Tech glitches abound!

In my life as a teacher, I've lost track of how many class sessions have been derailed by technological glitches - documents, images, and links not opening (even though they worked fine the day or night before!), projectors refusing to recognize laptops or just plain shutting down... I'm sure anyone who makes presentations can relate. So, it has been reassuring to see that these glitches happen even to experts, with high-end equipment and plenty of tech support, and in some quite prestigious settings. For example, last night, the National Academy of Sciences hosted the premiere of "Whiz Kids," a documentary following 3 students who enter the Intel Science Talent Search, and the projector decided to shut down at a key moment well into the film! There was a similarly temperamental projector at an education presentation at the Capitol last week, and, at a Johns Hopkins lecture, I could empathize with the poor visiting professor who just couldn't get the map slides he had prepared to stay on the screen for his presentation on the Congo. Even though everyone is vulnerable to these glitches and most audiences are understanding, I still feel incompetent every time one strikes in front of a room full of students.