by Michael Plocher
If your school is like most WELS elementary schools, you follow some sort of schedule to replace outdated student textbooks. The curriculum has been studied, and now it’s time to make a decision on a new textbook that more closely aligns with the content your school plans to teach. If everything goes according to plan, roughly every eight years you will have replaced the textbooks for each subject taught in your school. Continue reading
By Dr. Jim Grunwald
Imagine being able to attend a course taught from a Scriptural perspective no matter where you live. With ALHS Online, you can do just that. But what is ALHS Online, how did it develop, and what is its future?
It all began in 2010 when the WELS Association of Lutheran High Schools (ALHS) created a committee to explore the possibility of WELS high schools sharing online courses and instructors. It was felt that this might allow each school to expand their own curricular offerings in a cost-effective manner, and thus strengthen each school’s individual program of instruction. Hence, a two-year pilot program was launched in 2011-12, with three courses offered the first semester and two the second. Tuition costs were kept as low as possible at $150 per student, per course, per semester. Continue reading
Written by Jason Schmidt
Take a stroll through your local grocery store or shopping center, and if your community is anything like mine, you might see several youngsters sitting in the cart or stroller being entertained with an iPad or cell phone. Depending on my mood, I look at this as either a stroke of genius, envy that I didn’t have that for my kids, or rage at this parent’s inconsideration for any kind of quality parenting skills. However, when I see kids using technology in my role at work, I am usually more than thrilled that teachers are incorporating this tool into the learning process at any age. Continue reading
Written by Todd Russ
During the last decade, numerous schools and school districts have made the move to a 1:1 computer device program. Millions of dollars have been poured into these initiatives in hopes that student achievement will be positively impacted. Unfortunately, the data is mixed regarding the impact of 1:1 technology (Sauers & MCleod, 2012). So how do non-public Christian schools – specifically WELS schools – justify the costs without definitive data or government funding? Bring your own device (BYOD) programs minimize the financial impact on the school, and hold the potential to build the foundation for improved student achievement. Continue reading
Posted on October 15, 2013 Edited September 9, 2017
Written by Andrew Willems
The position of this post is not to pit WELS Lutheran elementary schools against one another, but as the title simply states, to ask the question, “Why should schools move to Google Apps?” Traditionally, human nature resists change. No doubt many people will push back and resist the change to Google Apps. It’s different. Today it offers many features but it isn’t the same as Microsoft/Adobe/whoever. While many high school and colleges across America use it and there is a Google Apps for Business, it’s not industry standard in all institutions. It’s free and sometimes you get what you pay for. Continue reading