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

Managing 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.

(16:23) iPhone coming to Verizon

(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)

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

This week the WELSTech Podcast looks at school technology during a book discussion and an interview with Greg Schmill, Director of WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools.

Teaching and Learning With Technology – Martin and Sallie discuss Chapter 5 of Leading 21st Century Schools which looks at specific web-based tools and strategies that are useful in the classroom.

(16:06) Generations – Greg Schmill, Director of WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools, shares insights from his recent presentation titled Bridging the Generation Gap.  He examines each of the generation’s needs and specifically how different uses of technology can assist in engaging Builders, Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials in our schools.

(37:51) The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is history.  WELSTech brings you the event buzz:

(58:40) Episode 167 – Administrators and office personnel will want to tune in as we discuss solutions for sharing files in the church and school office. (Release date 01/19/11)

(59:56) We close the podcast with the piano music of Dawn Michelle Williams (www.dawnmichellewilliams.com | Twitter | Facebook | My Space) – Beautiful Savior With Canon in D from her CD titled ”Inspirations”

Join the WELSTech Podcast as we celebrate three years of tech-in-ministry weekly podcast and review Bible apps for smartphones.

Bible Apps – Celebrating the anniversary of three years of weekly WELSTech podcasting, Martin and Sallie kick off year four with a review of Bible apps for Android and Apple smart phones and handhelds.

The Best:

Bible Software Companions:

The Rest:

(22:22) LWMS on Facebook

(29:11) Through My Bible in Three Years – Read and share!

(36:02) Episode 166 – We look at “Instructional Strategies for Teaching and Learning With Technology” – Chapter 5 of Leading 21st Century Schools . (Release date 01/09/11)

(36:45) We close the podcast with the music of  Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) – Such Joy from their “We Walk By Faith” CD

This week on the WELSTech Podcast we review the best and worst of 2010.

Reflecting on 2010 – Martin and Sallie review the 2010 Picks of the Week and share their favorites as well as those picks which didn’t make the impact they anticipated that they would.

(38:02) Episode 165 – Next week we celebrate the three-year anniversary of the WELSTech Podcast and review Bible apps for mobile devices.   (Release date 01/05/11)

(39:17) We close with the music of Koine (www.koinemusic.com | Facebook) – Joy to the World from their CD titled ”Anno Domini”

The WELSTech Podcast Christmas week episode includes an interview with Prof. Rich Gurgel on the topic of continuing education as well as our contest wrap up.

(3:05) Grow in Grace – Prof. Rich Gurgel from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS) joins Martin and Sallie to talk about Grow in Grace, the Institute for Continuing Education at WLS.  Learn how technology is assisting with the efforts including a new web site and online course offerings.

(20:57) And the winner is Rachel Arnold! Congrats Rachel!  We’ll be in touch to get you your $25 Cafe Press gift certificate to the WELSTech Store.

Here’s the complete list of clues deciphered:

Clue 1 – The solution is found in the greatest book of all time = THE BIBLE

Clue 2 – You’ll solve the mystery by thinking Greek not Hebrew = NEW TESTAMENT

Clue 3 – Look for the disciple whom Jesus loved = JOHN

Clue 4 – 0.3 + 0.7 = 1

Clue 5 – Number of tribes of Israel + 2 = 14

And the mystery message is …

John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(25:37) Episode 164 – Martin and Sallie share their favs from 2010 in the annual “Picks of the Year” episode. (Release date 12/22/10)

(26:45) We close the podcast with the piano music of Dawn Michelle Williams (www.dawnmichellewilliams.com | Twitter | Facebook | My Space) – Carol of the Bells from her CD titled ”Christmas Dreams”

This week the WELSTech Podcast is all about Getting Things Done in the church and school office, and Staff Minister Jon Ruddat shares his productivity success story.

Office Productivity – Martin and Sallie share ideas for applying the personal Getting Things Done (GTD) productivity process to the church and school office using the 43 Folders technique and also ideas from Death by Meeting.

(17:10) Star Student – Jon Ruddat, Staff Minister of Administration and Family Ministry at St. Matthew’s in Appleton, WI, was a past student in Martin’s Productivity Winterim session at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.  He shares the highlights of implementing the GTD system and some of his “Mind Like Water” moments.

Before & After GTD – Click image to view larger

(40:35) Google Chrome Web Store and Pilot Chrome OS Netbooks

(49:38) Week 5 of our latest WELSTech contest is here, and we’ve hidden our “QR Code of the Week” somewhere on the WELSTech site.  Listen each week through December 15th as we reveal clues for finding 5 QR Codes which will point you to a mystery message. Following the December 15th show you can enter the mystery message for a chance to win a $25 Cafe Press gift certificate, where your WELSTech merchandise dreams can come true!  The winner will be selected from all correct entries and announced on our special Christmas week podcast airing December 22nd.

Solve the mystery message and enter the contest by 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 20, 2010 at

(1:07:50) Episode 163 – Christmas week arrives as we talk with Prof. Richard Gurgel about the WELS Continuing Education program, Grow in Grace, and we select our contest winner. (Release date 12/22/10)

(1:08:55) We close the podcast with the music of Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com and on Facebook) – The Reason for the Season from his CD also titled ”The Reason for the Season”

This week the WELSTech Podcast is loaded with tech teaching tools to enhance your classroom planning.

More Tech Tools to Consider – Continuing the current WELSTech book discussion of Leading 21st Century Schools, Martin and Sallie highlight a few of the tech tools discussed in chapter 4 where the focus is on primary resources, peripheral devices and subject-specific resources.

(19:24) Trinity Technology – Teacher Ryan Rathje from Trinity in Belle Plaine, MN joins Martin and Sallie to share tech integration ideas from the trenchs including new programs they have implemented with netbooks, iPods, an online gradebook and more.  Mac users will also appreciate Ryan’s list of favorite Mac teaching tools.

(39:15) ROAMpay mobile credit card reader

(45:45) Week 4 of our latest WELSTech contest is here, and we’ve hidden our “QR Code of the Week” somewhere on the WELSTech site.  Listen each week through December 15th as we reveal clues for finding 5 QR Codes which will point you to a mystery message. Following the December 15th show you can enter the mystery message for a chance to win a $25 Cafe Press gift certificate, where your WELSTech merchandise dreams can come true!  The winner will be selected from all correct entries and announced on our special Christmas week podcast airing December 22nd.

(54:25) Episode 162 – GTD (Getting Things Done) meets the church office on next week’s office administration podcast, and we interview Staff Minister Jon Ruddat. (Release date 12/15/10)

(55:32) We close the podcast with the music of Kevin Loersch – Mary Did You Know from his CD titled ”O Holy Night”

This week the WELSTech Podcast round table includes two guest hosts, and the topic of the day is social bookmarking and more with Diigo.

Digging Diigo – Gail Potratz (gailpotratz on Twitter) from Emanuel in New London, WI and Jason Schmidt (jasonschmidt123 on Twitter) from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE  join Martin and Sallie to talk all things Diigo, the Web 2.0 social bookmarking and annotation tool that is so much more!

(15:36) Shepherd’s Staff church management software year end process

(32:39) Week 3 of our latest WELSTech contest is here, and we’ve hidden our “QR Code of the Week” somewhere on the WELSTech site.  Listen each week through December 15th as we reveal clues for finding 5 QR Codes which will point you to a mystery message. Following the December 15th show you can enter the mystery message for a chance to win a $25 Cafe Press gift certificate, where your WELSTech merchandise dreams can come true!  The winner will be selected from all correct entries and announced on our special Christmas week podcast airing December 22nd.

(42:23) Episode 161 – Our book discussion of Leading 21st Century Schools continues as we dig into Chapter 4. (Release date 12/08/10)

(45:20) We close the podcast with the music of  Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) – A Voice Cries Out from their “Led by the Light” CD

This week on the WELSTech Podcast we interview Vicar Donald Tilbury about web conferencing with distance catechism students.

Web Conferencing – Martin and Sallie look at the What, Why (from a ministry perspective) and How of web conferencing as they detail four free tools for desktop sharing.

(16:15) The First WELSTech Vicar – Vicar Donald Tilbury who serves Gethsemane in Omaha, NE joined Martin and Sallie to share his catechism web conferencing success story and a cool new mapping tool as well.

(34:50) Google Code-in for Students launches

(48:23) Week 2 of our latest WELSTech contest is here, and we’ve hidden our “QR Code of the Week” somewhere on the WELSTech site.  Listen each week through December 15th as we reveal clues for finding 5 QR Codes which will point you to a mystery message. Following the December 15th show you can enter the mystery message for a chance to win a $25 Cafe Press gift certificate, where your WELSTech merchandise dreams can come true!  The winner will be selected from all correct entries and announced on our special Christmas week podcast airing December 22nd.

(1:01:58) Episode 160 – We double our host chatter with the welcome addition of Gail Potratz and Jason Schmidt, and the topic of the day is Diigo.  (Release date 12/01/10)

(1:03:24) We close the podcast with the music of Stephen Bautista (www.stephenbautistamusic.com or stephenbautista on Twitter) – Brand New Day from his CD titled ”Abandon”

This week the WELSTech Podcast returns to the church and school office to look at newsletter production.

Those newsy newsletters – Martin and Sallie share tips and tricks related to church and school newsletters, covering everything from software and templates to imagery and e-news services with a bit of discussion of frequency, audience and content as well.

(18:55) Publishing the Good News – Naomi Henkel from Mt. Calvary in Redding, CA recently talked with Sallie about the production of her congregation’s newsletter.  She also shared ideas for creating a motivating congregational time and talent survey.

(50:05) Beginning today and continuing each week through December 15th we’ll release a series of 5 clues in the WELSTech “Christmas 2010 Scavenger Hunt“.  Use these 5 clues to locate a mystery message and enter it for a chance to win a $25 Cafe Press gift certificate, where your WELSTech merchandise dreams can come true!  The winner will be selected from all correct entries and announced on our special Christmas week podcast airing December 22nd.

This week we’ll make it easy and post the first clue image on this page.  You’ll have to find the future clue images somewhere on the WELSTech web site.

Remember, you can use your smartphone or an online decoder to decipher the message.  Have fun!

(54:19) Episode 159 – We’ll delve into the topic of web conferencing and talk to Vicar Donald Tilbury about using the web to connect with long-distance catechism students.  (Release date 11/24/10)

(55:15) We close the podcast with the music of Kevin Loersch – Advent Medley from his CD titled ”O Holy Night”