WELSTech Audio 3-19
WELSTech explores the use of technology to further the spread of the gospel. This show is sponsored by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).
All Episodes
757 – Cybersecurity Tips
<a href="https://welstech.wels.net/2025/08/22/757-cybersecurity-tips/" rel="nofollow"></a> <p>How vulnerable is your church or school to hacking? On this episode of WELSTech learn why vigilant training on threat avoidance is important in ministry settings and find links to available (and many times free) resources to assist with those efforts. Sallie shares a family friendly YouTube channel and Martin has some hardware to detect those pesky leaks.</p> <p></p> The discussion <p></p> <blockquote> <p>“The single most hackable piece of any computer system is, unfortunately, the people.” – <a href="https://www.concordiatechnology.org/blog/cybersecurity-basics-for-churches" rel="nofollow">Cybersecurity Basics for Churches</a> from Concordia Technology Solutions</p> </blockquote> <p>The weakest link – Martin and Sallie share ideas regarding church and school digital security and ongoing training.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://groups.google.com/a/groups.wels.net/g/welstech/c/crC6Ho3FB14" rel="nofollow">WELSTech Google Group discussion</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.knowbe4.com/" rel="nofollow">KnowBe4</a></li> <li><a href="https://niccs.cisa.gov/audience/cybersecurity-k-12-teachers" rel="nofollow">Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cdse.edu/" rel="nofollow">Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sans.org/" rel="nofollow">SANS Institute</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.nist.gov/itl/applied-cybersecurity/nice/resources/online-learning-content" rel="nofollow">National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – free content</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.infosecinstitute.com/" rel="nofollow">Infosec</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cybernut.com/" rel="nofollow">CyberNut</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFFPpbCXgos&t=1252s" rel="nofollow">Identity Theft Sermon Introduction</a></li> </ul> Picks of the week <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ryan/videos" rel="nofollow">Ryan Trahan’s 50 States in 50 Days family-friendly YouTube series</a></li> <li><a href="https://3reality.com/product/water-leak-sensor/" rel="nofollow">Third Reality Water Leak Sensor</a></li> </ul> Next time <p>A new season of WELSTech begins</p> Get involved <ul> <li>Add comments</li> <li>Send us an e-mail <a href="mailto:welstech@wels.net" rel="nofollow">welstech@wels.net</a></li> <li>Join the WELSTech community: <ul> <li>WELSTech <a href="https://groups.google.com/a/groups.wels.net/forum/#!forum/welstech" rel="nofollow">Google Group</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WELSTech" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="http://pinterest.com/welstech/" rel="nofollow">Pinterest</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="https://instagram.com/welstechpodcast/" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>Add to the WELSTech wiki <a href="http://welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net/" rel="nofollow">welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net</a></li> <li>Contribute to the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WELSTech&src=typd" rel="nofollow">#WELSTech</a> X conversation</li> <li>Follow us on X – <a href="http://twitter.com/welstech" rel="nofollow">welstech</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/mspriggs" rel="nofollow">mspriggs</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/salliedraper" rel="nofollow">salliedraper</a></li> <li>Share with the Diigo group <a href="http://groups.diigo.com/group/welstech" rel="nofollow">welstech</a></li> </ul>734 – Frameworks, Leaves & Llamas
<a href="https://welstech.wels.net/2024/09/26/734-frameworks-leaves-llamas/" rel="nofollow"></a> <p>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!</p> <p></p> The discussion <p>Framing it with SAMR – We welcome back to WELSTech Director of Academic Computing for <a href="https://mlc-wels.edu" rel="nofollow">Martin Luther College</a> Professor Rachel Feld and Director of Technology for <a href="https://www.oshkosh.k12.wi.us/" rel="nofollow">Oshkosh (WI) Area School District</a> 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.</p> Ministry resource <ul> <li>Coming Soon from MLC <ul> <li>Enhancing Ministry with Technology taught by Martin Spriggs – Spring 2025</li> <li>Open Learning webinar presented by Dr. James Carlovsky – AI Power Hour: Boost Your Productivity with Creative Tools – November 4 at 7 pm Central</li> </ul> </li> <li>There’s still time to nominate for the <a href="https://welstech.wels.net/ai-summit/" rel="nofollow">WELSTech AI Summit</a></li> </ul> Picks of the week <ul> <li><a href="https://cultofpedagogy.teachable.com/p/teachersguidetotech2024" rel="nofollow">The Teachers Guide to Tech 2024</a></li> <li><a href="https://padlet.com/" rel="nofollow">Padlet</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.midjourney.com/" rel="nofollow">MidJourney</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miro.com" rel="nofollow">Miro</a></li> </ul> Community feedback & events <ul> <li><a href="https://mylens.ai/" rel="nofollow">MyLens AI</a> creates teaching visuals</li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><a href="https://notebooklm.google.com/" rel="nofollow">NotebookLM</a> from Google can generate a podcast</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Upcoming Women’s Ministry Webinar: <a href="https://wels.net/serving-you/christian-life/womens-ministry/womens-ministry-webinars/" rel="nofollow">Little Lives with Jesus</a> – October 10 at 7 pm Central</li> <li><a href="https://www.fcc.gov/cybersecurity-pilot-program" rel="nofollow">FCC Cyber Security Pilot Program</a></li> </ul> Next time <p>WELSTech will be back in a few weeks, and we’ll all be surprised by the discussion topic!</p> Get involved <ul> <li>Add comments</li> <li>Send us an e-mail <a href="mailto:welstech@wels.net" rel="nofollow">welstech@wels.net</a></li> <li>Join the WELSTech community: <ul> <li>WELSTech <a href="https://groups.google.com/a/groups.wels.net/forum/#!forum/welstech" rel="nofollow">Google Group</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WELSTech" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="http://pinterest.com/welstech/" rel="nofollow">Pinterest</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="https://instagram.com/welstechpodcast/" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>Add to the WELSTech wiki <a href="http://welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net/" rel="nofollow">welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net</a></li> <li>Contribute to the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WELSTech&src=typd" rel="nofollow">#WELSTech</a> Twitter conversation</li> <li>Follow us on Twitter – <a href="http://twitter.com/welstech" rel="nofollow">welstech</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/mspriggs" rel="nofollow">mspriggs</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/salliedraper" rel="nofollow">salliedraper</a></li> <li>Share with the Diigo group <a href="http://groups.diigo.com/group/welstech" rel="nofollow">welstech</a></li> </ul>743 – The Anxious Generation
<a href="https://welstech.wels.net/2025/01/30/743-the-anxious-generation/" rel="nofollow"></a> <p>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.</p> <p></p> The discussion <p>Remember that haircutting game? – WELSTech welcomes back Prof. Rachel Renno, Director of Academic Computing for <a href="https://mlc-wels.edu" rel="nofollow">Martin Luther College</a>, and Jason Schmidt, Director of Technology for <a href="https://www.oshkosh.k12.wi.us/" rel="nofollow">Oshkosh (WI) Area School District</a>. This season our edtech discussions are in terms of the <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding-good-tech-integration" rel="nofollow">SAMR framework for education technology integration</a>, 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.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/0593655036" rel="nofollow"><em>The Anxious Generation</em></a> by Jonathan Haidt</li> </ul> Ministry resource <ul> <li><a href="https://www.fcc.gov/general/e-rate-schools-libraries-usf-program" rel="nofollow">Guidance for the Federal E-Rate Program</a></li> </ul> Picks of the week <ul> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elevating-Educational-Design-Accessible-Inclusive/dp/1948334771" rel="nofollow"><em>Elevating Educational Design with AI</em></a> by Catlin Tucker and Katie Novak</li> <li><a href="https://learning.google.com/experiments/learn-about/signup" rel="nofollow">Google Learn About</a></li> <li><em>Christ Begins</em> by Luke Thompson – Christian Worship Hymn 385 <ul> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/pHyjeng6FKM" rel="nofollow">Lyric video from Mount Lebanon Lutheran Church</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://blog.youversion.com/2022/12/introducing-daily-refresh/" rel="nofollow">Daily Refresh</a> in the <a href="https://www.bible.com/" rel="nofollow">Bible App</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Take-Smart-Notes-Technique/dp/3982438802" rel="nofollow"><em>How To Take Smart Notes</em></a> by Sonke Ahrens</li> </ul> Community feedback & events <ul> <li>Register for Church360° webinars from Concordia Technology Soulutions, scheduled for February 4 <ul> <li><a href="https://www.concordiatechnology.org/church360/members/overview/webinars/02/2025" rel="nofollow">Members</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.concordiatechnology.org/church360/ledger/overview/webinar/02/2025" rel="nofollow">Ledger</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.concordiatechnology.org/church360/unite/overview/webinars/02/2025" rel="nofollow">Unite</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>Christ Hunt at <a href="https://wels.net/bdjtech-2/" rel="nofollow">BDJ Tech</a> can supply church and school interactive panels</li> </ul> Next time <ul> <li>Thoughts regarding Artificial Intelligence in ministry from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary senior Jon Pederson</li> </ul> Get involved <ul> <li>Add comments</li> <li>Send us an e-mail <a href="mailto:welstech@wels.net" rel="nofollow">welstech@wels.net</a></li> <li>Join the WELSTech community: <ul> <li>WELSTech <a href="https://groups.google.com/a/groups.wels.net/forum/#!forum/welstech" rel="nofollow">Google Group</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WELSTech" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="http://pinterest.com/welstech/" rel="nofollow">Pinterest</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="https://instagram.com/welstechpodcast/" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>Add to the WELSTech wiki <a href="http://welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net/" rel="nofollow">welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net</a></li> <li>Contribute to the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WELSTech&src=typd" rel="nofollow">#WELSTech</a> Twitter conversation</li> <li>Follow us on Twitter – <a href="http://twitter.com/welstech" rel="nofollow">welstech</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/mspriggs" rel="nofollow">mspriggs</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/salliedraper" rel="nofollow">salliedraper</a></li> <li>Share with the Diigo group <a href="http://groups.diigo.com/group/welstech" rel="nofollow">welstech</a></li> </ul>766 – Christmas Conversation with Melanie
<a href="https://welstech.wels.net/2025/12/24/766-christmas-conversation-with-melanie/" rel="nofollow"></a>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. <p></p> The interview <p>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.</p> Christmas Coloring Book Collab <p>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 <a href="mailto:welstech@wels.net" rel="nofollow">welstech@wels.net</a>, and we’ll choose a random contributor to receive some sweet WELS swag!</p> <p>Try this prompt:</p> <blockquote> <p><span><span>A black and white coloring page for kids of <em>[YOUR TOPIC]</em>, thick lines, white background, no shading, no grey scale, simple vector style.</span></span></p> </blockquote> <ul> <li><a href="https://designer.microsoft.com/" rel="nofollow">Microsoft Designer</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/create/ai/worksheet/kid" rel="nofollow">Adobe Express Coloring Page Generator</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://colorbliss.art/" rel="nofollow">ColorBliss.art</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.crayola.com/create/custom-coloring-page" rel="nofollow">Crayola Color Camera</a></li> </ul> Next time <p>Join us in January for our look back at WELSTech 2025!</p> Get involved <ul> <li>Add comments</li> <li>Send us an e-mail <a href="mailto:welstech@wels.net" rel="nofollow">welstech@wels.net</a></li> <li>Join the WELSTech community: <ul> <li>WELSTech <a href="https://groups.google.com/a/groups.wels.net/forum/#!forum/welstech" rel="nofollow">Google Group</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WELSTech" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="http://pinterest.com/welstech/" rel="nofollow">Pinterest</a></li> <li>WELSTech on <a href="https://instagram.com/welstechpodcast/" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>Add to the WELSTech wiki <a href="http://welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net/" rel="nofollow">welstechwiki.gapps.wels.net</a></li> <li>Contribute to the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WELSTech&src=typd" rel="nofollow">#WELSTech</a> Twitter conversation</li> <li>Follow us on Twitter – <a href="http://twitter.com/welstech" rel="nofollow">welstech</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/mspriggs" rel="nofollow">mspriggs</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/salliedraper" rel="nofollow">salliedraper</a></li> <li>Share with the Diigo group <a href="http://groups.diigo.com/group/welstech" rel="nofollow">welstech</a></li> </ul>