Let's keep in mind that technology is anything that makes work easier.  It's popular (but not fully accurate) to think of technology as electronic gadgets, like computers, PDAs, cell phones, and the like.  So it's helpful to say "new technologies" or "digital technologies" compared to old analogue technologies.

-Video and Audio digital recording, editing, and playback.  Students cover news events and capture those events on video and audio and prepare reports like you see on TV newscasts or podcasts.

-EZ-News Software is used to prepare show rundowns.

-Live studio cameras, mics, teleprompters, lighting panels, switchers, graphic generators - all the bells and whistles that go into putting a newscast "on the air" - though we store the newscasts and critique them.

-Fiber networks that link us to feeds from CNN Newsource for national and international video content.

-Use of search engines, etc., to find information, prepare assignments.

-Use of cell phones ensure reporters and videographers can keep in touch in the field.

-DAT recorders and audio editing and playback facilities in Lanigan's Radio Lab complex.

-Use of Internet links in the Newslab (Rm 20) to critically analyze news sites worldwide.

-Use of aggregated links through Penfield Library, like Lexis-Nexis and other research databases.

-Use of on-line news sources for current events quizzes.

-Specialized writing software for preparing scripts.

-Use of the Angel network to interact with students, and to create and evaluate response chains.

These are a few of the important ones.

How do you integrate technology into your courses?

I think you can see from the above-mentioned items, technology is an integral part of nearly everything students do.

How do you see technology improving learning?

Technology allows myriad information sources to be at student fingertips, and does it quickly and in formats that can make it immediately usable.  It also permits creativity in the way the information is displayed, and can provide instant feedback, which is the most powerful instructional tool there is.

How have your students responded to your use of technology?

Students today are often ahead of the professor (at least this one) in understanding and using new or emerging devices and programs.  As an instructional designer, I know that having students teach me how to do something can, and does result in effective learning for students.  As Faculty Advisor to WTOP-TV and WNYO-FM, I know students very much want to be equipped with the latest and best tools in the belief that the best tools result in the best product, which is only partly true.  However, the two student-operated stations now, starting this year, have some of the most advanced equipment you will find at any SUNY campus.

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

There are many answers here, but speed is the most obvious.  If I want to know something, I can almost always find it out quickly - either through traditional research sources now digitized, or by fast and direct contact with original sources, or direct observers.  Some of the Computer Aided Reporting (CAR) programs also help journalists better understand government information that has not always been available in the past.  For example, students can quickly find and compare conviction rates in various cities and match those figures to budgets that give taxpayers a better idea of who's doing the best job in law enforcement.

What new goals do you have for using technology in teaching?

Our department has just initiated a course called "Introduction to New Media."  This course will become a foundation for students who want to explore trends and cutting edge uses (and problems) for emerging technologies.  We expect to expand the offering into intermediate and advanced courses in new media.  It is a field that is growing so rapidly it was difficult to see all the possibilities.

What is your biggest challenge in using technology in the classroom?

The biggest challenge I see is how to keep student attention focused as multi-tasking takes them away from the classroom; the instant the lecture becomes the least bit boring, the cell phone comes out of the pocket and the instant messaging begins.  And, of course, just staying abreast of new developments is a huge challenge.

How could the University better facilitate the use of technology in the classroom?

It depends.  For example, I read recently that the biggest problem in getting students to understand and retain lecture material is the fact that classrooms are not well designed for audio.  Students can't hear well enough what is being presented.  Better audio systems in every classroom would be just one small example.

Are you using technology in any interesting or unique ways?

Well, providing the technology to put together and perform a complete half-hour newscast with the same or better technologies available in most television stations is pretty unique.

Is there anything in particular that you love (or hate) about technology?

Yes.  And you put your finger on the love/hate relationship...it changes all the time.  Just when you think you have it down...that you've learned it...it evolves...and you have to go back to school....even if you're a professor considered to be an expert.  But as others have pointed out - technology in journalism is nothing more than a fancy pen.  You still have to tell a story, whether you're writing it on a slip of paper, or sending it by satellite to remote mobile smart phones.

How are you using technology in your daily life?

I'm not much different from the general population.  Perhaps the exception is that I access libraries more often, and use the research materials they make available. 

If you had to pick one technology item that you couldn't live without, what would it be?

Can I cheat and pick two: my big screen HD television and my MacBook.