Tag Archive for: WELSTech AI Summit

747 – Canva for Ministry

WELSTech is back with a deep dive into Canva waters and the terrific capabilities it has for churches and schools. The toolset is easy and intuitive, even if you’ve never used it before. This episode may be all you need to get started! Martin shares his phone case pick and there’s some AI-generated coding for the classroom happening. See you on the inside!

The discussion

Behind the scenes with Canva – Sallie takes viewers to the design table using Canva and demos design templates and elements, text tools, color palettes, brand kits, and apps while Martin tries to stump her with questions. With the robust feature set and variety of formats which Canva can produce, it’s well worth the price of admission. The amazing news is churches and schools don’t pay a penny!

Ministry resources

Picks of the week

Community feedback & events

  • Teacher Michael Vlieger from Risen Savior in Mankato, MN shared programmed resources for the classroom which he created with the help of ChatGPT and Canva. Reach out to Michael if you’d like to learn more or get a copy.
    • Eraser Game (Video)
      • Users enter text, and the application creates an exercise where clicking on a word makes it disappear. For longer passages, this helps with memorization by gradually removing words rather than requiring students to recall an entire section at once.
    • Banned Words Checker (Video)
      • Our writing series includes specific banned word lists for each lesson, but students and I occasionally overlook these during the review process. This tool allows users to input a list of banned words and their text, and provides a count of each banned word’s occurrence within the document which can be printed.
    • Cloze Generator (Video)
      • This enables teachers to create a cloze activity or a fill-in-the-blank memory work worksheet. Simply type the passage name or reference and paste or type the desired text, choose the difficulty level and font size, and click “Generate.” The application then produces a printable worksheet with a set number of words removed based on the selected difficulty. Works great for longer selections
  • From the WELSTech Google group

Next time

Digital art lessons and social sharing from someone doing both!

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745 – WELSTech AI Summit Review

Wednesday and WELSTech, an unlikely pairing, but so worth it! Join us for a recap of the recent WELSTech AI Summit plus discussion of an AI classroom tool/powerhouse, Lent and Easter resources, and browser tips to enhance your day. Blessings on this Ash Wednesday!

The discussion

There and back again – The WELSTech AI Summit was held February 21-23, 2025, at Divine Savior Church and Academy in Doral, FL. Martin and Sallie share details on the event format and the top AI-related ideas which emerged from the weekend.

Ministry resources

Picks of the week

Community feedback & events

Next time

Secondary school tech integration will be the SAMR infused topic of the day as we welcome our resident EDU gurus, Rachel Renno and Jason Schmidt.

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733 – Silent Mice

On this episode of WELSTech, Martin and Sallie continue their discussion on ministry volunteers, with a look at the challenges of communication and showing appreciation. You’ll also hear about creating your own online store for branded merchandise from your church or school, learning the ins and outs of church speaker placement, and nominating someone for the WELSTech AI Summit. Plus, keep your eyes peeled for those stealthy mice!

The discussion & interview

Communicating & appreciating – Martin and Sallie return to the topic of volunteers, focusing on establishing and maintaining communication channels as well as ways to show appreciation to volunteers.

Ministry resources

Create an online store for your church and school (and perhaps gift your volunteers some swag)

Picks of the week

Community feedback & events

Next time

They’re baaaack! Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt co-host and the ed tech goodness abounds!

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732 – Volunteer Onboarding

WELSTech is in the groove! The regular season groove, that is. Join Martin and Sallie as we kick off a new season of the show and bring back a favorite show segment, Ministry Resources, that was missed over the summer. The show focus today is adding new volunteers to your team using tools and ideas aimed at giving them the knowledge and resources to carry out their responsibilities with confidence and joy.

The discussion & interview

Volunteers for the win – Martin and Sallie take a deep dive into working with volunteers in church or school. There are tech tools to assist with finding the right people and then orienting them to their new responsibilities.

Ministry resources

Picks of the week

Community feedback & events

Next time

We’ve got more to share on working with volunteers, including communication and appreciation.

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