Ryan Wetzel

Manager
Creative Learning Initiatives

Get In Touch

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Ryan Wetzel, manager of Creative Learning Initiatives which includes the Media Commons, Maker Commons, and Immersive Experiences Lab. These services are 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 husband, a gardener, a pie maker, an amateur astrophotographer and much more. I try to incorporate useful technology in everything I do and have a particular interest in the Internet of Things.

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.

What apps are your favorite?

I live and die by the following apps, which I can access on every device: Gmail, Calendar, and Evernote. If it doesn’t exist in one of these three places, then it doesn’t exist. Evernote is basically my exterior brain at this point, containing everything from vitally important to do lists, recipes, and inspirational images loosely connected to a variety of in-progress projects. I also enjoy using IFTTT to make a variety of apps talk to each other.