Steve+Tuckey

= Steve Tuckey (Statistics and Mathematics Faculty) =


 * [[image:Steve_Hawaii.jpg width="196" height="260"]] || ===I've been a teacher, researcher, and teacher educator for many years, and have always found that embracing newer technology (especially web-based tools) has had a positive overall effect on my teaching practice. From using online file storage to making better use of my smart phone, I'm always trying to make my work and my students' learning more connected and enriched. ===

Yet, one of the more difficult aspects of being an educator in the age of "just Google it" is finding ways to organize and prioritize technological tools in meaningful ways. Which programs will // really // help me better teach students? Which devices will //really// improve my ability to connect with more of my students and colleagues? What are some ways that I can make my technological life more //streamlined//, rather than more //complicated// and obstructed? These are the kinds of questions I regularly ask myself and others.

I view all technology -- especially, but not only, computer-based technology -- as tools that allow us to better perform certain tasks or expand what those tasks can entail. For instance, I have come to rely on networked computing in teaching to such a degree that it feels uncomfortable to think about designing a course without it (much like I can't imagine driving without my glasses). However, I freely admit that, while "teaching" does not //require// networked computers, fluent use of a technology like that can allow us some amazing opportunities to teach //better// and it can also change the way we think about what it //means// to teach. Of course, there are pitfalls... but I don't think that a difficult road is ever a good enough reason to stay home. ||

(word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms) || Initially, I used the Google suite for any sort of project that involved collaboration (since it made it easy to share and co-edit), but now use these as a my primary tools for producing any electronic content. This way, I can just create a link to an existing document (or spreadsheet or presentation or form) and insert it, or embed it, into an email or other document. Then, people can have access to anything I want. This is especially useful for my students and colleagues. ||
 * ~ What I use ||~ How I use it ||
 * Google Docs
 * Picasaweb, by Google || I post all my personal and professional photographs here. I've also started using this space as a place to store photos I take with my phone during class (e.g., students' work, alternative approaches to problems, structures or organizational schemes). ||
 * Bamboo tablet (input device) || Rather than use a mouse, I'm training myself to use a tablet as an input device. These work much better for drawing or writing equations freehand, and in a whiteboard chat environment, it makes good sense to be able to do those things. ||
 * Dabbleboard || I'm just starting to use this site, a free, digital whiteboard that can be shared with multiple authors/viewers. Many possibilities for online office hours here... ||
 * YouTube || Not as much as Alana, but I do try to use video technology with students (and colleagues). And, since things are getting so much easier to work with and upload, this free site is a great one to use. Plus, Google owns it, which makes it better sync with my other favorite tools. ||
 * Google Voice || I can have all of my many different phones ring at once, provided the caller is dialing my Google Voice number (a real telephone number that, through the magic of Google, is linked to my mobile, my home phone, my office, and my chat programs). ||
 * Google Calendar || I make a separate calendar for each of my classes, update it with office hours and assignment dates, and share the published end product with my students on our course web page. I can also get emailed and SMS reminders sent to me (and to my students!), which is great. ||
 * Wikispaces wikis || Just like this one, I love collecting things in a semi-organized site that I can reference or use however. I usually use them as repositories (e.g., notes, old quizzes, answer keys, additional homework, resources) for my students, though I have also found good success in having them serve as nucleation sites for student thinking. In fact, I'm using a wiki site to house my professional portfolio right now. ||