CONSTRAINTS
EARLY TRAINING
When I began my training in the theatre, I was taught to wear many hats (to know how to do everything that needed doing) and to be prepared to work in Podunk Heights. That was the code name for a small impoverished community where there was no budget for such frivolities as theatre. We would likely find ourselves working in the school cafeteria or gymnasium - so we'd better develop a lot of determination and creativity.
REGARDING TECHNOLOGY
Now that I find myself working in a computer lab, things really haven't changed all that much. Compared to the leading edge, the computers and software I work with are sadly behind the times. It is not uncommon to have a half dozen technical problems crop up in a single session. What can I do about it - well, I can continue to advocate improvements and upgrades, but the fact remains that with the given pace of change in this realm of computer-assisted learning, things may not ever level off.
TIME AND MONEY
The major constraints faced in the college setting where I teach are lack of money to keep up with the latest greatest equipment and the lack of time for professors to stay abreast of the constantly changing technology.
LEMONS INTO LEMONADE
This year I have been teaching in a tiny airless room crammed with computers. Students are elbow to elbow. Their chairs and tables are in no way ergonomically appropriate. They must give their presentations using a projector that only shows 4/5 of what can be seen as they create their slides (they must allow for this in their layouts). The presentations are projected on a whiteboard using text books to raise the projector. There is no device to allow students to see on the monitor what is being projected on the wall - so they must learn their material well. They must learn to project over the hum of hard drives. And yet, I am happy to use these limitations to demonstrate to them that they must KNOW the equipment and be prepared to deal with what is available in any given setting. So in this way, constraints can be turned to advantage. "Learning is facilitated when it is related to real-life contexts." (Miller 1993)