New faculty regularly ask me what gear, website company, apps and travel cards I recommend when they begin their careers so I thought I thought I would post a list. I’ll keep adding to it as I think of more useful items. And full disclosure: some of these links are referrals and I may receive a small commission. For example, I’ll receive miles with Alaska Airlines if I refer you via email.
Essentials
- Dreamhost – Websites are a great way to highlight your skills. For domain names, websites and hosting I recommend Dreamhost because they are affordable and the service is incredible. Costs about $113 a year for domain name and website hosting.
- Amazon Prime – Unlimited music, photo storage, document storage, book rentals and free two-day shipping. A must have.
- Crashplan Back-Up – I can’t say this enough: Back-up your data on all of your computers. Costs about $100 a year. Edit: Looks like they are changing their business model. Hopefully the “business plan” will work for us. Otherwise, Carbonite might be an option.
- Chase Sapphire or Alaska Airlines – If you plan on travel might as well earn miles. I don’t think Chase Sapphire charges international exchange fees when abroad and the miles can be redeemed all over the place (or for cash). However, I use the Alaska Airlines card for domestic travel, especially since there are many direct flights from Bellingham/Seattle and because they essentially offer a free round-trip flight on approval. Email me and I’ll send you a referral (we’ll both get extra miles).
Gear
- Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer with Duplex Printing
– I’ve had this printer at home for YEARS. It’s inexpensive, prints double sided, and the cartridges last forever.
- Digital Audio Recorder – A simple digital audio recorder is all you need for interviews.
- Sprint Cell Phone – The unlimited data plan and internet tethering for your computer is pretty good if you expect to travel. I also use this when visiting Canada and believe I get up to 1GB of data… good enough for mapping my trip to Ikea. Costs about $70 a month (be sure to ask for discounts: paperless/employee/teacher.
- Camera – I once had a Cannon, but now I just use my iPhone. It makes a good backup audio recorder, as well.
– I’ve had this printer at home for YEARS. It’s inexpensive, prints double sided, and the cartridges last forever.
Transcription
- Landmark Associates – I’ve been using Landmark since graduate school and they now offer me and my students a special rate. They also provide certifications for IRB applications, which is useful.
- Rev – I have yet to use them but a student said they looked like a good option.
iPhone and Android Apps
- Apps – I’m slowly building a list of apps as I test them out, but for now take a look at this list or this list.
Office Management
- Scheduling Office Hours – Though I keep an open door and walk-in policy for office hours, sometimes students prefer to reserve a time. You Can Book Me takes a bit to set up and sync to Outlook (via Google Calendar), but it really cuts down on the emails. See what it looks like at on my webpage.
Annual Review & Tenure
Okay, these are not gear, but I’ve found some utility in these texts as I prep for tenure review.
