WELS

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2025-08-08

Military Devotion – My Hero – August 8, 2025

The Bible has a hall of heroes.

2025-08-08

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10 min
Mar 5

771 – Human Connection in a Digital Age

In this episode of WELSTech Audio, we dive into the critical theme of "Human Connection in a Digital Age." Join me, your host Martin Spriggs, as I explore the profound impact of technology on our ministry and personal lives. I share insights from a deeply personal experience, reflecting on how a significant health challenge reshaped my view of community and support. We also discuss the advancements in artificial intelligence, its implications for ministry, and the resources developed to navigate this evolving landscape. By examining the balance between digital tools and authentic human interaction, we aim to foster deeper connections within our congregations. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation about the role of technology in enhancing our spiritual lives while emphasizing the irreplaceable value of genuine relationships.

Mar 5

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37 min
2024-05-09

724 – Getting Started with AI

On this episode of WELSTech we finish our book discussion of The AI Classroom with a focus on school leadership’s role in shaping AI policy, curriculum, and usage. Along with edtech gurus Rachel and Jason, we share oodles of AI tools, events, and news, plus some non-AI tech topics including cybersecurity, end of school-year activities, and iPads. The discussion Leading School AI – We wrap up this season’s WELSTech book discussion of The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education, looking at Part 4 of the book – The AI Horizon. Rachel Feld and Jason Schmidt join the conversation and agree on way more than normal! Ministry resource AI Guidance For Schools Toolkit from TeachAI.org Should K-12 Leaders Make AI Education Mandatory in Schools? Bringing AI To School: Tips for School Leaders from ISTE Picks of the week SchoolAI.com Assistants CyberSecurityRubric.org Monday, May 13 is DayOfAI.org End of the Year THRIVE-al (Not Survival) Guide – from Ditch That Textbook Apple iPad Press and hold YouTube for 2x speed Community feedback & events Recent AI in Education headlines Is It Fair and Accurate for AI to Grade Standardized Tests? – from EdSurge Newark Public School awards $12M contract for new AI camera system aimed at keeping schools safe – from Chalkbeat Los Angeles School District Launched a Splashy AI Chatbot. What Exactly Does It Do? – from EdSurge Why AI celebrities are teaching kids math and physics – from Freethink Next time We’ll celebrate Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Assignment Day with Senior Seminarian Silas Dose discussing his thesis topic – Here Be Dragons: Fantasy, Escapism, and a Christian Response. Get involved Add comments Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net Join the WELSTech community: WELSTech Google Group WELSTech on Facebook WELSTech on Pinterest WELSTech on Instagram Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation Follow us on Twitter – welstech, mspriggs and salliedraper Share with the Diigo group welstech

2024-05-09

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55 min
2025-04-03

747 – Canva for Ministry

WELSTech is back with a deep dive into Canva waters and the terrific capabilities it has for churches and schools. The toolset is easy and intuitive, even if you’ve never used it before. This episode may be all you need to get started! Martin shares his phone case pick and there’s some AI-generated coding for the classroom happening. See you on the inside! The discussion Behind the scenes with Canva – Sallie takes viewers to the design table using Canva and demos design templates and elements, text tools, color palettes, brand kits, and apps while Martin tries to stump her with questions. With the robust feature set and variety of formats which Canva can produce, it’s well worth the price of admission. The amazing news is churches and schools don’t pay a penny! Pricing & Features Canva for Education Canva for Non-Profits Ministry resources Canva for churches Free church presentation software Canva’s church templates How to make the most out of Canva for Churches Canva for Churches: 5 Ingenious Uses (Video) Picks of the week Canva Bulk Create add on – How To Pitaka Phone Cases Community feedback & events Teacher Michael Vlieger from Risen Savior in Mankato, MN shared programmed resources for the classroom which he created with the help of ChatGPT and Canva. Reach out to Michael if you’d like to learn more or get a copy. Eraser Game (Video) Users enter text, and the application creates an exercise where clicking on a word makes it disappear. For longer passages, this helps with memorization by gradually removing words rather than requiring students to recall an entire section at once. Banned Words Checker (Video) Our writing series includes specific banned word lists for each lesson, but students and I occasionally overlook these during the review process. This tool allows users to input a list of banned words and their text, and provides a count of each banned word’s occurrence within the document which can be printed. Cloze Generator (Video) This enables teachers to create a cloze activity or a fill-in-the-blank memory work worksheet. Simply type the passage name or reference and paste or type the desired text, choose the difficulty level and font size, and click “Generate.” The application then produces a printable worksheet with a set number of words removed based on the selected difficulty. Works great for longer selections From the WELSTech Google group Pre-ACT accommodation challenges Sharing school AI Policies Next time Digital art lessons and social sharing from someone doing both! Get involved Add comments Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net Join the WELSTech community: WELSTech Google Group WELSTech on Facebook WELSTech on Pinterest WELSTech on Instagram Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net Contribute to the #WELSTech X conversation Follow us on X – welstech, mspriggs and salliedraper Share with the Diigo group welstech

2025-04-03

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50 min
2025-12-24

766 – Christmas Conversation with Melanie

Merry Christmas from WELSTech! We’re continuing our holiday tradition of sharing a special Christmas interview with our listeners. This year, we’re excited to welcome Melanie Giddings from the Lutheran Schools Office to talk about the important work underway to develop a new religion curriculum. The interview A new curriculum in development – Melanie Giddings, Curriculum Coordinator from WELS Lutheran Schools, joins Martin and Sallie to share an inside look at the work being shared by many hands on a new Pre-K to 12 religion curriculum being developed to succeed Christ Light. Christmas Coloring Book Collab There’s still time to submit your AI-generated Christmas coloring page for inclusion in a WELSTech crowd-sourced coloring book. Send your entries to welstech@wels.net, and we’ll choose a random contributor to receive some sweet WELS swag! Try this prompt: A black and white coloring page for kids of [YOUR TOPIC], thick lines, white background, no shading, no grey scale, simple vector style. Microsoft Designer Adobe Express Coloring Page Generator ColorBliss.art Crayola Color Camera Next time Join us in January for our look back at WELSTech 2025! Get involved Add comments Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net Join the WELSTech community: WELSTech Google Group WELSTech on Facebook WELSTech on Pinterest WELSTech on Instagram Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation Follow us on Twitter – welstech, mspriggs and salliedraper Share with the Diigo group welstech

2025-12-24

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24 min
2025-01-30

743 – The Anxious Generation

On this episode of WELSTech, the edtech guest hosts are back with more SAMR and how it supports budget and procurement decisions. Should 1:1 computing continue in all classrooms? Plus, there’s lots more covered in the ministry resources, picks, and community feedback sections of the show. The discussion Remember that haircutting game? – WELSTech welcomes back Prof. Rachel Renno, Director of Academic Computing for Martin Luther College, and Jason Schmidt, Director of Technology for Oshkosh (WI) Area School District. This season our edtech discussions are in terms of the SAMR framework for education technology integration, and the important topics of budgeting and procurement have a tie to SAMR as well. Five-years post Covid and the necessity to adopt the 1:1 computing which ensued, decisions today are supported by the progression (or lack of progression) up the SAMR scale. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt Ministry resource Guidance for the Federal E-Rate Program Picks of the week Elevating Educational Design with AI by Catlin Tucker and Katie Novak Google Learn About Christ Begins by Luke Thompson – Christian Worship Hymn 385 Lyric video from Mount Lebanon Lutheran Church Daily Refresh in the Bible App How To Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens Community feedback & events Register for Church360° webinars from Concordia Technology Soulutions, scheduled for February 4 Members Ledger Unite Christ Hunt at BDJ Tech can supply church and school interactive panels Next time Thoughts regarding Artificial Intelligence in ministry from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary senior Jon Pederson Get involved Add comments Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net Join the WELSTech community: WELSTech Google Group WELSTech on Facebook WELSTech on Pinterest WELSTech on Instagram Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation Follow us on Twitter – welstech, mspriggs and salliedraper Share with the Diigo group welstech

2025-01-30

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46 min
2025-11-25

764 – NotebookLM: The Godzilla of AI

This week on WELSTech we take a deep dive into Google’s NotebookLM. Discover how this AI tool uses only your uploaded documents to create everything from video and audio overviews, flashcards, and summary documents, plus learn about other innovative AI tools like Hume Voice AI and the Plaud audio recorder that are changing the way we work and communicate. The discussion I wonder …. – Martin and Sallie are joined by Dr. Rachel Renno, Director of Academic Computing for Martin Luther College, and Jason Schmidt, Director of Technology for Oshkosh (WI) Area School District to discuss Google’s NotebookLM and how it leverages AI only on the documents you upload. Use NotebookLM to generate video and audio overviews of your content as well as summary documents, flashcards, and quizzes. Plus, it integrates easily into Google Classroom! Sample NotebookLM – WELSTech SAMR Season Overview Video overview Audio overview Ministry resource 10 Ways A Pastor Can Use Google NotebookLM for Work, Ministry and Beyond Picks of the week Hume – Voice AI Plaud – AI audio recorder Auctria online auctions – Sample auction by Risen Savior Lutheran School, Mankato, MN Nomadic Travel Pack Community feedback iCloud and Google Drive are NOT Backups from Kim Komando HubSpot Specialist needed in WELS Technology From WELS Intersections on Facebook Thanksgiving Social Media post ideas Church Technology in 2025 and beyond from Tithe.ly Nextdoor – local community communication Reach app – group email and text Apple Business Connect – control your church or school display on Apple Maps and more Get involved Add comments Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net Join the WELSTech community: WELSTech Google Group WELSTech on Facebook WELSTech on Pinterest WELSTech on Instagram Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation Follow us on Twitter – welstech, mspriggs and salliedraper Share with the Diigo group welstech

2025-11-25

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59 min
Mar 20

738 – Aviation & Overalls

We’re back at the intersection of technology and ministry with another episode of WELSTech. The topic of the day is elementary tech integration, and it features a lively conversation with WELSTech semi-regular co-hosts, Jason & Rachel. We also pack in news of an Advent devotional resource, transcription where you least expect it, and the new and improved Call Report. Don’t miss it! The discussion Elementary tech integration – Joining Martin and Sallie for an education-focused discussion are Director of Academic Computing for Martin Luther College Professor Rachel Feld and Director of Technology for Oshkosh (WI) Area School District Jason Schmidt. This season we’re letting the tech integration framework SAMR be our guide as we look at various edtech topics, and that leads to some interesting points when we consider the early elementary students who thrive on routine. Spoiler alert: They do best when the tech is boring! And don’t even bring up their need to learn typing. :-) Ministry resource Martin Luther College (MLC) Advent Devotional Tune in – or better yet, attend – one of these special Christmas concerts …. Martin Luther College December 7 at 7:30 pm December 8 at 4:00 pm Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary December 8 at 3:00 pm & 7:00 pm Picks of the week Apple Notes audio recording and transcribe Google Vids Ditch That Textbook eBooks Dell XPS9425 Community feedback & events Northwestern Publishing House (NPH) Faith Footnotes Podcast featuring Pastor Andy Schroer discussing his book, 364 Days of Thanksgiving Check out the new and improved WELS Call Report Get involved Add comments Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net Join the WELSTech community: WELSTech Google Group WELSTech on Facebook WELSTech on Pinterest WELSTech on Instagram Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation Follow us on Twitter – welstech, mspriggs and salliedraper Share with the Diigo group welstech

Mar 20

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50 min
2024-08-29

732 – Volunteer Onboarding

WELSTech is in the groove! The regular season groove, that is. Join Martin and Sallie as we kick off a new season of the show and bring back a favorite show segment, Ministry Resources, that was missed over the summer. The show focus today is adding new volunteers to your team using tools and ideas aimed at giving them the knowledge and resources to carry out their responsibilities with confidence and joy. The discussion & interview Volunteers for the win – Martin and Sallie take a deep dive into working with volunteers in church or school. There are tech tools to assist with finding the right people and then orienting them to their new responsibilities. Time and talent surveys – example 1 and example 2 WELS Spiritual Growth survey Email ideas for welcoming new volunteers Free volunteer training videos Why You Need a Volunteer Onboarding Process Ministry resources 6 Types of Working Genius: Discover Your Gifts At the Table Podcast Picks of the week Click-N-Ship from the U.S. Post Office Loom Community feedback & events Canva Pro is free for educators and non-profits ChatGPT for Parents online course from Blueprint Schools Martin is accepting nominations for the WELSTech AI Summit, February 21-23, 2025 in Doral, FL Next time We’ve got more to share on working with volunteers, including communication and appreciation. Get involved Add comments Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net Join the WELSTech community: WELSTech Google Group WELSTech on Facebook WELSTech on Pinterest WELSTech on Instagram Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net Contribute to the #WELSTech X conversation Follow us on X – welstech, mspriggs and salliedraper Share with the Diigo group welstech

2024-08-29

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42 min
2025-06-12

752 – Healthy Church Staff Communication

Welcome to WELSTech summer series 2025! Join us as we talk about practical tips and tricks to make public and personal ministry efficient and effective. The series kickoff focus is church office communication. Martin and Sallie share AI picks of the week, and there’s a Chromebook discussion thread in the WELSTech Google group. The discussion Church Staff Communication – Martin and Sallie chat about tools, etiquette, and standards around church staff communication. In-person or digital, response expectations, and collaboration are all pieces of the communication puzzle. Having best practices in place makes for smooth office operations. Maintaining Healthy Church Staff Communication with Technology from Concordia Technology Solutions Picks of the week AI Toolkit for Schools from Common Sense Media Education Week article – Putting AI to work in schools is difficult. A new toolkit outlines how to do it. Notebook LM App Google AI mode Community feedback & events From the WELSTech Google group – Teacher Michael Vlieger from Risen Savior in Mankato, MN asked about Chromebook repurposing after Next time Come back for our next tips & tricks summer installment Get involved Add comments Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net Join the WELSTech community: WELSTech Google Group WELSTech on Facebook WELSTech on Pinterest WELSTech on Instagram Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net Contribute to the #WELSTech X conversation Follow us on X – welstech, mspriggs and salliedraper Share with the Diigo group welstech

2025-06-12

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37 min

All official podcasts sponsored by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

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