BFTP: SUDs, BUAs, ID-10T errors and IDS
Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 06:51AM A Saturday Blue Skunk "feature" will be a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BFTP: Blast from the Past. Original post October 10, 2005.
As a member of the AAAAA (American Association Against Acronym Abuse), I am reluctant to title a blog entry like the one above. But it fits.
Last week seemed to bring out vents, both on the LM_Net listserv as well as around our district about incompetent technology users. One person wrote to LM_Net, “Does anyone get as frustrated as I do of these teachers that can’t hook up a simple VCR????????????” (No question marks added from the original post.)
Ah, we “superior” technology users (those who have learned to do a thing 15 minutes ahead of the rest of the pack), have a number of pet names and terms for those who struggle with the simplest technology trouble-shooting skills. Here are a few:
- BUAs. (Beyond User’s Abilities)
- SUDs (Stupid User Dysfuntion
- ID-10t error (spell it ID10T)
Linda De Vore from Arizona writes:
I have a Geech comic strip that I found in the newspaper years ago and which I shared with my tech department. It goes like this: A television repairman is writing up his bill and the owner asks, “What was wrong with it?” The repairman answers, “A mis-configuration of the power circuit.” Owner replies, “What’s that?” The repairman responds, “It’s what sounds less stupid than saying it was unplugged.” So, now whenever I have to go to a classroom and find that the problem is as simple as something not being plugged in, when I leave I tell them that “it was a mis-configuration of the power circuit.” They go “Huh!” I smile and I leave.
I call this inability of otherwise competent people to use technology “IDS” (Intelligence Deficit Syndrome) It’s a condition often brought about by a poorly designed user interface. My column Intelligence Deficit Syndrome from November 2000 explores this condition in more detail.
Personally, I think we (as librarians or techies) can capitalize on symptoms of IDS, by being both sympathetic and empathetic. As I wrote in the above column, “Good teachers have always known the difference between ignorance (a perfectly respectable, correctable state) and stupidity (a regrettable condition for which a cure is unlikely). An empathetic approach recognizes the difference and allows the learner to learn without feeling diminished. And that is important for both kids and adults.”
So, your terms for IDS, SUD, etc? And more importantly, how do you deal with the condition when it occurs?
By the way, my own symptoms of IDS have only grown over the years, not decreased. I now have a toothbrush that has to be programmed!
Reader Comments (9)
Empathy goes a long way but one does wonder, would we tolerate this lack of knowledge in our dentist, doctor or for that matter the check-out person at the grocery store? Why do teachers think it's still OK to be tech phobic when technology truly has become one of the tools of our trade?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSPPFYxx3o&feature=player_embedded#!
Go watch it--the guy has updated his death by powerpoint comedy routine to include acronyms!!
I am a media specialist at a middle school in Athens, Georgia. My paraprofessional and I have a running joke about the unplugged computer, Smart Board cord, etc. We like to refer to Carl in Sling Blade.... Check out this clip...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-tCIRJH9p0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Although, I do agree that you can use it to your advantage to be nice about helping out in even the most ridiculous situations because your teachers will worship you. :)
I now do a "tough love" approach with my teachers..my building is BIG and if I answered every call for help I would never be in the library doing what what I am supposed to be doing - and doing what I love doing. My district has roving tech people assigned to each campus and teachers are supposed to fill out a "geek ticket" when they have computer problems. So now I say "sounds like a hardware issue, you'd better submit a geek ticket". It's amazing how they now check to see if things are plugged in! In way, our willingness to be helpful has created a culture of "learned helplessness". These days teachers can't claim they are "to old" to learn the new technology - I am 58 and most of the faulty would be considered "digital natives".
As much as I am typically on the "answering end" of the really simple fixes, I've also been on the "receiving end" as the one who forgot to check the cable/plug, etc. I know how they feel, so I just smile, help them out, tell them I've been there too, and move on. Not worth the time or energy to label - it happens to all of us.
Loved the article and the coments! I actually laughed out loud as I can identify with each of you.
I too have had to not only learn how to use this equiptment as a teaching tool but to troubleshoot it to find the problem. Because of the size of our school we have a tech guy and a TIS who intergrates technology so many of the calls I used to get they now get.
My son is also a techie and when I had a problem he always told me the problem was between the chair and the computer.
I refer to these as PIBCAK errors; Problem Is Between Chair And Keyboard (I will tell my tech guy that the issue I'm having is possibly a PIBCAK error, and that I've already tried restarting). And I'm empathetic when my teachers come to me for help, because it happens to all of us; and when I'm panicking as the class arrives and my projector isn't working, it's nice when someone calmer than I can simply point out that it isn't plugged in without treating me like I'm incompetent. We all make mistakes.
I don't think these mistakes and/or cries for help are necessarily due to incompetence or unwillingness to learn; we ALL make mistakes. This is particularly true when we're learning to use something new. We have to have the confidence to make errors and know that we can ask for (and receive) non-judgmental help. The ability to make and learn from mistakes (and help others when they're learning something we know how to do) is a skill we should be modeling for our students.
The teachers we really need to be concerned about are the ones who aren't asking for help, because in my experience those are the ones who are either a) using the same technology that was new when they started teaching. . . 20 years ago or b) just don't use technology at all because it "never works", or they can't be bothered, etc. And if they see us getting exasperated with teachers who are actively incorporating technology but making the occasional honest mistake, what incentive do they have to try?
Not to say I never want to bang my head against the desk when asked for this kind of help . . . I am, after all, only human. :-)
Acronyms provide dark professional comic relief...
Commonly heard answer to the question, "What's the call?" between paramedics in the ambulance bay with bells going off, especially when bleary-eyed: LOLFDGB (little old lady fall down go boom)
And in tech, after dealing with the usual "This %&$'ing technology doesn't work!" call: "Ah, just a PICNIC." (problem in chair, not in computer)
Ahem--speaking as one of the guilty, I do appreciate it when the tech soul comes in a subtle plugs in a piece of equipment while asking about my day. On the other hand, the 100th time I had to go down to fix a printer that had no paper, I wasn't nearly as nice. I try to straddle a line: "remember when you did this" to "write down this step and follow it next time, nijit!" I usually as a series of pointed questions: a)is it plugged in b)is it turned on c)have you rebooted and how many times and d)are there any students that can help you? In any case, as soon as I get the scanner to work, I will add some pictures to my blog, if I could remember what my password is for the blog, and if I can only recall if I had the camera this morning.