Tag Archive for: education

064 – Who needs an encyclopedia?

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This week on WELSTech Martin, Sallie and Gail discuss Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) and Patti Ullsperger from Lenovo updates us on exciting new classroom technology.

The discussion:

The interview:

  • Patti UllspergerClassroom technology by Lenovo (22:58) – Patti Ullsperger from computer maker and ShopWELS.net vendor Lenovo joins Martin and Sallie to share information on the newest technologies Lenovo offers to enhance classroom learning.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (37:19)
  • New technology showcase (46:15)
  • Community feedback (52:56)
    • The PDF conversation started in our last episode continues:
      • Joshua Schoeneck, Director of Technology at Kettle Moraine LHS, cautioned that some users don’t have the PDF reader, particularly in foreign countries
      • Perry Lund from Grace in Oskaloosa, IA shared a link to PDF Shrink, a Mac PDF tool for optimization
      • Rob Benson, our own WELS Security Administrator, agreed that free PDF solutions can solve many needs.  His comment was on Sallie’s facebook post about the podcast.  Why not share today’s podcast on your favorite social sites using the row of icons at the bottom of today’s show notes?
      • Pastor Dan Witte from Risen Savior in Lakewood Ranch, FL reminded us to consider encryption and password protection of sensitive PDF docs
    • Pastor Tim Wagner of Abiding Peace in Elgin, IL asked how to create an RSS feed of a web page that doesn’t have a feed.  Try www.ponyfish.com.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (1:00:04)
    • Episode 065 – Tune in to our April Fool’s Day broadcast for a new contest announcement and a security discussion with Rob Benson

The featured artist:

  • We close with the music of WELS insrumentalist In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow from their fourth CD titled In Our Hearts (1:01:54)

Get involved:

060 – Technology Planning Maui Style

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This week on WELSTech Martin, Sallie and Gail Potratz take a look at the components of a school technology plan.

The discussion:

  • School Technology PlanSchool Technology Plans – Martin and Sallie are joined by Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator at Emanual Lutheran School in New London, WI and our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, for a discussion of school technology plans.  Why do schools need a tech plan, who should be involved in writing it and what should go into it are a few of the questions addressed.
    • Online teacher technology assessments – www.loticonnection.com
    • Visit the WELSTech wiki page on School Technology Plans for sample plans which you can download and modify for your school

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (25:15)
  • Community feedback (33:55)
    • Richard Travis sent us a link to Scribd.com for professional looking web publishing
    • Vicar Michael Johnson from St. Andrew in Middleton, WI shared a creative use for his iPod in church
    • David Savastki from Living Word in Waukesha, WI asked about sending text messages to a group (try Twitter) and invited us to join the new facebook group for his congregation, Friends of Living Word
    • Pastor Paul Jansen from Holy Scripture in Ft. Wayne, IN shared a link to a Microsoft Photosynth 3D view of his sanctuary, compiled from 88 photos
    • Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac left us a voice mail full of great money saving ideas you may want to implement in your school or church including using free audio of public domain books at www.LibriVox.org and receiving a free subscription to Technology & Learning Magazine
    • Pastor Chris Koschnitzke from Christus in Delavan, WI shared details about their new audio/video system, and we’ve added his notes to the Church Media section of the WELSTech wiki at welstech.wetpaint.com
    • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE uses www.mailchimp.com for mass e-mail
  • Coming up on WELSTech (49:19)
    • Episode 061 – Martin shares notes from his Digital Outreach seminar, and we talk with Pastor Ken Fisher about the WhatAboutJesus.com site

The featured artist:

  • This week we close with the beautiful piano music of Dawn Gehlhar – Christ Be My Leader from her CD titled Inspirations (50:25)

Get involved:

  • Add a comment below
  • E-mail: welstech@wels.net
  • Voice mail: 414-375-2334
  • Add to the WELSTech wiki: welstech.wetpaint.com
  • 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

Episode 048 – Dec 3 2008

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This week on WELSTech we are joined by Gail Potratz, our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, and we take a look at the skills our students need to succeed in the Web 2.0 world.

The discussion:

  • SearchingResearch Skills in a Web 2.0 World – Joining Martin and Sallie for our monthly classroom technologies discussion is Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator for Emanuel in New London, WI.  Today’s schools are preparing students for careers that don’t even exist currently.  The discussion centers around how to equip students with skills to succeed in this Web 2.0 world.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (26:10)
  • Of interest (34:35)
    • Live streaming of the Koine Christmas concert
      • December 6 @ 5 p.m. CST from Christ Lutheran in Pewaukee, WI
      • Sponsored by WELS Military Services
  • Community feedback (36:20)
    • Jason Winget shared a link on the WELSTech Listserve
    • Add your feedback or ideas about Church Media or Content Management Systems to the WELSTech wiki @ welstech.wetpaint.com
  • Coming up on WELSTech (38:29)

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Revelation music ministry (www.revelationwlc.com) – I’m Free from their Led by Light CD (40:42)

Get involved:

Episode 028 – Jul 16 2008

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Following up on WELSTech Episode 027, Martin and Sallie discuss systems for implementing Getting Things Done(GTD) productivity principles and wrap up their interview with Prof. David Sellnow on the hybrid classroom.

The discussion:

  • ProductivityTime Management Systems – Martin and Sallie continue their discussion of the productivity principles outlined in David Allen’s Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (listen to Part 1) and explore options for the “trusted system” or tool to store and organize your task list.
    • GTD systems
    • Additional GTD resources
      • Lifehacker.com blog
      • Precision Change podcast – Recent interviews with David Allen
        • Episode 8 – Getting Things Done 201, with David Allen
        • Episode 9 – David Allen Can Make Time Disappear
        • Episode 10 – David Allen Asks, What Are You Here To Do?

The interview:

  • The Hybrid Classroom (17:44) – Today Martin and Sallie conclude their interview with Prof. David Sellnow of Martin Luther College (listen to Part 1).  Prof. Sellnow shares ideas and cautions for getting started with blended courses and also looks into the future at where our synod may go with online education offerings.

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Kevin Loersch – O Sacred Head Now Wounded from his CD titled Abide With Me (39:50)

Get involved:

Episode 027 – Jul 9 2008

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This week Martin and Sallie discuss the Getting Things Done organization system for improving personal productivity.  They also interview Prof. David Sellnow about blending traditional and online education.

The discussion:

The interview:

  • Prof. David SellnowThe Hybrid Classroom (28:05) – In the first of a two-part interview, Prof. David Sellnow of Martin Luther College joins Martin and Sallie to share insight into the benefits of blending traditional classroom activities with online activities.  Prof. Sellnow has successfully blended his course offerings at MLC and suggests that similar blending could accentuate courses at the high school and even elementary school levels.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (43:36)
  • WELS.net feature (53:23)
    • Explore the Bible – www.whataboutjesus-explorethebible.com
  • Of interest (55:03)
    • Leadership Conference video archive on Streams
  • Community feedback – Mass e-mail recommendations via the WELSTech listserve (56:27)
    • Michael Plocher from St. Paul’s in New Ulm recommends server-based PHP List – www.phplist.com
    • Cindy Krueger from Shepherd of the Hills in Lansing, MI maintains two Yahoo groups, one for members and one for prospects
    • Sue Fager uses Mail Loop on the job – www.marketingtips.com/mailloop
    • Jason Petoskey uses the FinalWeb group e-mail address feature
    • Joshua Schoeneck from Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, WI uses another server-based solution called LISTSERV (free & lite versions available)

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, WendySue Fluegge (www.wendysue.com) – Time from her CD titled Everyday Christian (1:00:45)

Get involved:

Episode 026 – Jul 2 2008

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At the one-half year of podcasting milestone, Martin and Sallie share solutions for mass e-mail and interview Lakeside LHS teacher Ted Klug about protecting and educating students on the blessings and dangers of social networking.

The discussion:

  • Mass E-mail – Martin and Sallie discuss considerations and resources for communicating electronically with congregation or school families using mass e-mail, thus reducing cost and manpower demands and increasing the efficiency and speed of communication.

The interview:

  • Ted KlugStudents and Social Networks (22:00) – Ted Klug, Technology Director at Lakeside Lutheran High School in Lake Mills, WI joins Martin and Sallie to discuss the blessings and dangers of social networks and to share ideas for educating and protecting our students.

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS praise band, Koine (www.koinemusic.com) – Jesus Priceless Treasure from their CD titled Koine II (55:13)

Get involved:

Episode 025 – Jun 25 2008

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This week guest host Gail Potratz joins Martin and Sallie to discuss project-based learning in the Web 2.0 world. The interview segment focuses on the student-management software tool, PowerSchool.

The discussion:

  • Web 2.0 in the Classroom – As we welcome back guest host Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator and Teacher at Emanuel in New London, WI, we focus our discussion on technology and education.  We define Web 2.0 and talk about how the read/write web has changed technology usage in the classroom.  Gail also shares ideas for project-based learning using Web 2.0 tools.
    • Sample e-mail listserve focusing on veterans sharing their stories with students
    • WebQuest – www.questgarden.com
      • Sample WebQuest
        • Civil War
        • Cultures
      • Learn more about WebQuest and creator Bernie Dodge

Jeff Spiaser and Jim BrandtThe interview:

  • PowerSchool (25:55) – Martin and Sallie are joined by Jeff Spiaser, Dean of Academics for Illinois Lutheran Schools, and Jim Brandt, Administrator for WELS Parish Schools to discuss PowerSchool student information system. Listen to learn how school personnel and parents can benefit from web-based student data management.
    • Learn more about Power School –
      www.wels.net/jump/powerschool

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • This week we close with the music of Dawn Gehlhar – All Through the Night from her CD titled Inspirations (1:01:29)

Get involved:

Episode 021 – May 28 2008

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This week Martin and Sallie welcome back our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz, and we focus our discussion on the changing classroom environment as teachers adjust to accommodate today’s digital learners.

The discussion:

  • Digital Learners (01:55) – Listen as Gail, Martin and Sallie discuss the challenges of teaching a generation of students whose brains are wired differently due to the influence of technology on their lives from birth.  You’ll hear practical tips for teachers to engage these students by integrating technology into the classroom

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • This week we close with the music of In His Service featuring WELS musicians Dr. Patricia Backhaus and Valerie Floeter (www.adagioconcepts.com) – I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say from their In His Time CD (36:38)

Get involved:

Episode 017 – Apr 30 2008

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This week Martin and Sallie are joined by guest host Gail Potratz, a WELS teacher from New London, WI. We’ll explore classroom podcasting ideas which allow students to share their faith with a global audience. We also wrap up our interview with Gonzalo Delgadillo on the exciting Internet outreach in which he is involved.

The discussion:

  • Gail PotratzClassroom Podcasting – Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator for Emanuel Lutheran Growth and Learning Center in New London, WI, joins the WELSTech conversation to discuss a fun podcasting project the students at Emanuel are producing – Devotions for Kids, by Kids. We are excited to announce that Gail will be joining us each month as a guest host on the WELSTech Podcast to share her ideas about technology as it applies particularly to the classroom ministry.
    • Monthly Emanuel Kids Devotion
    • Garage Band
    • Audacity
    • WebTools4U2Use > Audio & Podcasting
    • Apple > Podcasting in Education Video Series

The interview:

  • Internet Outreach – In the second part of our interview with Gonzalo Delgadillo, Director of Spanish Publications for WELS Multi-Language Publications, we hear some exciting stories of real people being reached with God’s saving Word via the Internet. Gonzalo discusses the technology behind the online Bible classes and worship he is conducting.

The tidbits:

The featured artist:

  • This week we close with the piano music of Dawn Gelhlar – Beautiful Savior with Canon in D from her Inspirations CD

Get involved: