WELS

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Channel • 6 Shows

Christianity

Christianity

Updated weekly
Christianity

Christianity

Every two weeks
Christianity

Christianity

Updated twice weekly
Christianity

Christianity

Updated daily
Christianity

Christianity

Updated daily
Christianity

Christianity

Updated weekly

24/07/2025

755 – Social Media Graphics That Matter

Tune in to WELSTech 755 for a discussion on church social media graphics, including examples and templates to follow. Martin shares his latest gadget pick, plus we talk about a Facebook guide on branding your digital community. The discussion Why Social Media Graphics Matter – Martin and Sallie discuss the ins and outs of social media graphics, including keeping it simple, being consistent, using branding, and templating the designs. Designing Church Social Media Graphics 101 from Concordia Technology Solutions Example Instagram account from Illume Church (WELS), Seattle, WA How to create your own set of social media templates from Grace Ungemach’s lutheran.marketing weekly newsletter Example Canva template Picks of the week Canva Templates for Churches Anker USB C Adapters Community feedback & events WELS Intersections on Facebook Branding Your Community from Facebook Next time See you in August for more tips & tricks! 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

24/07/2025

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29 min
08/08/2025

Military Devotion – My Hero – August 8, 2025

The Bible has a hall of heroes.

08/08/2025

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10 min
10/07/2025

754 – Photos That Matter

Tune in to WELSTech 754 for tips and tricks related to church photography. There’s also discussion regarding finding an icon for any need and the effect of AI on mission outreach. Plus the WELSTech Google Group is in the spotlight with lots of great input on the topic of cyber security training. The discussion Click, click, click – Martin and Sallie discuss a recent blog post from Concordia Technology Solutions titled 10 Tips for Capturing Impactful Photos of Church Activities. From Microsoft Copilot AI – Sample Church Photo Release Form (PDF) Picks of the week The Noun Project The Impact of AI on Missions Community feedback & events Recent conversations in the WELSTech Google Group Cyber Security training recommendations KnowBe4 National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) InfoSec CyberNut Tech policy around a Called Working exit Next time More tips & tricks to come! 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

10/07/2025

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30 min
17/05/2025

750 – A Season of SAMR

The WELSTech co-hosts for all things edtech are driving this episode as we wrap up our SAMR focus with how it assists education leaders. We also introduce the AI Assessment Scale, a tool for clearly stating acceptable levels of AI use. Rachel has new headphones for “weird” ears that don’t like earbuds, and Jason shares a tool that uses AI to create individual student feedback. Bonus: It’s also a time-saver for teachers. The discussion SAMR and Leadership – We close out our season-long look at the SAMR framework for education technology integration with our favorite edtech gurus, Dr. Rachel Renno, Director of Academic Computing for Martin Luther College, and Jason Schmidt, Director of Technology for Oshkosh (WI) Area School District. School leaders may find policy creation and maintenance challenging, but policies are definitely worth the effort as they provide needed structure to make decision making easier. And while a dedicated AI policy may not be needed, incorporating AI guidelines into standard policies – Acceptable Use, Academic Integrity, Data Privacy, etc. – is wise. Advancing AI Education for American Youth Executive Orders – April 23, 2025 Jason’s Google Deep research results on AI in WELS Schools AI Assessment Scale – Build transparency around the use of AI Ministry resource Free AI Assessment Scale eBook by Leon Fruze – Over 50 assessment ideas Picks of the week Shokz – Bone conduction open-ear headphones Snorkl – AI student feedback Next time Pastor Nate Seiltz from WELS Multi-Language Productions shares stories of AI music creation. 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

17/05/2025

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37 min
04/12/2024

739 – Building Better Forms

WELSTech this week features a discussion of the online form creation process. There’s also mention of WELS Youth Night resources, a free online edtech conference, and a nifty set of bits that could make the perfect Christmas gift. Plus, the listener mailbag is full of interesting items. Time to tune in! The discussion It all starts with a plan – Martin and Sallie discuss best practices when designing forms for online data collection, including understanding the goals before you start designing, keeping questions consistent, and security and privacy of the data collected. Ministry resources WELS Youth Night Picks of the week Sign up for the (FREE) Ditch Summit – December 16 to January 10 Join AI for Admins 64 precision bits from iFixIt.com Community feedback & events How do you streamline church attendance data entry? Share your experience! Beware of “porch pirates” from Kim Komando EANS funded device management, a WELSTech Google Group discussion Next time Joshua Peterman from WELS Benefit Plans joins the Christmas conversation. 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

04/12/2024

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42 min
06/06/2024

726 – Summer Tech Talks – Rob Davidson

Welcome to the good ole summertime on WELSTech! Our “Summer Tech Talks” interview series will feature technology from around the synod and across the world. This week we start in St. Louis, MO, home of Concordia Technology Solutions. The back half of the show includes Sallie sharing teacher professional development resources and Martin divulging his new favorite AI chatbot. The discussion & interview Concordia Technology Solutions – Joining Martin and Sallie is Manager of Sales and Marketing for Concordia Technology Solutions (CTS), Rob Davidson. Rob shares the latest news about CTS products including Church 360°, Christian Worship Service Builder, and Shepherd’s Staff. Request a Free Church Office Technology Assessment Recent update to Christian Worship Service Builder provides multiple Bible translations – Learn how to change translations Picks of the week Summer Professional Development MLC Open Learning – June 18 & 19 Summer PD Bingo Choice Board from Ditch That Textbook Wakelet Community Week Perplexity.ai Perplexity AI: How does it stack up against ChatGPT? from Android Authority 5 reasons why I prefer Perplexity over every other AI chatbot from ZDNET Community feedback & events 6 AI Tools Recommended By Teachers That Aren’t ChatGPT from Forbes Brisk Teaching SchoolAI Diffit Curipod Skybox by Blockade Labs in ThingLink Ideogram Generative AI in a Nutshell – how to survive and thrive in the age of AI Next time Summer Tech Talks continue with a (virtual) trip to Thailand to learn more about technology at Asia Lutheran Seminary. 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

06/06/2024

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44 min
15/08/2024

731 – Summer Tech Talks – Joel Zank

On this episode of WELSTech … we conclude our Summer Tech Talks series with an interesting interview of District President Joel Zank about the technology in use by WELS Conference of Presidents. We also share image editing, student reflection, browser, robotics, and transcription tools to make your days easier and more efficient. Join us today at the intersection of ministry and technology! The discussion & interview The finale – Wrapping up the WELSTech Summer Tech Talks series is Northern Wisconsin District President Pastor Joel Zank from Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Appleton, WI. He and Martin discuss the technology that assists the work of WELS Conference of Presidents as they oversee the call process for pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. Picks of the week BINGO – Sallie’s summer of professional development is complete Canva Pro Mirror Microsoft Edge Community feedback & events First Robotics – New robotics curriculum for grades 7-12 Vibe! – AI for transcription Overview video Check out the results of Vibe! transcribing and AI summarizing this episode of WELSTech Next time We start a new season with volunteer management ideas. 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

15/08/2024

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50 min
26/09/2024

734 – Frameworks, Leaves & Llamas

WELSTech meets edtech meets ministry this week as we talk tech integration steps for learning and building the infrastructure to support it. We also include details on upcoming classes and webinars of interest, AI image generation, and a surprise new DIY podcast method that gives AI a voice! The discussion Framing it with SAMR – We welcome back to WELSTech 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 our episodes with Jason and Rachel will include references to the technology integration framework SAMR, which stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. After a bit of a SAMR crash course, we learn more about how the basics of tech infrastructure in a school affect the implementation of SAMR. Ministry resource Coming Soon from MLC Enhancing Ministry with Technology taught by Martin Spriggs – Spring 2025 Open Learning webinar presented by Dr. James Carlovsky – AI Power Hour: Boost Your Productivity with Creative Tools – November 4 at 7 pm Central There’s still time to nominate for the WELSTech AI Summit Picks of the week The Teachers Guide to Tech 2024 Padlet MidJourney Miro Community feedback & events MyLens AI creates teaching visuals NotebookLM from Google can generate a podcast Upcoming Women’s Ministry Webinar: Little Lives with Jesus – October 10 at 7 pm Central FCC Cyber Security Pilot Program Next time WELSTech will be back in a few weeks, and we’ll all be surprised by the discussion topic! 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

26/09/2024

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52 min
21/11/2024

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

21/11/2024

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50 min
25/10/2024

736 – Desk Talk

On WELSTech this week we talk about the tech at our fingertips as we reveal our office setups. Additionally, we share gift ideas for welcoming church visitors and new members, an overview of the latest version of Logos which introduces AI into the Bible software, and where to find that wonderful smell of leather. The discussion Desk setup – Martin and Sallie share their workspaces and highlight their favorite tools for getting work done. Martin’s work desk Standing desk SSD backup Apple Magic Trackpad Logitech G915 keyboard Dell monitor Magnetic cord holder Lamp Sallie’s work-from-hone desk Logitech K380 keyboard Logitech M340 silent mouse Laptop stand Purple Royal seat cushion Martin’s work-from-home desk Monitor Webcam Moniter arm Desk lamp Drawers Desktop Computer stand Chair & chair wheels Cable management Microphone & microphone arm Keyboard Ministry resources 16 Unique and Thoughtful Church Welcome Gifts Guest gift table at St Paul’s, North Mankato, MN Picks of the week Windows/Start + V for Copy history on PCs Pandora background music for your workday Nomad Magnetic Leather Back for iPhone Community feedback & events WELS National Teen Bible Study The latest iteration of Logos Bible Software Next time Dr. James Carlovsky from Martin Luther College joins the AI conversation. 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

25/10/2024

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42 min

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

Website

WELS

Top Shows

755 – Social Media Graphics That Matter

Military Devotion – My Hero – August 8, 2025

754 – Photos That Matter

750 – A Season of SAMR

739 – Building Better Forms

726 – Summer Tech Talks – Rob Davidson

731 – Summer Tech Talks – Joel Zank

734 – Frameworks, Leaves & Llamas

738 – Aviation & Overalls

736 – Desk Talk

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