On this mini “how-to” WELSTech episode learn three easy steps for sharing links on your web site via a custom RSS feed from Delicious.

Custom RSS Feeds – If you’ve ever surfed to a web page with news or information which would be perfect for sharing on your church or school web site, then you’ll appreciate today’s BWTG episode where Martin and Sallie discuss an easy solution for adding those desired links to your site using some RSS magic.  Tune in for some delicious “Bonus WELSTech Goodness”!

This week the WELSTech podcast takes a look back at the recent youth rally and the lessons we can learn about technology in youth ministry.

Reaching youth with technology  – Joining Martin and Sallie for a recap of the WELS International Youth Rally are Dr. Joel Nelson and Jeremy Bakken from the Youth Discipleship office.  From registration through MySpace to 41 multi-media presentations, the Youth Rally was wired to reach teens in their digital comfort zone.  Joel and Jeremy share tips and resources for youth leaders who are considering technology tools for outreach to teens.

(50:30) Join us for two episodes of WELSTech next week

(51:10) This week we close with the music of Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) – Such Joy from their CD titled ”We Walk By Faith”

Creating the perfect image for your church or school web site is the subject of this mini WELSTech podcast.

Web Image Editing – The current episode of “Bonus WELSTech Goodness” (BWTG) covers the basics of image editing using the free site Picnik.com.  Listen as Martin and Sallie discuss the ministry applications for great images and share video tutorials, help documents and links to get you started.

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.

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”.

(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.

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

(52:22) WELSTech2 continues:

(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”

Learn how to setup, add content, and invite people to your church or organization’s Facebook Page on this bonus WELSTech podcast.

Facebook Pages – Step-by-step instructions for creating and publishing a publicly accessible “Page” on Facebook is the topic of today’s BWTG installment.  Follow the link to the WELSTech wiki site for “Bonus WELSTech Goodness” video tutorials, help documents and links to sample WELS Facebook Pages.

This week on the WELSTech podcast we look at the strategic use of Web 2.0 tools on both WELS.net and the Camp Phillip web site.

Leveraging the read/write web – As WELS.net migrates from a custom Content Management System (CMS) to the more mainstream, open-source CMS, Drupal, several WELS.net resources are also migrating to Web 2.0 sites.  Martin and Sallie discuss the logic behind going public with WELS resources versus hosting them locally in a “walled garden” and how congregations and schools might take advantage of a similar strategy.

(19:26) Sending the stories home – Camp Phillip Development Director, Aaron Wakeman, joins Martin and Sallie to share some creative ways they use technology to share the stories of camp near and far.

(36:00) Acrobat.com – Adobe’s slick answer to Google Docs

(49:50) Follow the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) – Even if you aren’t in attendance, you can take advantage of all of the great online resources which are available

(1:04:01) Tune in for a double scoop of WELSTech summer audio next week:

(1:05:36) The music of WELS artist Michael Schroeder (www.michaelschroeder.com) closes this week’s podcast – We hear John 3:16 from his CD titled “A Witness”

Learn how to setup, organize and star or tag feeds in Google Reader on this mini WELSTech podcast.

Google Reader – The summer BWTG series continues with this week’s share of “Bonus WELSTech Goodness” focusing on how to use Google Reader to manage RSS feeds which bring web research and professional development materials to you in a time-saving format.

This week the WELSTech podcast focus is Twitter in education as Martin and Sallie talk with two WELS teachers who are blazing the Twitter trail, Gail Potratz and Jason Schmidt.

Twitter in Education – Gail Potratz, Technology Coordinator for Emanuel in New London, WI and our “Semi-regular Classroom Technology Correspondent”, sits in on the podcast as we discuss Twitter for teachers.

(20:43) A WELS Teacher Tweets – Jason Schmidt, 3rd and 4th grade teacher from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE and jasonschmidt123 on Twitter, joins Martin and Sallie to talk about his experience as a Twitter user and about the many classroom and professional development resources it has made him aware of.

(37:57) iPhone OS 3.0

(53:57) BWTG is live!  On this week’s Bonus WELSTech Goodness episode you can learn about Google Calendar, and next Monday we’ll share “how-to” tips for Google Reader.

(1:05:45) Episode 080 – We preview the Web 2.0 tools that will be a part of the new WELS.net

(1:07:07) The music of WELS artist Mike Westendorf (www.mikewestendorf.com) closes this week’s podcast – I Will Sing from his CD titled “Climb The Mountain”

Learn how to create, share and embed a Google calendar on this mini WELSTech podcast.

Google Calendar – Martin and Sallie kick off Bonus WELSTech Goodness (or BWTG for short), a mid-week, mini podcast series and companion wiki pages covering simple steps to put today’s technology to work in the congregation and school setting.  The inaugural BWTG topic is Google Calendar, which is useful for church and school staff collaboration and display on your web site.

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

Declining 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.

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

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

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

(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