WELSTech Audio

The Tech-Enhanced Ministry summer series on WELSTech draws to a close this week with a discussion of the good and the bad of choosing to live in a particular vendor’s space, be it Google or Apple or Microsoft. There are also new options for creating QR codes and reasons to use them in ministry. Video messages and great Facebook groups round out this week’s episode.

Tech Ecosystems – Wrapping up the summer series on Tech-Enhanced Ministry, Martin and Sallie discuss the advantages and disadvantages of going “all in” with one of several tech ecosystems, including Apple, Microsoft, and Google.

Facebook groups for the win!

Martin and Sallie talk interactive displays with Chris Hunt from BDJ Tech.

This week’s WELSTech discussion is all about Mobile and the apps that support ministry, the latest installment of our Tech-Enhanced Ministry series. We also explore some lesser-known iPhone settings, a slick power strip replacement, and a collection of education app tutorial links.

Mobile – The convenience, versatility, and plethora of ever improving applications available on mobile devices, both phones and tablets, make them an obvious choice for many day-to-day ministry-related activities. Martin and Sallie share ministry ideas for mobile Bible-related apps, productivity tools, curriculum resources, photos, podcasts, security apps, social media, and communication tools.

Jam packed spreadsheets of tutorial links for Google apps and other education centric apps

The Tech-Enhanced Ministry series wraps up with a discussion of the Google Ecosystem.

The Tech-Enhanced Ministry series continues with today’s episode of WELSTech, and Martin and Sallie share their favorite tech for being productive. Today’s show also includes discussion of photo albums for events or projects, smart bulbs, video production training, and media resources to support Bible lessons.

Personal Productivity – A common thread throughout WELSTech history is the discussion of personal productivity and the technology that supports it. Martin and Sallie tackle the topic again on this episode, breaking productivity down in terms of capture techniques and tools, storage, calendar and tasks, hardware, and consistent review practices.

The Tech-Enhanced Ministry series continues with a discussion of all things mobile.

Personal Learning Networks (PLN) are the topic of this week’s WELSTech as we march through our summer series on Tech-Enhanced Ministry. Listen for familiar and new tools for managing your network and curating information. Martin made one of the newest his pick of the week because he was so smitten. Sallie’s got you covered for summer reading, and the WELSTech community pitches in to round out this episode.

Personal Learning Networks – Martin and Sallie discuss a powerful tool for ongoing learning and professional growth, the Personal Learning Network (PLN). Actively seeking resources on interests and responsibilities can lead to engaging in thoughtful reflection and ultimately to curating your own resources on the topic.

Check out the Building Your PLN Teacher Challenge from EduBlogs to learn more, and start or grown your PLN.

Our thanks to teacher Michael Vlieger from Risen Savior in Mankato, MN for sharing more professional development resources:

The Tech-Enhanced Ministry series continues with a discussion of personal productivity.

July kicks off with a continuation of the WELSTech summer series, Tech-Enhanced Ministry. In this episode we concentrate on Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). Plus, there’s lots to recap from last week’s WELS Education Conference including a slick conference app, digital citizenship resources for faculty, parents, and students, and a Ditch That Textbook inspired digital escape room. Martin even throws in some vocab and emojis to keep things interesting!

Cruft-free zone – Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is the latest topic in the WELSTech summer series, Tech-Enhanced Ministry. Martin and Sallie discuss our “second brain,” tech tools which assist in capturing our knowledge, and the consistency and intentionality that goes into doing it well.

The Tech-Enhanced Ministry series continues with a discussion of personal learning networks.

The WELSTech summer series Tech-Enhanced Ministry continues this week with a discussion of data management for the church and school office. Google drive rolls out keyboard shortcuts, Martin’s watching YouTube ad-free, and you can learn how to build a digital escape room. Sounds like a fun summer!

Data management – Martin and Sallie continue the WELSTech summer series Tech-Enhanced Ministry with a discussion of the data managed in a church and school office and how best to handle privacy, security, organization, collaboration, and searchability.

The Tech-Enhanced Ministry series continues with a discussion of personal knowledge management

Summer has arrived on WELSTech as we begin a new series titled Tech-Enhanced Ministry. This week we talk all angles of project management including portfolios, cloud tools, and frameworks. Martin has a shortcut pick, and we field questions regarding the new Christian Worship hymnal.

Project management – Martin and Sallie kick off the WELSTech summer series Tech-Enhanced Ministry with the why and how of project management in church and school.

The Tech-Enhanced Ministry series continues with a discussion of data management

You’re in for a treat – a WELSTech like no other! Martin and Sallie are joined by Jason Schmidt for a mashup discussion of open learning, project management, WiFi access, and summer enrichment. And, for the first time, we close the show with an interview of Dr. Cindy Whaley, icing on the cake of our season-long look at the WELS Education Conference 2022 lineup.

Jason Schmidt joins Martin and Sallie to wrap up our school year series of edtech podcasts. (We missed you, Rachel Feld! Safe travels!!)

OpenLearning@MLC free virtual conference under the theme Ministering in an Age of Diversity

The icing on the cake – Dr. Cindy Whaley from Martin Luther College joins the conversation to share details from her upcoming presentation at the WELS Education Conference. Her topic is Multi-age Teaching and Learning: What it is, how it is different, and why it matters!. The conference will take place June 20-22, 2022, at the Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee, WI.

We kick off WELSTech’s summer focus – Enhancing Ministry with Technology

Spring has finally arrived on WELSTech, and with that comes graduation season. We are excited to hear from two soon to be assigned seminary seniors about their tech in ministry research projects. We also have outreach ideas, technology curriculum, event updates, security hardware, and library software recommendations to share.

Seminary Senior Theses – Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Seniors Eric Zabell and David Ticks join Martin and Sallie to discuss their tech-in-ministry related senior thesis topics.

12 Great Church Outreach Ideas for Summer from Outreach.com

Tune in to this week’s WELSTech for an update on the work of WELS Special Ministries including new technology advances for reaching out to those in prison and the need for volunteers to assist with the effort. Martin is upping his keyboard ante with a gamer model that isn’t very quiet. Details on the upcoming Women’s Ministry conference as well as a helpful new Google Calendar feature are also in the mix.

Pastor James Behringer, Administrator for WELS Special Ministries, shares updates on prison ministry technology plus other news from the many avenues of Special Ministries with Martin and Sallie.

WELS Women’s Ministry Conference

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay