Tag Archive for: HCE

102 – Promises, Tools, and Bargains

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This week on the WELSTech Podcast we take a final look at the concepts presented in the book Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky.

The discussion:

Expanding Your Life Scope – Martin and Sallie wrap up their discussion of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody, looking at chapter 11 and the epilogue.  Tying all the concepts from the book together, three key components of digital groups emerge, and we see that these revolutionary changes should be accepted and taken for granted as we make use of them to spread the gospel message.

Ministry resources:

glo(22:44) BibleGlo.com – Multimedia Bible software

News in tech:

(26:28) Google Wave invites are trickling out.

  • Join the WELSTech public wave – search for this phrase …

with:public “Calling all WELSTech-ers!”

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (36:30) Perry Lund from Grace in Oskaloosa, IA sent us a link to his catechism class timeline of Luther’s life.
  • David Schuman from Peace in Janesville, WI shared thoughts on the use of virtual meetings in congregations and further thoughts on raising congregational awareness of technology.
  • As a follow up to our new public Google Calendar with the Christian Worship and Christian Worship: Supplement lectionary, Mark Ochsankehl shared a sample site with Google Calendar instructions for members.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(42:26) Gail Potratz joins the WELSTech crew as we share our picks of safe web sites for kids of all ages. (Release date 10/28/09)

The featured artist:

(43:25) This week we close with the music of WELS instrumentalist In His Service – Gabriel’s Message from their CD titled ”In the Fullness of 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
  • 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

096 – Failure For Free

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This week the WELSTech podcast includes motivation to try something new for gospel outreach as well as an interview about midi music for worship.

The discussion:

Do something! – Martin and Sallie return to their discussion of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody, this time focusing on chapter 10, Failure For Free.  In terms of ministry opportunities this chapter helps us realize that it’s easy and free for our outreach, communication and technology committees to brainstorm creative methods and test drive today’s digital resources as tools for sharing the gospel without fear of failure.

  • WELSTech & YOU! – Help us celebrate WELSTech’s 100th episode by sharing your tech-in-ministry success stories via any of the WELSTech communication channels.

The interview:

Danny Weymeyer(16:00) Digital music for worship – Layman Danny Weymeyer from Good Shepherd in Deltona, FL joins Martin and Sallie to talk about the use of MIDI in worship settings, particularly when congregations do not have full time instrumentalist available for worship.

  • Cakewalk sequencer software
  • Request Danny’s MIDI CD from your District Mission Board contact

Ministry resources:

Picks of the week:

Community feedback:

  • (49:17) David Savatski from WELS Missions suggested Dropbox and Box.net for sharing large files
  • Pastor Jeremiah Gumm from Cross of Christ in Liverpool, NY added his congregation Facebook page to the growing list on the WELSTech Wiki
  • David Schumann from Peace in Janesville, WI asked about embedding a flash player for MP3s in his web site for cross-browser compatibility

Coming up on WELSTech:

(56:04) Episode 097 – Tips for maintaining your computer including fighting mal-ware, registry cleanup and disk de-frags wil be the topic of next week’s podcast. (Release date 09/16/09)

The featured artist:

(57:45) This week we close with the music of WELS artist Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com) – Paradise from his CD titled “A Witness”

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

082 – It’s A Small WELS After All

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This week the WELSTech podcast includes more discussion of the book Here Comes Everybody as well as an interview with a software consultant from ProCare Software.

The discussion:

Bonding and Bridging – Martin and Sallie revisit Clay Shirky’s book, Here Comes Everybody, and discuss chapter 9, “Fitting Our Tools to a Small World”.  Lessons from the chapter illustrate the potential pitfall of congregations focusing solely on closed group, insider fellowship while excluding groups, cultures and ideas outside the “network”.

The interview:

Shelley Spliethof, ProCare Software(16:00) Technology heads to daycare – Martin and Sallie talk with Shelley Spliethof, Executive Software Consultant with ProCare Software, about the information challenges daycare and preschool organizations face and how ProCare Software addresses those needs.

New Technology Showcase:

(29:40) Firefox 3.5 – The latest version of the Mozilla browser

Picks of the week:

  • (33:50) SparkleBox – A teacher’s treasure chest of free printables
  • Diigo – Social bookmarking meets the writable web

Community feedback:

  • (40:35) Eric Mueller from St. John in St. Paul, MN is a Drupal fan and is excited to see the WELS.net beta site built on Drupal.  He used Drupal to build both his congregation site as well as the web site for the Science Museum of MN, where he serves as webmaster.
  • Jason Schmidt was busy tweeting loads of interesting links including
    • Noteflight for online music notation (Video Overview)
    • Shareaholic Firefox plugin
    • vozMe text to speech tool
    • 6 Examples of Twitter in the Classroom from Emerging Internet Technologies for Education – Sallie shared an alternative view, Twitter with students? from Tipline – Gates’ Computer Tips
    • Diigo Tutorials
  • LATTE Missionary Larry Schlomer is having difficulties adding the Through My Bible in 3 Years RSS feed to Google Reader.  Martin suggested subscribing to the audio feed instead.
  • Following up on this week’s BWTG episode which focused on creating Facebook Pages …

Coming up on WELSTech:

(52:22) WELSTech2 continues:

  • Episode 083 – Join us for a summer “Picnik” of image editing tips on the latest installment of “Bonus WELSTech Goodness” (BWTG). (Release date 07/13/09)
  • Episode 084 – Joel and Jeremy from the Youth Discipleship office share a recap of the International Youth Rally as we take a look at ways we can use technology to reach out to teens. (Release date 07/15/09)

The featured artist:

(53:49) The music of WELS group Corban Creek closes this week’s podcast – We hear Psalm 13 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 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

076 – Where’d My Bowling League Go?

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This week the WELSTech podcast discussion focuses on real-time, face-to-face fellowship challenges and ways technology can assist.

The discussion:

Meet UpDeclining social capital – Martin and Sallie discuss chapter 8 of Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody titled “Solving Social Dilemmas”.  The decline of “social capital” has effected congregations and schools as they experience the difficulty of getting people together for fellowship, but the good news is there are ways technology can assist in connecting people.

  • Meetup.com – Find a niche group to meet face-to-face

New Technology Showcase:

(18:30) Google Wave – A developing communication tool

Picks of the week:

Announcing BWTG:

(31:50) Something new – Bonus WELSTech Goodness (BWTG)

  • Mid-week mini “how-to” episodes set to launch on Monday, June 22nd
  • Look for Episode 077 – BWTG: Google Calendars

Community feedback:

  • (35:00) Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI asked about twitter hashtags, left a voice mail about using iGoogle for her Personal Learning Network and shared a link to her Twtpoll
  • Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE tweeted several tech goodies
  • Sallie shared a link to an article on Scareware from USA Today
  • Check out the WELSTech listserve archives for recent discussions on
    • Video sources
    • MIDI resources
    • Installing XP on newer computers
  • John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA created a “copyright friendly” scripture recording

Coming up on WELSTech:

(48:08) Episode 078 – Next Wednesday’s topic will be “Twitter in Education” with guest host Gail Potratz and interviewee/teacher/twitterer, Jason Schmidt

The featured artist:

(49:21) This week we close with music of WELS musician Stephen Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com) – Brand New Day from his CD with the same title

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

071 – Electronic Church Doors

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This week the WELSTech podcast examines the platforms and methods available to spread the Word in the 21st century.

The discussion:

Pastor Mike HintzAnswering the question – Pastor Mike Hintz, Administrator for WELS Commission on Evangelism, joins in on Martin and Sallie’s discussion of chapter’s 6 and 7 of Clay Shirky’s book, Here Comes Everybody.  In terms of evangelism today, the question isn’t “Where or what is the church?” but “Who is God?”, and we can use the power of the Internet to share our confessional response to that question.

New Technology Showcase:

Picks of the week:

  • (33:30) Free Animoto for Educators – Create animated videos of your photos
    • Thanks to Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE for this link!
    • Check out their FAQ for a great Gmail method of creating “dummy” student e-mail accounts
  • FoxitPDF

Of interest:

  • (41:29) This week features live streaming of MLC Graduation and Call Service as well as Vicar Call Service
  • Check the schedule and watch the events at streams.wels.net/site/live

Community feedback:

  • (43:53) Welcome WELSTech listeners, Prof. Bob Anderson and Missionary Mike Hartman
  • Are you a WELSTech listener with a ministry technology idea to share?  We’d love to interview you!  Contact us to get the ball rolling!
  • Pastor Dan Witte from Risen Savior in Lakewood Ranch, FL shared several great links:
    • OneLicense.net announces licensing to cover podcasts
    • Enroll in the upcoming Google Teacher Academy – August 5 in Boulder, CO
    • Handle comments on your blog with IntenseDebate
    • Need a desert island Bible software pick?  Pastor Witte wouldn’t want to live without BibleWorks
    • The New York Times is talking Twitter, just like WELSTech

Coming up on WELSTech:

(50:29) Episode 072 – We’ll talk with Dan Lohrmann, author of Virtual Integrity and discuss accountability software options.

The featured artist:

(52:15) This week we close with piano music of Dawn Gehlhar – Beautiful Savior from her CD titled “Inspiration”

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

067 – Geeking Out In Sallie’s Kitchen

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This week the tech talk on the WELSTech podcast centers around group collaboration, the world of the independent Christian artist, and a geeky kitchen dream come true.

The discussion:

Group Effort Web 2.0 Style – Martin and Sallie revisit Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody and focus on chapter 5, “Personal Motivation Meets Collaborative Production”, as they explore the power of one of the core Web 2.0 tools, the wiki.  Listen for ideas on how you can use a wiki in your congregation or school.

  • Wikis in Plain English by CommonCraft
  • Episode 034 focused on wiki tools
  • Sample church ladies organization wiki – hosanna.wetpaint.com

The interview:

Mike WestendorfIndependent Christian Artist (18:22) – WELS musician Mike Westendorf joins Martin and Sallie to talk about getitng started in the music business, the recent CIA Summit for independent Christian artist and the role technology plays in music today.

The tidbits:

New technology showcase (38:30)

  • The “new” Friend Feed – beta.friendfeed.com

Picks of the week (42:25)

WELSTech Desert Island Picks ContestContest – Top 5 Desert Island Software Picks (47:47)

  • 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)

  • Check out the WELSTech listserve archive for a balanced discussion of fee vs. open-source software for school computer usage
  • David Schumann from Peace in Janesville, WI shared his success with recycling old hardware with Linux
  • The #WELSTech Twitter conversation this week included
  • John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI suggested incorporating a call to action link on church sites – “Why join?” or “Why attend?”
  • Dan Schoeffel from St. Paul’s in Onalaska, WI shared a link to their Drupal members only site – members.stpaulsonalaska.org
    • We discussed Drupal in a episode 047 and have a page on the WELSTech wiki dedicated to Drupal
    • Take a sneak peek at the new Drupal-based WELS.net – beta.wels.net
  • David Savatski from WELS Missions added a presentation tips section to the WELSTech wiki
  • Greg Letiecq shared a “He Is Risen” video clip. Find it on the WELSTech wiki, posted using drop.io/welstech.

Coming up on WELSTech (1:04:32)

  • Episode 068 – It’s time to make plans for a summer of learning.  Gail Potratz will join us to discuss a multitude of opportunities for personal enrichment.  And we’ll wrap up our interview with Mike Westendorf.

The featured artist:

This week we close with WELS artist Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) – Prelude to Praise from his newest CD titled Color Through the Gray (1:06:20)

Get involved:

062 – Your Digital Fingerprint

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie explore ministry implications of the new amateur communication channels that exist on the web and chat with professional photographer Lori Ashbrenner about simple ways to improve digital photography skills.

The discussion:

  • “Publish, Then Filter” – In today’s discussion Martin and Sallie look at the effects of the amateurization of communication as they discuss the fourth chapter of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody. The enormity and permanence of web-based (public) communication via e-mail, web sites and social networks offers unique opportunities and challenges for ministry.  Because the communication channels are so new, standards for filtering or ignoring certain communication aren’t yet established.
    • Etching Yourself on the Internet

The interview:

  • Lori AshbrennerDigital photography (17:14) – Lori Aschbrenner, WELS member from Beautiful Savior in Everett, WA and professional photographer, talks with Martin and Sallie about photography tips and tricks for the beginner (read the manual!) as well as those looking for the “sweet hour” who want to take their digital photography to the next level.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (37:12)
  • WELS.net feature (43:09)
    • Check out the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society site for devotions, prayers and mission projects plus rally and convention information – www.lwms.org
  • Community feedback (44:20)
    • The WELSTech listserve has been a busy place!  Check out the archive for these interesting threads:
      • Content filtering – Information shared has been added to the WELSTech wiki
      • Worship presentation software – Is anyone using EZ Worhip or Media Shout?  If so, please share your impressions of the software.
      • Hymnsoft
      • Mass e-mail solutions
    • Ben Polzin asked for an example church web site that is doing a good job of separating member and visitor content
    • John Schoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA reported that Google Video is turning down uploads.  This is the platform that had supported closed-caption video and longer video lengths.  Stay-tuned to find out what solution emerges to fill this gap.
    • We heard from Rachel M. & David Savatiski via the #WELSTech Twitter conversation, and both reported that they got ideas for their congregational web sites from our last episode discussion of “Five Don’ts“.
    • David Savatski also shared a link to www.VoodooPad.com and left us a voicemail requesting ideas for teaching members to make use of congregation and school digital communication.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (1:00:53)
    • Episode 063 – Next week we’ll explore all things PDF – editing, optimizing, merging and more – and talk with our ShopWELS Lenovo partner, Patty Ullsperger

The featured artist:

  • We close with the music of WELS artist Wendysue Fluegee (www.wendysue.com) – Weary from her CD titled Everyday Christian (1:02:30)

Get involved:

057 – Are You a Media Outlet

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie discuss the effects on gospel outreach of the shift from traditional mass media to individual self-publication via the web.

The discussion:

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (22:19)
  • WELS.net feature (29:39)
  • Community feedback (31:51)
    • MLC student Jeffrey Clark sent in a request for an upcoming WELSTech episode – Libronix software tips and tricks.  Check out details on the new addition of Christian Worship and Christian Worship Supplement lectionaries to Libronix – www.wels.net/jump/cwsupplement.
    • The WELSTech listserve members have been sharing ideas about electronics recycling.  We also heard from Cindy Krueger from Shepherd of the Hills in Lansing MI who shared a link to a new recycling program from Best Buy launching February 15th in all U.S. stores.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (36:48)
    • Episode 058 – Martin shares highlights from his Mission and Ministry presentation on streaming video, and we talk with Pastor Daron Lindemann about the “Message from the Master” web site.

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) – Press On from his CD titled Climb The Mountain (38:50)

Get involved:

Episode 050 – Dec 17 2008

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie look at the ease of group formation in a Web 2.0 world as they continue their discussion of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody.  They also clean out the WELSTech mail bag.

The discussion:

The tidbits:

  • Community feedback – Cleaning out the WELSTech mail bag!(31:00)
    • Call for a web developer posted on the WELSTech facebook group by Carol Restovic
    • Following up on the Content Management System discussion in Episode 047, John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI shared links to tools to enhance blogging with WordPress and TypePad
      • Write blog posts from your desktop with wbloggar.com
      • Anti-SPAM plugins for TypePad
    • Following up on Episode 045, George Efsen asked how to find the interview segment about Search Engine Optimization.  Time markers for all WELSTech episodes are included in the show notes.
    • David Savatski recommended box.net for online storage and group collaboration
    • John Shoosmith of Redeemer in Yakima, WA shared several comments
      • Sample closed-caption sermon created with Microsoft Silverlight
      • Suggestion for a WELSTech directory of listeners with techie knowledge and skills which they are willing to share
      • Questions about copyright of Luther’s works and the Bible
    • Alyssa Dunning shared a link to digsby.com – useful for aggregating your web presence including instant messaging, e-mail and social networks
    • Closing the loop on a question we received in Episode 033 from Pastor John Maasch of Peace in Bradenton, FL – WELS Worship has published the current lectionary series in “ical” format for importing into your calendaring software – in the “Lectionary Planning” folder
    • Our occasional guest host, Gail Potratz, from Emanuel in New London, WI shared a link to David Warlick’s School Acceptable Use Policy wiki
    • Richard Travis from Divine Peace in Garland, TX is using FlashPoint to convert PowerPoint files to Flash format for their church web site
  • Coming up on WELSTech (56:01)
    • Episode 051 – A special treat for Christmas Eve – We’ll talk with WELS President Mark Schroeder
  • WELS.net feature (57:15)
    • Tune in to Streams Live for a Michael Schroeder Christmas concert
      • December 20 @ 5 p.m. CST from Christ Lutheran in Pewaukee, WI
      • Sponsored by WELS Military Services

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS artist, Michael Schroeder (michaelschroeder.com) – What Child Is This from his CD titled The Reason For the Season (57:48)

Get involved:

Episode 049 – Dec 10 2008

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This week on WELSTech Martin and Sallie take a look at chapter one of Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody.  Ray Brown joins the conversation to share how he uses video e-mail for outreach and congregational communication.

The discussion:

  • Harnessing the power of groups – Martin and Sallie kick off a discussion of the book Here Comes Everybody – The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky with a look at the concepts presented in the first chapter. The author uses a true story of a “one-person media outlet” to illustrate how easily groups can form on the Internet and the power these groups can yield.  Based on these concepts, the discussion shifts to how the church will be affected by these types of groups and also how it can make use of the ease of group formation to effectively carry out ministry.

The interview:

  • Ray BrownVideo e-mail (22:33) –  Ray Brown, Congregational Assistant from Summerlin Lutheran in Las Vegas, NV, joins Martin and Sallie to share information on their use of video e-mail as a communication tool to members and prospects.

The tidbits:

  • Picks of the week (43:27)
    • Create a flash scrapbook for your church or school web site – ScrapBlog.com
    • Windows Live SkyDrive – 25 Gb of “in the cloud” online storage
  • WELS.net feature (50:05)
  • Community feedback (51:42)
    • John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI shared a fun link to enter to win a USB powered Dirt Devil KWIK vacuum for your keyboard.  The contest runs daily until December 12th.
  • Coming up on WELSTech (52:47)
    • Episode 050 – We’ll discuss Chapter 2 of Here Comes Everybody and open our mail bag to share loads of community feedback

The featured artist:

  • We close with music of WELS pianist, Dawn Gehlhar – Carol of the Bells from her CD titled Christmas Dreams (54:35)

Get involved: