WELSTech broadcasts from Martin Luther College this week as we get the inside scoop on the new teaching with tech curriculum from two professors leading the charge.  You won’t want to miss the abundance of great picks which are shared, and the podcast wraps up with uplifting worship video from MLC’s Evangelism Day.

Teaching with tech – Professors James Carlovsky and Dr. Jim Grunwald join WELSTech and share how students at Martin Luther College are using Google Apps, iPads and many web-based tools to explore ways technology can modify and redefine learning today and preparing to make use of future-tools, yet to be imagined, in their ministries of tomorrow.

Interactive Faith – Who Is Your God?

This week we share the archived Evangelism Day service from Martin Luther College

Episode 429 – Tune in for “anything-goes,” as Martin and Sallie share loads of great community feedback. Release date: Wednesday, January 27

Tune in to WELSTech this week for chapter five of WELSTech’s very own project management book for faith-based organizations, With All Your Heart. The focus is scheduling and the chapter includes an interview with some calendaring gurus from Kettle Moraine Luther High School. The show also includes a look at a new, multi-angle video camera and tips for starting great Bible-reading habits.

Scheduling – Martin and Sallie are back with a {timely} discussion of chapter five of With All Your Heart, the WELSTech DIY book on project management for churches, Christian schools and other faith-based organizations. Taking a cue from Nehemiah, we share ideas to survey a project for all tasks, map dependencies and meet project milestones. The chapter includes an interview with some uber Google Calendar users from Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, WI, Joshua Schoeneck, Erin Laabs and Melanie Schoeneck.

WELSTech Photo Challenge for January 2016

7 Days to Your New Bible Habit

New to the WELSTech Product Demo playlist on YouTube is this overview of the FollowUpThen e-mail reminder service.

Episode 428 – On location at MLC … Martin and Sallie talk with Dr. Jim Grunwald and Prof. James Carlovsky about MLC’s “Teaching with Tech” training. Release date: Thursday, January 21 (A day late, but worth the wait!)

Welcome back to WELSTech 2016 – the 9th year! Today’s show features a discussion of virtual reality, a fun new free photo app, ad blocker options for iOS and a group of social ways to study God’s Word.

VR in ministry – With eight years of podcasting behind them, Martin and Sallie kick off year nine of WELSTech with a discussion of affordable virtual reality using smart phones and Google Cardboard and how it might intersect with ministry.

If you’re in the Milwaukee area on Saturday, January 9, stop in for a tech-in-ministry Intersections breakfast with fellow WELSTech-ers, including Martin, at Divine Peace at 3203 South 7th St. Fellowship begins at 8:30 am with discuss from 9 to 10:30 am. Learn more and RSVP via the Intersections Facebook group.

Start 2016 with one of the great social opportunities to study God’s Word online:

Check out Google’s big jump into virtual reality from The Verge on WELSTech’s Product Demo YouTube Playlist.

Episode 427 – Next week Martin and Sallie share tips to keep your project on time as they discuss chapter 5 of their project management book, With All Your Heart. Release date: Wednesday, January 13

Image courtesy of Maurizio Pesce

WELSTech ushers out 2015 with a look back at the best of the best from all throughout the year. From contests to ministry resources to interviews, from episodes to picks to recording the 400th episode in front of a live audience at WELSTech Conference, there’s abundant WELSTech goodness to relive!

Looking back – Martin and Sallie share favorite memories of WELSTech from 2015.

Favorite events

Best of ministry resources

This week we’ve add a new video to the WELSTech Music playlist on YouTube. We hope you enjoy A Son, Emmanuel by Koine featuring stop motion sand art by Jason Jaspersen.

Episode 426 – Martin and Sallie kick off 2016 with a celebration of the 8th anniversary of WELSTech and a discussion of virtual reality with Google Cardboard. Release date: Wednesday, January 6, 2016.

Celebrate Christmas week with WELSTech’s special interview of Pastor Paul Prange, WELS Administrator for Ministerial Education. Martin and Sallie share their final picks of the week for 2015 plus special videos from President Schroeder and the College Choir from Martin Luther College.

Get on their channel – Martin sits down with WELS Administrator for Ministerial Education, Paul Prange, to talk about using online media channels to let your light shine. He shares his unique insight on helping teens use tech to the glory of God and the advantages of tuning into the best communication channels (from telephone to e-mail to Facebook) to reach out to others. Pastor Prange also has some great advice about being salt and light in what you do online.

Christmas message from WELS President Schroeder

My Son , My Savior

New to the WELSTech “Like’s” list on Vimeo is this recording of the Martin Luther College’s College Choir singing Star in the East.

Episode 425 – Martin and Sallie close out the year of podcasting with a look back at the best of 2015. Release date: Wednesday, December 30.

WELSTech wraps up 2015’s community feedback with a lengthy list of notable sites, mobile apps and videos covering all types of ministry applications. There are special tech deals, news of a new STEM classroom, and church history resources shared as well. Let’s make some happy little clouds in our world!

Spotlight the community – As we often say on WELSTech, we learn and grow our use of technology in ministry when listeners share their first-hand experience “with the class.” This episode is dedicated to just that as we share recent community feedback we’ve received from across our many WELSTech channels. And there’s a happy little waterfall happening over here!

Take the December WELSTech Photo Challenge! We’re looking for photos of Advent, Christmas and John 1:9. Submit your entries at welstech.wels.net/photochallenge, and don’t forget to browse our public domain image album at bit.ly/wtchallengealbum. In life you need colors!

Enjoy the Advent music of WELS artist Mike Westendorf as he sings In the Waiting – Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel from the WELSTech Music YouTube Playlist.

Episode 424 – Tune in for our special Christmas week interview with Pastor Paul Prange, Administrator of WELS Ministerial Education. Trees get lonely too, so we’ll give him a little friend! Release date: Wednesday, December 23

On WELSTech this week we explore methods for effective meetings in chapter 4 of With All Your Heart, the WELSTech book on project management. Pastor Rob Guenther, a.k.a. the Faster Pastor, is on hand to explain how to have more productive meetings in less time (and leave time for fellowship afterwards). Plus Martin has another book recommendation for all types of leaders.

Meetings – Martin and Sallie return to this season’s book discussion, chapter 4 of With All Your Heart, the WELSTech DIY book on project management for churches, Christian schools and other faith-based organizations. Listen for ways to engage meeting participants in healthy conflict as well as practical tips and tools for offering encouragement and creating agendas.

The Faster Pastor – Pastor Rob Guenther from Grace in Kenai, AK talks with Martin and Sallie about his new web site focusing on productivity for pastors, www.thefasterpastor.com. He shares methods he’s used in his congregation to increase efficiency in congregation committee meetings while allowing more time to discuss the things that matter.

10 Reasons Video Should Be On Your Radar in 2016

New to the WELSTech “Like’s” list on Vimeo is this recording of the MLC Combined Choirs singing O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is.

Episode 423 – Martin and Sallie share the last community feedback of 2015! Release date: Wednesday, December 16.

This week’s WELSTech discussion topic is the Windows 10 operating system, and Martin and Sallie demo some of the new features of the software. There’s lots happening in WELS, a link to free Christmas worship media and a Facebook page focusing on the life of Katie Luther (and Martin too).

Should I upgrade to Windows 10? – Take a tour of the newest version of Microsoft Windows with Martin and Sallie and learn about some nifty new features included in this version of the software.

Notify by Facebook for iOS – There’s a lot to like

Katie Luther – Public Figure Facebook Page

Enjoy a recording by Koiné – O Little Town of Bethlehem from the  WELSTech Music YouTube Playlist.

Episode 422 – Martin and Sallie will be back with chapter 4 of With All Your Heart, WELSTech’s own project management book, focusing on tips and methods for efficient meetings, and Pastor Rob Guenther, a.k.a. the Faster Pastor, stops by for a visit! Release date: Wednesday, December 9

Thanksgiving week on WELSTech brings lots of video blessings (enjoy some popcorn while you watch) plus a great conversation with Gail Potratz on the life of a school/church tech director. We introduce a new book which helps us focus on our many reasons to be thankful, and we enjoy a taste of heaven with a special version of Jerusalem The Golden.

We celebrate the life and legacy of Pastor David Witte, the voice of WELS Through My Bible series, who recently passed away.

A Day in the Life of a Tech Director – Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI joins Sallie to discuss the wide variety of responsibilities which a school and church technology director covers including planning, purchasing, maintaining, documenting and providing professional development for staff on the wide variety of tech software, hardware and infrastructure (while pursuing personal professional development to learn about all of these responsibilities).

Meet The New Google+

364 Days of Thanksgiving by Pastor Andrew Schroer

A Man Named Martin – Part 1: The Man video series  – Study Resources and Martin Luther Booklet

This week we’ve added another video from the WELS Hymnal Committee to the WELSTech “Like’s” list on Vimeo. Enjoy a special setting of Jerusalem the Golden, recorded at the 2014 WELS National Worship Conference, one of the 50 favorite hymns identified in their recent survey. Learn more.

Episode 421 – Martin and Sallie take a walk through the new Windows 10 operating system. Release date: Wednesday, December 2

This week’s WELSTech episode features a community discussion on video conferencing in church and school settings plus feedback on everything from sketchnoting to closed captioning. Learn about spiritual support for military members and families, live streaming from your mobile device, ProjectFi, Advent by Candlelight resources and more!

Video conferencing & more – Martin and Sallie open up the community feedback mailbag and share a variety of topics at the intersection of ministry and technology.

iPad Pro – Reviews & more reviews

Advent by Candlelight resources from WELS Women’s Ministry

Learn a Google Slides hack to change your slides into a free-form desktop publishing alternative. Find this video and lost more on the WELSTech Presentation/Teaching YouTube Playlist.

Episode 420 – Learn about “A Day in the Life of a Tech Director” from WELSTech’s own semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, Gail Potratz. Release date: Wednesday, November 24