at Gethsemane in Omaha, NE to chat about SMART Board resources.

Road trip:

roadtrip02c(2:49) SMART Classrooms – Our travel plans take us to the Midwest where we visit with teacher Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE.  WELSTech listeners will recognize Jason’s name from his many contributions to the show (and even a previous interview), and today’s show won’t disappoint as Jason shares a ton of classroom-oriented SMART Board resources and ideas with Martin and Sallie.

04-OmahaNE400
The WELSTech Road Trip Tracker

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(35:04) Episode 140 – Join us as we head south to Birmingham, AL to talk with Pastor Ben Kratz about long-distance Bible classes via Skype. (Release date 07/14/10)

The featured artist:

(35:45) We close the podcast with the music of Corban Creek – It Seems to Be the Day from their CD titled “Could It Be Me”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:

133 – Great Classroom Websites

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This week on the WELSTech podcast Martin and Gail discuss classroom websites and trips to the moon.

The discussion:

Focusing on classroom sites – Martin is joined by the WELSTech semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz, from Emanuel in New London, WI and they discuss three uses for classroom sites including posting resources for kids and parents as well as making connections to a global audience.  Listen for tips to satisfy all those needs and project a great view of your classroom for the online school shoppers.

  • FinalWeb Training in Milwaukee, WI and New Ulm, MN
  • We Remember – Vietnam War tribute web site by Gail’s 8th graders

The interview:

Cris Ladwig(16:20) Learn from a Pro – Fourth grade teacher Cris Ladwig from Emanuel in New London, WI talks with Gail about the success of her classroom web site.  Ease of communication is the goal!

  • Visit Cris’ classroom site

News in tech:

Picks of the week:

  • (39:50) Diigo Groups for classrooms
  • DoubleTwist – a unifying media platform that connects consumers with all their media and all their devices

Community feedback:

(47:05) Visit the WELSTech Listserve to learn more about library software and add your comments

Coming up on WELSTech:

(49:43) Episode 134 – Steven Stelter of Stelter Design joins the conversation to share his knowledge on logo design and development of a “brand”. (Release date 06/02/10)

The featured artist:

(50:40) We close the podcast with the music of The Branches Band (www.branchesband.com) – Holy Spirit from their CD titled “Sing, My Tongue”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:

129 – Road Trips, Dipity and Flip Flops

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This week’s WELSTech Podcast focus is summer learning opportunities and teacher Gail Potratz joins the conversation.

The discussion:

EducationMake your summer plans – Summer is the perfect season to schedule a conference or class.  Teacher Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI joins Martin and Sallie as they discuss many interesting enrichment opportunities that are available in the summer of 2010.

  • Milwaukee Digital Media Conference
  • FinalWeb Training in Milwaukee, WI and New Ulm, MN
  • Synod Higher Ed summer offerings
    • Martin Luther College
    • Wisconsin Lutheran College
    • Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
  • ISTE Conference 2010
  • On the flip side, consider offering tech training for outreach
    • Sample Kids Camp
    • Sample Adult Ed

News in tech:

(19:52) Ning is no longer free

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(34:12) WELSTech is going on a virtual summer Road Trip, and we want to visit your church or school to learn about the tech-in-ministry solutions you are using to further your gospel ministry! Contact Us to schedule your stop on our travel itinerary.

Community feedback:

  • (36:42) From tweeting teacher Jason Schmidt (jasonschmidt123 on Twitter) of Gethsemane in Omaha, NE we learned about
    • Harmony – Easily share Google Docs and SharePoint in Outlook
    • CRCT – Curriculum Resources for Christian Teachers Wiki
  • Teacher Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac share a link to his 7th grade VoiceThread “Tall Tales” projects
  • Following up on Martin’s pick last week Gail shared info on Air Mouse for iPod (Free | Pro) and for iPad

Coming up on WELSTech:

(48:30) Episode 130 – Chapters 6 and 7 of Shane Hipps book, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture, will be up for discussion. (Release date 05/05/10)

The featured artist:

(49:27) We close the podcast with the instrumental music of In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – O Lord, Send Forth Your Spirit from their CD titled “In His Time”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community:

125 – Going To School On The Internet

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This is classroom technology week on the WELSTech Podcast and Martin welcomes special guests Gail Potratz and Jim Grunwald.

The discussion:

Gail Potratz and Jim GrunwaldInternet Delivery of Education Content – Martin is joined by Dr. Jim Grunwald, Director of Academic Computing at Martin Luther College, and Gail Potratz, Technology Director from Emanuel in New London, WI.  They discuss the many pros as well as the implementation challenges of using a web-based delivery platform for classroom assignments.  Jim also shares information on MLC’s new course offerings targeted to prepare teachers to use and support a variety technology in the school setting.

  • Gail’s 8th grade class page
  • Moodle.org
  • MLC’s Certificate of Educational Technology (CET) program

Ministry resources:

(32:26) Adding Google Analytics to Facebook Fan Pages

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(45:48) WELS will be streaming the Martin Luther College Chapel of the Christ dedication service on Saturday, April 10 at 7 p.m.  Check out the agenda for the dedication weekend.

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(55:33) Episode 126 – Martin and Sallie preview the resources available at InternetEvangelismDay.com and talk with the man behind the site, Tony Whittaker. (Release date 04/07/10)

The featured artist:

(56:53) We close the podcast with the music of Stephen Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com or @stephenbautista on Twitter) – The Most Beautiful Thing from his CD “Abandon”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 405-FOR-WELS (405-367-9357)
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
  • Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
  • Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
  • Use the diigo tag welstech
  • Join the WELSTech community: