“Glitch Management for Internet Instruction” Internet Trend Watch for
Libraries, November, 1997
http://www.itwfl.com/glitch.html.
Glitch Management for Internet Instruction
What Is A Glitch? Call it the universal curse of those who teach, sell,
or do
public speaking with technology. A "glitch" can most easily be defined
as a
technical failure. In its most primitive form, a glitch might mean
having your last
piece of chalk crumble into nothingness as you write on a chalkboard
at the
beginning of a class session. For Internet instructors, glitches usually
mean a
failure of their computers, their projection equipment, or even an
external failure
of the Internet itself. More importantly though, a glitch can mean
the difference
between a successful workshop and a nightmare that cannot end soon
enough..
...for the instructor or the audience!
Fortunately, many Internet teaching glitches are foreseeable and , though
not
preventable, they can be quickly recovered from, allowing the instruction
session
to be successful.
"The difference between experts and novices
is not necessarily their skill,
but in their flexibility: experts
expect problems and adapt, while novices crash and burn.....
You want the audience on your side, rooting
for you and not the technology....
Tell them the workshop's subtitle is..'Technical
Difficulties'"
--Lee Jaffe,
University of California, Santa Cruz.
In 1993 and again in 1995, the author posted an inquiry on a half-dozen
Internet
discussion groups for computing, media, and teaching professionals
asking for
their advice in preventing or managing technical glitches. Over one
hundred
answers were received, some containing sage advice, others recounting
glitch
horror stories that, when posted on these discussion groups, brought
echoes
of recognition from other mailing list members.
Examples of some of the comments received, included these:
"If 30 people have invited you into their lives
for an hour to teach them
something, you cannot say 'sorry, the computer
isn't working'."
-- Sandy Campbell,
University of Alberta.
" I have an overhead projection slide which
I keep with me for glitch
occasions. It reads:
MURPHY'S LAWS OF MEDIA
If anything can go wrong it will
Equipment knows when you're nervous
No two plugs are compatible
Slides are always upside down
Computer files are always incompatible
If it worked yesterday, it won't work today
--that's progress."
--Ian Hart,
University of Hong Kong
As the technology of instruction grows more sophisticated, preventing
and
managing glitches requires that Internet instructors keep up. Nonetheless,
some
universal rules still apply.....
1.. Always Have A Plan B
"Start every demo by promising something will
go wrong and teach the
warning signs (slow responses, failure to
connect, etc.) as you spot them.....
people who mess around with electrons deserve
what they get".
-- Julius Ariail,
Georgia Southern University.
One key to successful glitch management is to have a backup plan ready
when technology fails. For Internet connection failures, tools such
as Lotus
Screencam or WebWhacker can allow you to capture a World Wide Web session
in advance and play it back for your audience when the Internet itself
is
uncooperative. For other computer failures, some use overhead projections
or plan collaborative search tutorial exercises in which students work
out search
strategies they might later use when connectivity returns.
2. Know your equipment before it's too late!
"In my almost 20 years of experience 'Operator
Error' is the single largest
cause of classroom and presentation
technology failure...this would be my
advice: 'Know Thy Equipment, and bring extra
cords'.
--Bruce Ritchie,
Plymouth State College (Plymouth, New Hampshire).
Though often reputed to be readers, librarians are notorious for NOT
reading the
operators' manuals for the computers, projectors, and other equipment
they rely
upon every day for teaching. So, be sure to READ THE MANUAL! Most contain
troubleshooters' guides that can be invaluable. Also learn how to change
your
projector bulb and learn to always know where your spare bulb is--in
many cases
they're in the projector already and a simple flick of the switch can
put you back
in business. Learn what those buttons and switches on your equipment
are for..but
do so before you need them and your audience's attention is lost for
that day.
If your technical failure might also strike your audience members later,
make
the failure itself a teaching experience and show your audience how
to calmly and
coolly overcome that obstacle.
3. Know your technicians on a first name basis
If you're fortunate enough to have technical assistance for your computing
or
audiovisual equipment nearby, whether teaching at a "home" library
or on the
road, be sure to know who they are and what they can and cannot help
you with.
Technical professionals can provide problem-solving expertise that
few Internet
teachers themselves have and knowing these people in advance of your
emergency
will help you know who to call upon at your moment of need. In cases
when
doing a presentation "on the road" and no technicians will be available
to you--be
sure to carry your own equipment that you can troubleshoot without
assistance.
4. Prepare your mind
One of the most painful parts of suffering a glitch while teaching can
be its
surprise or shock value, bringing unwanted perspiration and a sense
of desperation
that can cloud your thinking of solutions. To avoid such "surprises",
learn to think
in terms of "when a glitch happens", rather than "if a glitch happens".
For more detailed results from the author's "glitch management"
survey and
highlights of the comments received in that survey, see
http://saturn.vcu.edu/~dream/glitch.html
---------------------------------------------------
Dan Ream is an Associate Professor and Head of
Instruction & Outreach Services
at the Virginia Commonwealth University Library
in Richmond, Virginia.
He has presented a video-enhanced "Glitch Management"
program at the LOEX
Library Instruction conference and several other
conferences. He can be reached
by e-mail at dream@vcu.edu