nottooinlovewacademe
Department Chair
New member
Posts: 30
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« on: September 02, 2008, 08:28:28 PM » |
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What technologies have you found useful in the role of Department Chair?
What hardware/software? Practices? Ideas? All ideas are welcome? References? Resources?
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rockprof
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« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2008, 09:00:52 PM » |
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Excel. I make spreadsheets for everything. Class scheduling, when faculty need to be evaluated, budget lines, etc. Use it for grading in my classes too - plug in all the assignment and test grades and formulas drop low grades, calculate midterm and final grades, etc. Love it.
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The secret of teaching is to appear to have known all your life what you learned this afternoon.
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anthroid
Annoying bad luck snails
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,002
No happy socks because nobody gets Manitoba.
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« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2008, 08:51:12 PM » |
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A really fabulous Adminstrative Assistant, who manipulates the software with aplomb. That's my technology!
I use Outlook Calendar, and its Notes function, for quite a bit too.
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Do you hail from Planet Hello Kitty? It's like an action movie, but boring.
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mended_drum
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« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2008, 09:03:34 PM » |
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Personally, I feel that department chairs and deans should not be permitted to use the digital call forward messaging function to send chipper messages to all the phones in the department.
It's just evil.
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anthroid
Annoying bad luck snails
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,002
No happy socks because nobody gets Manitoba.
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« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2008, 09:07:26 PM » |
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Personally, I feel that department chairs and deans should not be permitted to use the digital call forward messaging function to send chipper messages to all the phones in the department.
It's just evil.
Well, duh. Who on earth would do such a cheesy thing? While I understand the wish we all have--we evil adminstrators--not to actually interact with our colleagues, we can do that much more effectively--or not, as the case may be--by email. Why should we actually have to commit our voices to some kind of <shiver> vocal message? |
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Do you hail from Planet Hello Kitty? It's like an action movie, but boring.
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elsie
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« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2008, 10:02:50 PM » |
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I think a TARDIS would be a very useful technology for a department chair.
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"People assume that time is a strict progression from cause to effect. But actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff." - the Doctor
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science_expat
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« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2008, 11:44:43 AM » |
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I think a TARDIS would be a very useful technology for a department chair.
Not to mention the rest of us. Robert Heinlein has a story that involves 3 temporal axes which are perpendicular to each other. Since perpendicular axes don't interact, the idea was to sell holidays on one of the other time lines. In other words, you could spend a fortnight (or whatever) catching up while zero time passes at home. Bring it on! |
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It's not procrastination. It's "just in time" delivery.
Nutso is the new normal.
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scotia
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« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2008, 04:33:56 PM » |
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According to my chair a cattle prod is essential. Knowing some of my colleagues I only half hope he is joking.
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engineer_adrift
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« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2008, 12:55:56 AM » |
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Multiple computer monitors! That is a cheap way to increase productivity.
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I really should be working....
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csguy
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« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2008, 04:06:21 PM » |
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Hidden trap door in front of my desk.
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nottooinlovewacademe
Department Chair
New member
Posts: 30
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« Reply #11 on: September 06, 2008, 11:22:24 AM » |
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:-) Thank you for the responses. Love the TARDIS. Great metaphor for the sort of technology we may need. DOes anyone uses Wikis or other web based technologies? I think a TARDIS would be a very useful technology for a department chair.
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csguy
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« Reply #12 on: September 06, 2008, 11:53:00 AM » |
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:-)
Thank you for the responses. Love the TARDIS. Great metaphor for the sort of technology we may need.
DOes anyone uses Wikis or other web based technologies?
I've tried using various web-based collaboration tools with mixed results (hard to get everyone to sign in and participate). |
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 18,285
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #13 on: September 06, 2008, 12:39:10 PM » |
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I am not a department chair but I have used wikis and Google Docs for joint writing projects with great success. It beats the heck out of sending attachments of Word docs back and forth and getting your versions confused.
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pippiek
HBIC-Head Bitch In Charge
New member
Posts: 4
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« Reply #14 on: October 20, 2008, 04:12:47 PM » |
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Some kind of system that allows you to track your To Dos and current projects--get as much of the adminstrative chatter out of your head as possible. Find a trusted system and use it religiously. This has saved my life and sanity.
And on some days, a wet bar that converts into a printer stand
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