AV Technology - June 2008 - (Page 33)

PHOBESTECHNOPHOBE entertainment, education, and communication, to technophobes it’s a whole new source of jitters. But AV’s increasing prevalence means it’s harder than ever for technophobes to hide, especially in settings where it’s becoming part of the backdrop. In environments ranging from the classroom to the business meeting to the courtroom, the technophobe of varying stripes is evolving from a harmless curiosity to a real nuisance and potential roadblock for institutions, co-workers, and technology managers. INSTITUTIONAL TECHNOPHOBES At Notre Dame, Nimtz has had his share of struggles introducing AV technology into classrooms. While he has introduced classroom lecterns with built-in controls for DVD and VCR players and ceiling-mounted projectors and document cameras, more than a few instructors were brought along kicking and screaming. Some, he says, either didn’t see a need for AV technology or balked at investing the time needed to learn it. “It seems like the longer someone has been teaching, the less apt they are to accept it, and part of the reason is the amount of work involved,” Nimtz says. “It does take time to learn it and also develop lesson plans to work with technology.” Others, like an instructor who labored over that it’s going to work,” he says. “With a whiteboard they’re never totally certain.” But avoidance is fast becoming a luxury that those who fear or resist the march of AV technology can no longer indulge. So it’s falling to Nimtz and other institutional technology managers to develop strategies to bring existing technophobes along and ensure that the pace and manner of FOR TECHNOPHOBES, THE FEAR OF BEING SEEN BY STUDENTS AS INCOMPETENT OR OUT-OF-TOUCH MAY TRUMP FEAR OF TECHNOLOGY. a detailed, color-coded diagram of the Civil War on 30 feet of blackboard space as Nimtz taped his class, just prefer doing the things the old-fashioned way. A new source of instructor pushback is coming as Nimtz tries to introduce electronic whiteboard technology. “A lot still like chalk, and the reason is that they know when they walk into a classroom technology implementation is calibrated to ensure new technophobes aren’t created. One pillar of the approach is a clear communication of technology’s benefits. Technophobes have typically defended their stance by arguing that technology is just so much gimmickry. The world worked fine without it, they say, and besides, what’s the difference if they just choose http://www.relampit.com http://www.relampit.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - June 2008

AV Technology - June 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: Global Standardization Government: Strategic Technology Planning Education: It’s All Just a Click Pre-Empting Projector Breakdown Dealing With Technophobes Keeping Ahead of Technology Obsolescence Understanding Video Codecs Rules of Engagement Network, See & Learn Sound From the Heart Sportsbook Makes an Impact Upgrading an AV Image Product Review: Polycom’s RealPresence Experience HD Tech Horizons: A True AV Networking Standard? Product Spotlight: Digital Media Servers; Flat Panel New Products Ad Index AV MO: Calculating Fiber Optic Transmission Distance

AV Technology - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.