WELSTech Video

Thanks for tuning in to WELSTech! This week we have fun graphic design tools to share, both free and fee-based, which do the heavy lifting when it comes to creating social media graphics which look professional. The rest of the show is packed with goodies including Bible study resources, an affordable classroom document camera, Leadership Conference news, and a look ahead at tech of the future. Join the conversation!

Get creative – A picture is … an expected and well received method of communicating on social media. For those who feel graphically challenged to design social media image masterpieces, Martin and Sallie share some of their favorite sites for creating professional images to share on social media. Check out the sample image library they created using some of the tools discussed and reference this article on the 10 Best Tips for Social Media Photos for additional inspiration and guidance.

WELS Bible Studies

WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership early bird discount extended

WELSTech is coming to you this week from the offices of WELS Technology West, a.k.a., Sallie’s living room, as Martin and Sallie enjoy the rare circumstance of being in the same place for the recording. Today’s topic is brainstorming, and we have a myriad of tools to assist with the process. There are also multiple events to share, plus Martin has details on gadgets with waterproof lasers!

Capturing great ideas – No matter the setting, church or school, there are constantly new projects, events, and initiatives to kickstart, and a group brainstorming session is a great way to do that. Martin and Sallie share tools and methods to brainstorm with a group, even from a distance, and to capture all the great ideas which are generated.

Common Sense Education Digital Citizenship Week

Get ready for Computer Science Education Week – December 5-11, 2022

Welcome back to WELSTech listeners and to a very special returning co-host, Gail Potratz. Our discussion focus of the day is school technology planning. We have an exciting announcement about (more than one) lectionary in Google Calendar as well as picks to improve your focus and to create tech plans and more, with flair. Plus, Martin is making notes all over the web – even in his digital Bible – and managing them in one place!

Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay

Welcome back – After a long hiatus, Gail Potratz shares hosting duties with Martin and Sallie once again. (You’ll have to tune in to WELSTech Episode 443 from May 2016 for Gail’s last appearance.) Gail’s insights related to Educational Technology have only gotten better with time, and today she shares ideas around the importance of creating and updating formal School Technology Plans.

Check out the WELSTech Wiki for sample Tech Plans and templates to create your own. Add yours to the mix!

Google Calendar Lectionary is back and expanded! Subscribe to the calendars for …

Tap into the WELS Google Schools group on groups.io

It’s a happy day on WELSTech when we welcome back Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt for a new school year season of edtech-focused discussion! We have an incredible theme for the year, and we kick it off with a discussion of instructional design frameworks. Rachel has a site which makes instructional videos easy, Jason is impressed with easy photo cleanup, and WELS Technology wants to hire you!

Source – Used under Creative Commons 3.0

Instructional Design – While Martin is away, Sallie is joined by Prof. Rachel Feld from Martin Luther College and Jason Schmidt, Executive Director of Wisconsin Virtual School, as we kick off a new school year series – The Incredibles of EdTech. This week the discussion focus is on foundational (and “Mr. Incredible-like” strong and durable) frameworks for describing the impact of tech-enhanced teaching, including the PICRAT and Triple-E models.

Bible Lesson Media Resources

From the WELSTech Google Group

Welcome back to the most awesome, cool, hip WELSTech podcast. We’ve packed this episode with lots of goodness, including interactive flat panels in the school and church, an open-source bibliography generator, live streaming guidance, and Google Classroom for Catechism. No doubt, it’s da bomb diggity!

Interactive Flat Panels – Chris Hunt from BDJ Tech chats with Martin and Sallie about the Newline Q interactive flat panel and the recently released Newline Engage Cloud whiteboarding software platform. Reach out to Chris for more details at 414-559-7182 or [email protected].

Check out the Newline Q video series, and subscribe to the Newline YouTube channel.

Just like that, we’re back in the school year, and that means Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt will be back on WELSTech to discuss all things EdTech!

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.