WELSTech Audio

WELSTech welcomes guest hosts Rachel and Jason for a discussion of our favorite edtech resources. Plus we share picks, events, discussions, and reports to supplement your tech-in-ministry efforts!

The best in edtech – Our WELSTech edtech gurus extraordinaire – Prof. Rachel Feld from Martin Luther College and Jason Schmidt from the Oconto Falls School District – are back, and the discussion centers on our favorite edtech content.

Sign up for the Learning with Google event – February 17 from 2 to 3:30 pm Central

WELS annual report

Coming up in two weeks, Martin and Sallie talk about the post-quarantine church.

Happy 13th anniversary to WELSTech! Today’s show includes a new book discussion, changes to Facebook, Edge browser features which may convert you, online collaboration resources for teachers and more. Join the celebration/conversation!

To kick off the new year of podcasting, Martin and Sallie start a new book discussion of The Post-Quarantine Church by Thom Rainer.  Today’s show covers the introduction and chapters 1 & 2. We know the pandemic will end at some point and we want the church to be ready to operate in the new normal which emerges. Read along and perhaps share and discuss in your congregations.

From the Lutheran Schools Office

Edtech is center stage as we welcome back Prof. Rachel Feld & Jason Schmidt to the guest host chairs.

WELSTech wraps up year 13 of podcasts with a review of highlights from this pandemic year!

Unprecedented – Martin and Sallie consider the blessings (and challenges) of tech in ministry as we close out 2020, a year like no other.

WELSTech is back with the final installment of our Atomic Habits book discussion as well as an interview about cyber security training for children. Martin and Sallie make their last picks of 2020, and we learn about captioning video calls. The beautiful Christmas concert from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary closes this last podcast before Christmas, and we send our best wishes to WELSTech listeners for a joyous celebration of our Savior’s birth.

Make It Satisfying – Just in time to apply to the new year, Martin and Sallie finish their book discussion of Atomic Habits by James Clear with a look at the 4th law and taking your habits from good to great.

Join us in January for our next book discussion of The Post-Quarantine Church by Thom Rainer.

Security education – MLC second-career staff ministry student Mike Tracy shares his experience in cyber security training, and, in particular, his thoughts on training children about information security.

How to Add Closed Captions to a Video Call

Creating digital side doors featuring Pastor Peter Hagen and the Raised with Jesus podcast from the December Forward in Christ magazine.

Enjoy the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Christmas concert.

2020 is drawing to a close, and that means it’s time to look back at some of our favorite WELSTech moments of the year.

Tune in to this week’s WELSTech for a great discussion of the 3rd Law of Atomic Habits. Stay tuned in for a little bit of Elon, Van Gogh, virtual team building, and hymn previews plus lots more WELSTech goodness to enhance your public and personal ministry efforts!

Reduce friction – Martin and Sallie return to the book discussion of James Clear’s Atomic Habits, this week focusing on the 3rd Law, Make It Easy (chapters 11-14).  Sallie even has a (short) chat with the author!

In the Facebook group WELS Educators During COVID-19 and Beyond, Lori Ehlke (St Paul’s, Onalaska, WI) shared an art tutorial video titled Van Gogh Nativity. Check out her YouTube channel for more – Ehlke Art.

Christian Worship Hymn Preview

We wrap up our discussion of Atomic Habits (chapter 15 to the end) and chat with Mike Tracy about cyber security training for schools.

We’re giving thanks this week on WELSTech – for our WELSTech community and for our awesome edtech co-hosts, Rachel & Jason. Tune in for a lively discussion of screencasting as well as picks, resources, and feedback that are sure to enhance your ministry efforts. Plus there’s something new on WELSTech, and you don’t want to miss the announcement!

A new feature on WELSTech is the ability to subscribe to receive e-mail alerts when new episodes of the podcast are released.

Image by mmi9 from Pixabay

It’s really that easy – Martin and Sallie are joined by semi-regular classroom technology correspondents Rachel Feld, Director of Academic Computing at Martin Luther College, and Jason Schmidt, Instructional Technology Coach for Oconto Falls School District, and the topic of the day is screencasting.

Tools

Tips

WELS Educators During Covid-19 and Beyond

While you are subscribing to WELSTech e-news, you may also want to sample a recent release of the weekly e-news from WELS Lutheran Schools, check out the archives, and subscribe.

We’ll do this again in two weeks, and the topic will be the 3rd Law of Atomic Habits – Make It Easy (chapters 11-14).

This week on WELSTech we share the story of one school’s largely digital rebranding efforts that gave them community recognition and a large enrollment increase. We also have more from our Atomic Habits book discussion, a couple of great picks of the week, free early childhood education resources and more!

Rebranding for Outreach – Brian Polfer serves on the Board of Education at Carlsbad Christian Academy, the school ministry of Beautiful Saviour Lutheran Church, Carlsbad, CA. He joins Martin and Sallie to share details of the steps they took to more than quadruple their school enrollment this year – from changing the school name to Google and Facebook advertising to a mobile-friendly website and more.

Temptation Bundling – Martin and Sallie explore the second law of Atomic Habits by James Clear, which adds temptation (incentive) bundling to habit stacking (chapters 8-10).

Christmas Event Planning Amid COVID-19 from Church Tech Today

ChristLight Sunday School at Home is extended through Winter and Spring!

Pastor Donn Dobberstein, Administrator of WELS Discipleship, shares thoughts on the program.

Edtech with Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt!

This week on WELSTech we talk about using Zoom video conferencing in ministry. The 2020 Gospel Outreach with Media Conference kicks off with some very interesting presentations, WELS Congregational Services has a brand new Evangelism kit to share, and we explore new software and app capabilities to make your ministry and life easier.

Unexpected ministry platform – When we started the year of podcasting there’s no way we could have predicted the exponential usage of Zoom and other video conferencing platforms in ministry. Martin details best practices for using Zoom.

Zoom first-hand – Pastor Philip Casmer from Christ the Lord, Brookfield, WI shares his experience using Zoom for Bible class.

Visit the Gospel Outreach with Media 2020 Conference (gowm.org), now through November 9, for interesting approaches to sharing the Good News including …

Watch the recent Together video update and check out new resources from WELS Congregational Services

Rebranding and Atomic Habits – Make It Attractive (chapters 8-10)

Tune in for 52 minutes of WELSTech goodness including great tips on habit forming as well as special guest insight into the tech behind world mission work. There’s also recycling tips for old devices, Bible commentary discounts, church WordPress themes, and the perfect YouTube channel for budding videographers.

Implementation and stacking – Martin and Sallie continue their book discussion of Atomic Habits by James Clear, looking at starting new habits, motivation, and the secret of self-control (chapters 4-7).

Pastor Paul Nitz recently returned from 25+ years of service as missionary to God’s people in Malawi and central Africa. Hear about his new role in World Missions and the tech that makes it all happen!

BONUS: Check out Pastor Nitz’s OneNote template for meetings for ideas on how templates can improve your work processes. Pastor Nitz writes, “I create the template in Excel and paste it in. I always choose to put in a page color to make the tables pop out. That, for me, takes care of the one thing about OneNote I really DON’T like, the huge colorless blank canvass effect.”

James Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter

WordPress Themes for Churches – Google group discussion

Looking for the perfect Pastor Appreciation gift? Visit Northwestern Publishing House for 25% off Bible Commentaries through October 15.

Video ministry and Atomic Habits – Make It Attractive (chapters 8-10)

A new era of WELSTech has arrived as we welcome not one, but two classroom technology correspondents to the guest host chairs on the same episode! We’re talking hybrid education along with picks of the week, community feedback, and all the other WELSTech goodness we can pack into our time together.

New school year, new challenges – This season on WELSTech we thought we’d double the fun for edtech discussion episodes by inviting both Rachel Feld, Director of Academic Computing at Martin Luther College, and Jason Schmidt, Instructional Technology Coach for Oconto Falls School District, to join Martin and Sallie on the same episodes.

Today we talk about the challenges and opportunities which are evident in classrooms this school year because of the pandemic. Jason and Rachel share tools for formative assessment which is important for gauging learning comprehension in normal situations and is magnified in hybrid/virtual learning situations.

Sunday School At Home with Christ Light from Northwestern Publishing House (NPH)

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We’re back in two weeks with the 1st law of Atomic Habits plus an interview.