Tag Archive for: hardware

350 – Can You Hear Me Now?

/in , ,

WELSTech passes some major milestones this week, in more ways than one. Join Sallie for more wiki migration, featuring a discussion of audio hardware, plus a double dip of picks of the week. There’s even BACON!! Enjoy!

The discussion:

earphonesListen Up! – The WELSTech Wiki migration project has arrived at the Infrastructure category today and in particular we cover audio hardware and help resources.

Tech tips:

  • Eric’s Big List of Google Resources (for the classroom)

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

Episode 351 – Next week we’ll look at all things video as we wrap up the hardware section of the WELSTech Wiki migration. (Broadcast date – 07/22/14)

Featured video:

Today’s video, an addition to the WELSTech Presentation and Teaching YouTube playlist, is in the form of a folk tale with a lesson about evangelism – A fishy tale

 

Get involved:

327 – Wifi Chalk Talk

/in ,

It’s edtech week on WELSTech, and we have not one, but two, great additions to this week’s podcast. Drew Willems shares the “State of Technology at Shoreland”  (and simultaneously enrollment numbers likely spike), plus Jason Schmidt guest hosts with Martin and Sallie and talks wireless infrastructure. Martin gives us the rundown on a new Kindle, and Jason shares some enhanced Raspberry Pi.

The interview:

Chrome Academy wannabes – Shoreland Lutheran High School Technology Director, Drew Willems, talks with Martin and Sallie about their tech initiatives including flipped classrooms, x:1 support of digital devices, training student tech leaders for manning the Chrome Depot, and much more.

The discussion:

Wifi the right way – Setting up wifi to support the needs of multiple users with multiple devices should be the starting point of planning for school and church technology. Martin and guest host Jason Schmidt explain the basic areas for consideration when implementing a wifi network, most importantly that it takes expertise, not just a few generic routers from the local tech-in-a-box store, to do wifi right.

Tech tips:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:06:25) Episode 328 – The WELSTech book discussion is back as Martin and Sallie look at Chapter 8, “The Church of Google”, from Nicolas Carr’s The Shallows. (Broadcast date – 2/11/14)

Music download:

(1:07:20) This week enjoy a free music download from WELS artist Chris Driesbach (chrisdriesbach.com) – Modern Evangelist

Get involved:

316 – Mac vs. PC

/in ,

The gloves are on as Sallie and Martin battle it out over favorite computing platforms. Are you a Mac or a PC or does it even matter anymore? Tune in to WELSTech to find out. You’ll also hear from WELSTech listeners about everything from free sheet music to Twitter chats. Let the tech-in-ministry goodness begin!

The discussion:

Platform Power – Which computing platform is best is the topic de jour on WELSTech as Martin and Sallie explore the strengths of each of the front runners in terms of ministry usage. Should your church be a Mac or PC?

  • Profile of a self-described Mac Person vs. PC Person

Ministry Resources:

  • (22:55) Jim Baur from Christ in Baxter, MN recommends Free-Scores.com
  • Share a helpful resource that makes a difference in your ministry, and you will ll be entered to win an Apple TV. Deadline for entry is May 31, 2014.

Listener Reviews:

  • (26:30) Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI reviews High-Definition Wireless Presentation System from IPEVO
  • Share your review of software, hardware or web sites which assist with your personal or professional ministry efforts, and you will be entered to win a Nexus 7 tablet. Deadline for entry is May 31, 2014.

Tech tips:

  • (29:56) Generating secure passwords from LastPass
  • Dual monitors

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(52:51) Episode 317 – Giving thanks for tech-in-ministry is the discussion topic Martin and Sallie will tackle next week. (Release date – 11/26/13)

Music download:

(53:22) This week only, download a free music single from WELS artist Kevin Loersch – Now the Light Has Gone Away – Arranged by Kevin Loersch

Get involved:

263 – Clean Up Your Tech

/in ,

This week on the WELSTech Podcast we equip listeners to handle all those “slow computer” projects they may tackle over the Thanksgiving break. Guest host Dan Rebers from the WELS Information Services office lends his expertise in this area.

The discussion:

Thanksgiving tune-up – With the holiday break often comes the task of much needed computer maintenance. Martin and Sallie are joined by Dan Rebers from the synod Information Services office to discuss the Dos and Don’ts of upkeep of computer hardware and software.

Ministry resources:

(22:50) Memrise – Memory drill Web 2.0-style – Recommended by LifeHacker

Picks of the week:

7 Best:

(36:20) Coming up in December … 7 Best Mobile Computing Tips. Share your favorite hardware, apps and tips for a productive mobile experience.

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(53:47) Episode 264 – Gail Potratz, tech coordinator at Emanuel in New London, WI, fills the WELSTech guest hosting chair next week as we talk iPads in education. We’ll also include an interview with Jon Beilke and Nate Hochmuth from Salem in Greenfield, WI about their recent implementation of 1:1 iPads in their 7-8 grade classroom. (Release date – 11/27/12)

The featured artist:

(54:40) We close the podcast with the instrumental music of In His Service (www.adagioconcepts.com) – Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

Get involved:

247 – 7 Best Ministry Gadgets

/in , ,

This week on the WELSTech Podcast we countdown the 7 best ministry gadgets.

The discussion:

Bright & Shiny – This month WELSTech-ers really chimed in to share their favorite Ministry Gadgets, and Martin and Sallie count down the top picks.

Ministry Gadgets

  1. Anything Free
  2. Scanner and other input devices
  3. Favorite tech buddy
  4. Mobile Wi-Fi
  5. Tablet
    • iPadsInMinistry
  6. Computer or laptop
  7. Smartphone

Coming up in September … 7 Best Password Management Tools and Tips

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(32:11) Episode 248 – The WELSTech Summer Software Showcase returns, and we look at 5 ministry uses of FreeMind, a free open-source mind mapping tool. (Release date – 08/08/12)

The featured artist:

(33:20) We close the podcast with the music of instrumentalist Joey Schumann (JoeySchumann.com | Joey on Facebook) – In You Is Gladness

Get involved:

207 – Chromebooks

/in ,

This week on the WELSTech Podcast cloud-based classroom computing with Chromebooks is the discussion topic as Martin takes a field trip to Grace in Oshkosh to observe Chromebooks in action.

The discussion:

To the cloud – With much anticipation, Martin and Sallie welcome our new semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Jason Schmidt, who will be joining WELSTech on an alternating basis for our end-of-month classroom technology focused podcasts.  Gail Potratz will be back next month!  Jason adds his insight to today’s cloud-based computing discussion of Google Chromebooks and 1-to-1 teaching initiatives.

The interview:

(21:39) Chromebooks live – Principal Peter Iles from Grace in Oshkosh, WI talks with Martin about their recent implementation of Chromebooks in his 7th and 8th grade classroom.  Martin also blogged about his visit to Peter’s classroom.

Something extra from Jason:

(43:21) iPads in Preschool

Picks of the week:

Ministry resources:

  • (55:19) YouVersion NIV giveaway – 48 hours, October 30 & 31 only
  • Public domain Martin Luther images from The Library of Congress (1 | 2 | 3) and Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons (1 | 2)

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(1:09:20) Episode 208 – Using technology to assist with ministry to shut-ins is the discussion topic on next week’s podcast.  We’ll also talk with folks from Nebraska Lutheran High School about their use of SmoothWall, a new ShopWELS product. (Release date – 11/02/11)

The featured artist:

(1:10:29) This week we close with the music of Crosswalk Lutheran Ministries – Dive Into God’s Word from their CD titled ”Crosswalk Lutheran Ministries”

Get involved:

167 – Files, Files, and more Files!

/in ,

On this episode of the WELSTech Podcast we explore many alternatives for file sharing in the church and school office.

The discussion:

NetworkManaging files in the Digital Age – Gone are the days of working solo on our pen and paper projects at the office. Now we want and need to be able to access our digital files from remote locations and easily share files with others for collaboration.  Martin and Sallie detail a variety of solutions for file sharing.

News in tech:

(16:23) iPhone coming to Verizon

Picks of the week:

  • (18:25) National Geographic Wallpapers for your Windows 7 (or any) desktop
  • Pogoplug

Community feedback:

Coming up on WELSTech:

(36:50) Episode 168 – Gail Potratz joins the conversation and shares an interview she recorded with Barry Britt from Soundzabound.com. (Release date 01/26/11)

The featured artist:

(37:15) We close the podcast with the music of  Branches Band (www.branchesband.com |Facebook) – Jerusalem the Golden from their “Light Eternal” CD

Get involved:

143 – WELSTech Road Trip: Watertown, WI

/in , ,

The WELSTech Podcast Road Trip heads to Watertown, WI, and we learn about school hardware solutions.

Road trip:

roadtrip02c(8:03) School hardware ideas – Our virtual tour of the WELS 12 Districts continues with a stop in Watertown, WI to talk with teacher and technology director Drew Willems from Trinity-St. Luke’s.  Join Martin and Sallie as we learn about the school hardware configuration for their two-campus setting which includes a network, SMART Boards, a dedicated computer lab and, most recently, a batch of netbooks on a secure charging mobile cart.

  • Acer Netbook Products
  • A variety of netbook carts:
    • Option 1 from ComputerSecurity.com
    • Option 2 from CartWrite.com
    • Option 3 from PC-Security.com

Drew Willems

Watertown WI
The WELSTech Road Trip Tracker

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (36:46) Pastor Johann Caauwee from Trinity in El Paso, TX and blogger at A Shepherd’s Study shared a link to Concordia Technology Solution’s brand new Church 360 (Church360 on Twitter) online church management system.
  • Parish Administrator Dan Schoeffel form St. Paul’s in Onalaska, WI shared his congregation’s Time and Talent surveys (all in .doc Word format) for adults and teens as well as a page they call “Serving My Lord” with scripture verses about time and talent.  We’ve started a brand new page on the WELSTech Wiki to house church office documents.
  • Pastor Caauwee also followed up on a previous discussion about online church directories to point to Olan Mills the free online directory that comes with any pictorial directory project congregations create using Olan Mills.  Check out the sample (use password: secret).
  • From the #WELSTech Twitter feed we learned:
  • Steve Zambo from Salty Earth Pictures shared their latest video series, “PC’s Take”, with Pastor Clark Schultz reviewing movies.  Find PC’s Take on Facebook.
  • Deacon Mike from Deer Valley in Phoenix, AZ asked about a low-cost web conferencing solution, and we recommended Vyew.com

Coming up on WELSTech:

(49:23) Episode 144 – WELSTech heads to the Pacific Northwest to visit with John Shoosmith for an update on closed-caption video and more.  (Release date 08/11/10)

The featured artist:

(50:12) We close the podcast this week with the beautiful piano music of Dawn Gehlhar – Christ Be My Leader from her CD titled ”Inspirations”

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:

094 – Old People Talking New Tech

/in ,

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

/in ,

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: