Tag Archive for: education

108 – Tech-Enabled Religion Class

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we share ministry resource examples of technology in religious education.

The discussion:

Wordle Luke 2 Ministry Resources galore – Rather than one short segment on Ministry Resources, today’s WELSTech episode discussion is dedicated to practical examples of technology for religion classes.  Martin and Sallie share links to video and image projects, Bible games, online quizzes and more.  Special thanks go out to Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI, who couldn’t participate in the recording but shared many links and much research for this episode!

News in tech:

(27:53) Google Chrome Operating System

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(42:15) Tune in to WELS Streams on December 6th @ 3 p.m. for the live audio stream of the Martin Luther College Christmas Concert

Community feedback:

  • (43:07) Steve Mathwig reported problems with WELSTech updates on the iPod Touch and Martin explains the cause
  • David Schumann from Peace in Janesville, WI suggested Audacity users try the “Normalize” function to even out sound levels in audio recordings
  • This week Jason Schmidt of Gethsemane in Omaha, NE tweeted #WELSTech to share links to 5 Elements of a Successful Facebook Fan Page and IKnowThat.com

Coming up on WELSTech:

(51:25) Episode 109 – Tune in to WELSTech next week for a discussion of technology for tech-challenged areas and people plus an interview with Missionary Paul Nitz from Malawi, Africa.   (Release date 12/09/09)

The featured artist:

(52:50) This week we close with the Advent music of Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) – A Voice Cries Out from their CD titled ”Led by the Light”

Get involved:

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104 – Glowing About The Bible

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast Martin and Sallie discuss online and personal Bible study with a digital flavor.

The discussion:

onlinebiblestudysDigital Bible Study – Martin shares a recap of his recent presentation at the WI State Teacher’s Conference. We learn about the many types of digital Bible study and about many free and affordable tools for online study.

News in tech:

  • (33:07) Google Wave update
    • E-mail us for an invite, and join the public WELSTech wave by searching “Calling all WELSTech-ers!”
    • The Complete Guide to Google Wave
  • OpenDNS Enterprise – Pricing for K-12 is $500 per year

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(56:10) We celebrate National Distance Learning Week by highlighting all of the online learning opportunities offered by WELS. (Release date 11/11/09)

The featured artist:

(57:05) This week we close with the music of WELS artist Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com – Follow mikewestendorf on Twitter) – Come from his CD titled ”Color Through The Gray”

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
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  • Follow us on Twitter – mspriggs and welstechtrainer
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103 – Games With A Purpose

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This week the WELSTech Podcast focus is educational gaming and Gail Potratz joins the conversation.

The discussion:

Gaming in EducationSafe sites that teach – Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator for Emanuel in New London, WI and WELSTech’s semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, joins Martin and Sallie for a discussion on gaming in education.  There’s no denying student interest is peaked by video games, and there are many excellent gaming options which also teach.  As schools develop lists of these recommended edu-gaming sites, they are also creating a safe environment for students to surf the web from home.

Safe site suggestions by age group

Pre-K to 2nd grade (non readers):

3rd to 5th grade:

6th to 8th grade:

Ministry resources:

  • (28:15) BabelWith.Me – Real time translation engine for chat
  • Check out the new Lutheran Study Bible from Concordia

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

(37:17) We’ve created a new compilation page for our Ministry Resources

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(41:39) Martin is presenting a workshop on Digital Bible Study at the Wisconsin Teacher’s Conference, so we’ll tap into his session notes and hear from the attendees. (Release date 11/04/09)

The featured artist:

(43:03) This week we close with the music of WELS artist Stephen Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com – Follow stephenbautista on Twitter) – Abandon from his CD of the same title ”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
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

094 – Old People Talking New Tech

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast Gail Potratz joins the discussion on one-to-one computing.

The discussion:

One-to-one in educationOne-to-One Computing – A “trending topic” in education circles today is the concept of equipping students as early as elementary school with their own portable computing device, thus giving them the ability to do normal computing tasks with all-the-time, anywhere access. Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator at Emanuel in New London, WI joins Martin and Sallie to discuss the challenges and benefits of one-to-one computing as well as the tumbling prices on hardware and software.  Even if your school isn’t ready to implement this strategy today, it’s great to consider it in future planning.

News in Tech:

(21:33) Microsoft releases a beta cloud-based version of the SQL relational database on the Azure platform

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (35:45) Pastor Aaron Frey from Emanuel in Tawas City, MI tweeted his approval of DropBox for syncing Logos files
  • Teacher Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared info on a free account at abcteach.com for undergraduate education majors
  • Adam Miller for our own Technology team suggested we dedicate a future WELSTech episode to technology and the college student, focusing on campus ministry efforts and home congregation connections with the college crowd

Coming up on WELSTech:

(41:42) Tune in for a surprise episode featuring a panel discussion or a look at chapter 10, Failure for Free, from Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody. (Release date 09/02/09)

The featured artist:

(42:31) This week we close with the music of WELS artist, Steven Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com) – Trying to Catch the Wind from his CD titled ”Abandon”

Get involved:

093 – Back to School with Technology

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we explore student and teacher prep for the new tech-driven school year.

The discussion:

Back to School with TechnologyPreparing to learn in a Web 2.0 world – This isn’t your grandmother’s back to school season, and with the advent of technology, parents, students and teachers need to prepare for the new school year in all new ways.  Listen as Martin and Sallie share ideas to help you get ready for technology in the new school year.

The interview:

(12:43) Joining Martin and Sallie this week is Joe Du Fore who teaches at Fox Valley Lutheran High School and also serves as Educational Technology Director.  Joe shares his thoughts on the use of technology at the high school level and tech tips for students and parents as they prepare to go back to school.

News In Technology:

(32:30) Goggle Chrome has bookmark syncing

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (41:12) Allan Bunt from Good Shepherd in Wisconsin Rapids, WI shared a link to Jodix for creating MP3 audio from video files
  • #WELSTech tweets this week include…
    • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared links to Geocaching for Educators and MailChimp webinars
    • Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac thought the Learn 360 webinars were very useful
  • Phillip Wels from St. Paul’s in New Ulm, MN asked about considerations for offering facebook training in his congregation

Coming up on WELSTech:

(49:16) Episode 094 – Gail Potratz joins us for a discussion of one-to-one computing in the classroom. (Release date 08/26/09)

The featured artist:

(50:20) This week we close with the music of WELS instrumentalist In His Time (www.adagioconcepts.com) – O God, Your Hand The Heavens Made from their CD titled ”In His Time”

Get involved:

090 – Run MDMC

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we learn about the topics covered at the recent Milwaukee Digital Media Conference.

The discussion:

MDMC09 – Our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI, rejoins Martin and Sallie to share her experience from the recent Milwaukee Digial Media Conference (MDMC).  The educators who participated in the conference became students and used some of today’s newest technology to create multi-media projects to share with the world.

The interview:

Tammy Stephens(22:45) Gail spends a few minutes chatting with Tammy Stephens, Educational Technology Consultant and founder of The Stephens Group, about her work with the Milwaukee Digital Media Conference and as well as other initiatives in which she is involved.

New Technology Showcase:

Picks of the week:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(52:10) Listen for two new podcast next week

  • Episode 091 – On the next Bonus WELSTech Goodness (BWTG) episode we will share steps for creating online forms. (Release date 08/10/09)
  • Episode 092 – It’s all about our listeners as we take a time out and share all the great ideas and comments that have been rolling in. (Release date 08/12/09)

The featured artist:

(54:32) This week we close with the music of WELS artist Wendysue Fluegge (www.wendysue.com) – Time from her CD titled ”Everyday Christian”

Get involved:

078 – Twitter and the Twassroom

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This week the WELSTech podcast focus is Twitter in education as Martin and Sallie talk with two WELS teachers who are blazing the Twitter trail, Gail Potratz and Jason Schmidt.

The discussion:

Twitter in Education – Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator for Emanuel in New London, WI and our “Semi-regular Classroom Technology Correspondent”, sits in on the podcast as we discuss Twitter for teachers.

The interview:

Jason Schmidt(20:43) A WELS Teacher Tweets – Jason Schmidt, 3rd and 4th grade teacher from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE and jasonschmidt123 on Twitter, joins Martin and Sallie to talk about his experience as a Twitter user and about the many classroom and professional development resources it has made him aware of.

New Technology Showcase:

(37:57) iPhone OS 3.0

Picks of the week:

  • (43:37) ShareThis – Sharing made easy (or was Gail’s pick GroupTweet?)
  • TweetDeck app for iPhone & iPod Touch – in iTunes
  • Twellow – Twitter directory

Of interest:

(53:57) BWTG is live!  On this week’s Bonus WELSTech Goodness episode you can learn about Google Calendar, and next Monday we’ll share “how-to” tips for Google Reader.

Community feedback:

  • (57:42) Jeremy Johnson commented on the recent Narnia discussion and blogged his take on Lifehacker’s Essential Windows Apps
  • Still baffled by Twitter search?  Sallie shared a link to the newest CommonCraft video, Twitter Search in Plain English
  • The WELSTech listserve conversation continues on stock video resources and privatizing areas of a FinalWeb site.  Check the online archive for details.
  • Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI shared loads of great comments on a variety of recent WELSTech topics.
  • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE tweeted #WELSTech to share Tube Chop – use it to carve out a desired section of a YouTube video
  • Allan Bundt tossed out the idea of a WELSTech video podcast – hmmm … you really don’t want to go there ;-)
  • Brad Wheeling, who heads up Concordia Technology Solutions, is looking for beta testers for Shepherd’s Staff 2010 – Contact Brad on Twitter at CTSBrad

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:05:45) Episode 080 – We preview the Web 2.0 tools that will be a part of the new WELS.net

The featured artist:

(1:07:07) The music of WELS artist Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) closes this week’s podcast – I Will Sing from his CD titled “Climb The Mountain”

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • Send us an e-mail [email protected]
  • Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
  • 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
  • Join the WELSTech community:
    • WELSTech listserve
    • WELSTech on facebook

073 – Warm Ears, Hot Video

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This week the WELSTech podcast explores online video for education as we talk with Anne Feldkamp from Learn 360.com.

The discussion:

Video in the Classroom – Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator for Emanuel in New London, WI, rejoins Martin and Sallie for our monthly conversation focusing on classroom technology. This month we look at online educational video resources, touching on the necessary hardware setup as well as fee-based and free video resources

The interview:

Anne Feldkamp(18:45) The Educator’s Digital Library – Anne Feldkamp, Learn 360’s Content Acquisition and Product Development Manager, talks with Martin and Sallie about the benefits of their media on demand service which puts a library of digital media at teacher’s fingertips 24/7.

  • Learn360.com
  • Support WELS Parish Schools and receive a complimentary subscription to Learn 360

New Technology Showcase:

  • (34:56) Read a review of Verizon’s MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot by David Pogue from The New York Times
  • Search Verizon to see if MiFi is available in your area

Picks of the week:

WELS.net feature:

  • (49:22) Summer vacation time is the perfect time to remind your members about the WELS Locator service – wels.locatorsearch.com

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(57:02) Episode 074 – Rob Benson will join Martin and Sallie for a discussion of the oh-so-glamorous task of backup

The featured artist:

(58:14) The music of WELS artist WendySue Fluegge (www.wendysue.com) closes this week’s podcast – Teach Me from her CD titled “The Instrument”

Get involved:

070 – Twitter…What’s It Good For Anyway?

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we share ideas for using Twitter as a communication channel for your church or school, and we talk with Dick Diener about some interesting classroom technology projects.

The discussion:

All Things Twitter – By now WELSTech listeners have undoubtedly heard of the popular micro-blogging site, Twitter.  Martin and Sallie bring you up to speed on what Twitter is and more importantly on how this new instant communication channel can be leveraged for ministry purposes.

The interview:

Dick Diener(19:22) Integrating technology in the classroom – Martin and Sallie talk with Dick Diener, WELS member of Our Savior in Grafton, WI and Technology Integrator for the Mequon-Thiensville School District, about several interesting school technology projects.  Dick invites WELS schools to be part of the international “Honoring Veterans” wiki sharing project.

  • Japanese Friendship Doll podcast for the Milwaukee Public Museum
  • Honoring Veterans Ozaukee County podcast project
  • Schools are invited to post their veterans projects at honoring-veterans.wikispaces.com/share

New Technology Showcase:

Picks of the week:

Of interest:

  • (52:14) Live streaming graduation and call services – Schedule for May 15-22

Community feedback:

  • (53:32) Cindy Krueger from Shepherd of the Hills in Lansing, MI shared progress her congregation is making toward a facebook presence and passed along WELSTech ideas for summer learning to others
  • Pastor Jeremiah Gumm from Cross of Christ in Liverpool, NY shared a link to 10 Things to Fix on Your Website from the Web Driven Church blog
  • Following up on the interview with WELS musicianary Mike Westendorf, Mark Heilman shared a link to Twinfinity Creations, a consignment space for Christian art, music and books
  • Recent updates on the WELSTech wiki (welstechwiki.wels.net) include
    • Work by John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA on the Closed Caption Video page and the Congregations in iTunes page
    • A new Technology Planning page to house ideas and sample church technology plans
  • Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI shared a comment on his recent WELSTech Contest win, “Of course the real winners are my school and students because of the great ideas I have gotten from listening to WELSTech!”
  • Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI left an audio comment recommending Switch from NCH Software, a format changer companion for WavePad audio editor
  • Mary Raether from New Hope in West Melbourne, FL was looking for our past conversation on wiki tools

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:04:19) Episode 071 – The discussion will center around chapter seven of Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody, “Faster and Faster”

The featured artist:

(1:05:28) This week we close with the music of Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) – Roll the Stone Away from their CD titled “We Walk By Faith”

Get involved:

068 – Spending A Smarter Summer

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This week on the WELSTech podcast we gear up for summer with loads of options for personal learning, and we conclude our interview with WELS musicianary Mike Westendorf.

The discussion:

Summer Learning – Gail Potratz, our monthly guest host and Technology Coordinator at Emanuel in New London, WI, joins the conversation with Martin and Sallie, and we look at all the possibilities for learning something new this summer, including face-to-face and online, traditional and via your Personal Learning Network (PLN).

  • Summer classes from
    • Martin Luther College
    • Wisconsin Lutheran College
    • Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
  • Online learning opportunities
  • Pull your PLN all together on a custom page using
  • Summer reading recommendation
  • Join Gail at the zoo
    • Milwaukee Digital Media Conference

The interview:

Mike Westendorf(18:22) Music With A Message – Martin and Sallie continue their discussion with WELS musician Mike Westendorf about the maturity of a Christian artist into a musicianary.

Picks of the week:

The contest:

WELSTech Desert Island Picks Contest(47:47) Top 5 Desert Island Software Picks

  • Send us the five software titles you wouldn’t want to live without – free or fee, desktop or Web 2.0, anything goes
  • Get us your list via your favorite WELSTech communication channel – e-mail us, leave us a voice mail (414-375-2334), send us a message on facebook or twitter – just get us your top 5 picks!
  • One random entry will receive a $25 gift certificate to the WELSTech store (cafepress.com/welstech)
  • Deadline for entry is Sunday April 26, 2009 @ 11:59 p.m.
  • Listen to WELSTech Episode 069 on April 29th to find out if you are the winner and to experience a virtual desert island of software picks

Community feedback:

  • (49:17) The #WELSTech Twitter conversation this week featured
    • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE shared a link to another video captioning web site, this time for YouTube videos – CaptionTube
  • John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA
    • Reports that the video hosting and captioning site discussed in our last episode, dotSub.com, allows for 300 MB video uploads which is more than adequate for typical sermons
    • Added a new page to the WELSTech wiki (welstechwiki.wels.net) with coaching on video angels, lighting and more – Video Taping Guide
  • Additional WELSTech wiki updates include
    • New pages capturing the WELSTech listserve discussions on Office Suite and Server software
    • Discussion on calendar software
  • Check out the WELSTech listserve archive for discussions on Moodle and Martin’s call for church technology plans
  • Brian Preuss shared a link to a free, open-source, Linux-based church management software application, ChurchInfo, www.churchdb.org

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:04:32) Episode 069 – The contest results are in, and we share our listener’s list of desert island software picks.  You’ll want to tune in to find out if you are the lucky winner of a $25 WELSTech store gift certificate. Enter to win by April 26th!

  • Production note: Due to scheduling conflicts, this episode will have a later-than-normal release time.  Look for it by noon on April 29th.

The featured artist:

(1:06:20) This week we close with WELS artist Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com) – The One from his CD titled Fuel For The Soul

Get involved: