How are you using technology in your job?

I serve as the ‘webmaster’ for the Provost’s domain, http://www.oswego.edu/administration/provost.  I post documents and archive files used by faculty and staff participating in faculty searches, draft and post Provost’s Council minutes, Provost’s memos and reports, post standing committee membership rosters and meeting minutes, and other information related to Academic Affairs.  I also develop budget reports and various internal analyses for the Provost using Excel and ‘SMRT,’ the SUNY online budget monitoring system.

For the past ten years I have taught online courses over the SUNY Learning Network.  In these I incorporate audio clips and complete narrations of lecture material.  Increasingly I am using YouTube and similar sites to retrieve files that support instruction.

In what way has technology transformed your job?

The primary transformation has come in the way day-to-day operations are managed in the Division of Academic Affairs.  Forms and documents that were only available as printed materials as recently as five years ago are now available for download from the Provost’s site, among others in the Oswego.edu domain.  SUNY’s increasingly ‘user friendly’ online applications make budget management much easier and information more timely and accurate.  All public documents are available anytime, saving time and energy for those who, in the past, spent a lot of time tracking down and recopying lost documents and putting them in campus mail.

Recently we installed a search engine for keyword searches within the Provost’s domain. As that domain has grown, this application is very helpful in locating documents quickly.

Another very important innovation of the past five years or so is email.  Most of my day-to-day work happens through email.  I retain all important email going back at least three years and find myself organizing information according to time benchmarks rather than by folder title.  I try to create subject headers that reflect the contents of message as a way to locate them in the future.  I use the Thunderbird email client search feature constantly.

Recently several administrative offices began using listservs to keep department secretaries in the loop on developments in various areas; to prompt for information, provide updates, provide quick access to large numbers of people.  In the Provost’s Office the staff uses live chat to stay in constant touch from our desks during regular business hours.

I also scan to pdf just about everything that crosses my desk. Many documents come to me with signatures and other annotation that can be lost otherwise.  I regularly receive calls from other offices asking for copies of scanned documents that got lost.  At year’s end thousands of documents are archived electronically in this way without the need to stuff yet another file cabinet.

Most astonishing change; Google (and similar) searching of the Internet.  It is impossible to overestimate the impact this innovation is having on everything.  We don’t begin to comprehend how that will change our world in the future.  Refinements of search algorithms are coming down the pike that will make it more and more reliable and effective.

What does technology add that would not be possible without it?

Instant communication regardless of where any party to a conversation is located; convenient access to files, forms, documents, from anywhere, anytime; the potential to sort vast amounts of data and huge numbers of files at the touch of a mouse; extraordinary potential for searching, not just locally, but globally, via the Internet.

How do you see technology improving learning?

There is a shift going on that is not yet fully understood, one that is moving instruction from the traditional ‘narrative’ approach – starting at one point, working toward a conclusion by weaving elements listed on a syllabus in a linear fashion from one week to another.  Learning will be modularized.  It will still be necessary to have preparation in order to effectively move from one module to another, higher level, but the pace will be self-determined.  The notion of a ‘standard’ semester – 15 weeks with a ‘standard’ syllabus – works for some students, not as well for others who, research shows, will succeed if the pace is slowed or the presentation more appropriately designed to their needs.

In what ways do you find technology frustrating?

Auto format options in many programs are often counter-intuitive, unhelpful.  Instant Messaging has led to sloppy spelling and grammar by a whole generation of students who will ultimately regret that they did not use all those years spent ignoring grammatical rules and conventions practicing their writing, developing their skills.  Many website navigation systems are poorly designed.  Deleting spam is a huge time waster, even when filters are pretty good.  And, information overload is burying us all.

How are you using technology in interesting or unique ways?

I enjoy assisting my students with their research by searching Penfield’s online collections for articles I know will help them along. I have found taking the initiative in this way leads to better, more effective interaction.  I have great respect for their potential to take an interest in their learning if encouraged to take responsibility for it, and they typically respond positively when I offer to help with their individual project research.

Another application I enjoy is digital video editing on a laptop PC. Two projects have been aired on WCNY-PBS in Syracuse – “Winter Water Birds of Eastern Lake Ontario,” and “River of Rushes – the Montezuma Wetlands” (first airing will be May 27th 7-8PM). Another project related to the unique sand dune ecosystem along the Ontario eastern shore is expected to be finished in the fall. Having the ability to do broadcast quality video editing on the fly is a remarkable innovation, as the overnight success of the website YouTube confirms.

How are you using technology to develop and deliver staff development?

I encourage staff with whom I have an operational relationship to communicate with me directly by email anytime.  Most staff development is done in mini-steps (some is done in seminars, workshops, etc., of course) in a ‘just in time’ fashion.  Technology is empowering, but working with it is also highly complex given that most of us have different skill levels at any given time.  The trick is to encourage those who have responsibilities that require them to use certain technologies to work on their skills and not dragoon someone else who has the skills (and a full-time job of their own to do) into doing it for them.

How are you applying  technology in your personal life?

My spouse and four grown children have cell phones.  We talk all the time from everywhere.  We share emails, make hotel and airplane reservations on the Web, send digital pictures back and forth.  We are completely connected.  We have learned to keep ‘office hours,’ so that some of us at least can get some sleep once in awhile.

Is there a single technological  item you can't imagine living without?

May I pick two? One is my cell phone.  I rarely use it compared to most people, I guess, but when I do it is a huge value to me personally. Picking up a call on my way home from my grandchildren in Arizona is a priceless experience; and being able to call AAA when the car slips on the ice has been nice once or twice.

And, my laptop.  I have not had a desktop computer for over 8 years, don’t need or want one.  And, I don’t use a mouse. Using a touchpad has allowed me to completely bypass carpal tunnel syndrome over the past 25 years of daily computer use.

Is there a particular technological item that you plan on learning  and/or purchasing in the near future?

A hydrogen powered automobile.