Any technology has the potential for glitches, whether it be a pencil or a computer. The more pieces of equipment and number of people involved, the greater the potential for Murphy's Law to go into effect!
A Literacy Practitioner's Guide to Audiographic Teleconferencing
During the course of the project, employment changes and relocation affected one of the instructors and two of the literacy coordinators Together with equipment relocation and changes in technical and support staff, unexpected challenges were encountered in meeting timelines for the preparation and distribution of materials, training and instruction. Technical glitches often correlated directly with the amount of transition taking place.
To adequately meet the needs of the literacy coordinators and their volunteer tutors, materials needed to be available for distribution well in advance (two to four weeks) of the first sessions of each module. This would have permitted more time for previewing the materials, installing slides and trouble-shooting, as necessary.
The number of sites and participants meant that scheduling and re-scheduling were of great concern. Three audio bridges were involved during the first sessions. A fourth was needed for the last three sessions. Trying to accommodate so many different schedules - instructors, tutors, literacy coordinators, and audio bridges -was time-consuming and a satisfactory compromise was not always reached.
The literacy coordinators were satisfied with the training they received prior to the tutor training. Some, in their role as site facilitator, took the initiative to introduce their tutors to the equipment prior to the first tutor training; others did not. The tutors and all of instructors would have all benefited from at least one on-line session dealing with the technology only
Any technology has the potential for glitches, whether it be a pencil or a computer. The more pieces of equipment and number of people involved, the greater the potential for Murphy's Law to go into effect!