Meet Anthony Valentine,
Coordinator of the Learning Technology Center,
University of Wisconsin-Platteville


This month, TTT's new regular feature, "Meet the Experts," features Tony Valentine, UW-Platteville's representative to the Learning Technology Development Council.

TTT: Please describe your work at the Learning Technology Center.
AV: The LTC provides computer training and support services to Platteville students, faculty, and staff. Our department prides itself on providing quality instruction both regularly and on demand. We train, create and publish documentation, and provide usability support for a variety of productivity applications (e.g., MS Word, Access, Power Point, Excel, as well as HTML, Web and Desktop E-mail clients, Course Management Systems, etc.). Additionally, I act as the campus administrator for WebCT and Blackboard CourseInfo, so I am a system administrator and an advocate for the use of alternative delivery. Whenever possible I try to devise new opportunities for professional development with technology.

TTT: How long have you been in your current position?
AV: I have been at UW-Platteville for almost four years, starting in May 1998. I have been acting as Coordinator of this department since August 1999, initially as an interim, and officially since the Spring 2000. Prior to this assignment I was hired to coordinate the student training program on campus. In the Fall 2000 I was asked to coordinate the department. My primary mandate was to work with the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Information Services to reorganize the department and adapt our services profile to assist faculty directly in the delivery of instruction through the use of technology.

TTT: What do you enjoy most about your job?
AV: My job offers many rewards: working with the students on campus and providing professional development to our campus' faculty and staff. The most enjoyable part of this job for me is working closely with the faculty I support. This campus is earnestly devoted to teaching, and the faculty I work with, without exception, are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to bring learning to their students and to improve their teaching. I have learned a great deal in the close collaboration I have been able to undertake. I feel a tremendous sense of pride when faculty and staff are enthusiastic about trying new methods with my guidance. I value teaching above all endeavors, and I am proud to be part of it at UW-Platteville.

TTT: What's the most interesting thing that has happened to you at this job?
AV:Actually the faculty and staff we support are extremely free with their praise and with their trust in us. I have been very lucky to work for such a generous faculty and staff. I frequently receive kind E-mails, "thank you" cards and evaluations that are very touching. I enjoy the work I do, but it makes all the difference to know that my consultation is prized and sought after. I endeavor always to think through matters and to find a meaningful direction for challenging issues. I have been fortunate that the staff of Information Services, as well as the faculty and staff at this university, have sought, listened to, and incorporated my ideas. In the end, I cannot image a thing more worthy of memory than knowing that I make a difference in a community where each person contributes greatly.

TTT: What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hidden talents you'd care to tell our readers about?
AV: I am something of a enthusiast for heroic literature and someday hope to write a major epic in verse. I have recently completed 50,000 words for a novel, and am currently editing and adding to this work. I hope to seek publication in the not-too-distant future. I enjoy watching movies a good deal as well. At home I have a precocious eight-year-old kitten, Berúthiel, who rules the house. I am lucky to have made many close friends in Wisconsin since I moved here four years ago. I wondered if I would feel at home here, but now I find it hard to imagine living in any other state.

I cannot think of any hidden talents off hand, but I am generally recognized as almost oracular in my recollection of useless trivia. One teacher, whom I work with frequently, said that my hidden talent is making people feel very good about their efforts. I couldn't be happier about that.


Thanks, Tony!

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