Ryan Wetzel
Manager
Maker + Media Commons
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Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Ryan Wetzel, manager of the Media Commons and Maker Commons which are services provided to all Penn State students, staff and faculty by Teaching and Learning with Technology. We help students make videos, podcasts, presentations, 3D prints and electronic prototypes as part of course assignments. I spend much of my time thinking about how complex media technology can be simplified, taught and applied in meaningful ways.
I’m also a dad to two really great little boys, a gardener, a pie maker, and much more. I try to incorporate useful technology in everything I do and have a particular interest in the Internet of Things. When time allows, I am sometimes a filmmaker, with two of my proudest accomplishments being Office Hours, (IMDB) a 9-episode humorous web series which satirizes higher education through the eyes of an adjunct, and JUNK, (IMDB) a documentary about the culture of publicly recycling bulk trash in a small town.
What equipment do you use?
I use a variety of tools for my day-to-day work, but primarily I log time with a MacBook Pro (early 2013) and my iPhone 6. I try to do most things with my iPhone first, except for writing which either happens on the laptop or, for serious note taking, a notebook that accompanies me everywhere. I am particularly fond of Baron Fig notebooks and am currently using a Confidant (dot grid interior) with either a Retro 51 Tornado or Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5 pen.