So, Friday night, Marilyn Singer pondered whether the road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions, but Saturday morning I determined the the road to hell is paved with bad technology!
I was part of three panels at NCTE, and I was thrilled to be part of each. Alyson Beecher, who put together the Revved for Research panel, did an enormous amount of work ahead of time. She rounded up us panelists, made sure we wouldn’t overlap too much, corresponded so that we all kind of knew each other, put together an image to share on social media, and more. I felt like that panel would probably be the smoothest and most fun, just because of how invested everyone was in it.
And then technology stepped in. But didn’t step up.
Alyson, along with Deb Parryman, brought so much tech stuff it wasn’t even funny. They had multiple versions of things, back-ups, and dongles galore. And we couldn’t get our slides working. From about 10 minutes before our session was scheduled to begin to 10 minutes after, Alyson, Deb, and the Convention Center tech people (yes, more than one had to be called) worked tirelessly.
The attendees were getting a little restless, so I told Alyson I could do my part without slides while they kept working on tech.
I felt so bad, because it was so stressful for Alyson, after all the work she’d put in! She handled it like a pro and was really just worried about the effect it would have for the rest of us speakers. She did a quick intro of everyone, and I started my talk. When I got to a part where I really needed the photo on the slide to illustrate what I was saying, I just gestured grandly toward the screen and said things like, “Imagine, if you will, beautiful golden ash leaves with the Minnesota autumn sun shining brilliantly through them!” The attendees (including my Can Be… editor Carol Hinz!) were very good sports and laughed and played along. Luckily, I only had to do that a couple of times :>)
About halfway through my part, the slides appeared! Yay! I finished up my talk on the research I’d like to do versus the research I’m able to do, and how I often use very non-exotic methods that teachers can use in their classrooms. Then I got to relax and enjoy the other speakers. Everyone did an amazing job. I really enjoyed learning from other writers and from educators on the three panels I was on last week. Whether it was Loree Griffin Burns’ dedication to on-site, hands-on research and how that has shaped her books; Sarah Albee’s tales of roasting crickets and trying to keep kids from eating them until they were on-camera for her book trailer; or Chris Barton’s stories of the meticulous research behind his history-based nonfiction–I left wanting to read (or re-read) every book they mentioned! Everyone was disappointed that Sy Montgomery, who was going to be joining us from Miami via Skype, was the sole casualty of the tech problems we had. She was there and waiting to participate, but nobody could get that fed into the projection :>(
I felt so honored to be speaking at NCTE, and I send out thanks to everyone who invited me, spoke with me, and attended our sessions. It was awesome to be part of this learning community! And thank you, Alyson and Deb, for not letting tech get the best of us!
10 Responses
Sounds like it still went well — enough! Hate, hate when tech doesn’t work when ” you’re on!”
Yeah, you know, the community of the room felt great. Like “we’re all going through this together, so we’ll make the best of it.” It’s always a bit heartstopping when the tech fails, though.
Laura,
You handled that with poise and grace! So glad you participated! I thought of you yesterday when I rode behind a cement mixer. I wanted to photograph it and send it to you for a 15 word poem. Maybe you can do that sometime. My memory clicked on and I began thinking what it reminded me of. Your influence is working! Thank you!
I love this, Linda! A cement mixer–yes! Makes me think of an eggbeater, and I immediately want to write a poem about the recipe for a basketball court on a playground. I’m so glad the 15 WOL poems are giving a creative person like you even another avenue of creativity. Time to start writing and sharing poems;>)
Good morning Laura and many thanks for the guilt you have managed to remove from my shoulders. I grew up hearing the “road to hell” admonishment, and in turn found it coming from my mouth. I’m going to put that term in the recycle bin along with “round tuits.” Recycle as opposed to trash you understand. One never knows. I’M FREE!!!!!
Hooray for getting rid of childhood baggage:D
PS — I forgot to commend you on your willingness step up and allow the session to begin while others worked on technical problems. You are a brave soul.
That’s great, Laura! The show must go on! 🙂
What a pro you are, pointing to the empty screen and getting the audience to imagine the images! Sounds like it was a terrific conference.
Hehe–well, necessity and invention and all that. It WAS a terrific conference:>)