1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,460
All right, everybody, welcome back for another Deep Dive

2
00:00:02,460 --> 00:00:03,420
with me, your host.

3
00:00:03,420 --> 00:00:04,380
And me, the expert.

4
00:00:04,380 --> 00:00:06,380
Yeah, so today we're gonna be talking about

5
00:00:08,300 --> 00:00:09,500
repair protocols.

6
00:00:09,500 --> 00:00:12,620
Yes, exactly, specifically in educational technology.

7
00:00:12,620 --> 00:00:13,460
Right.

8
00:00:13,460 --> 00:00:14,300
So...

9
00:00:14,300 --> 00:00:15,140
Big topic.

10
00:00:15,140 --> 00:00:17,740
It is a big topic, and this is something that like,

11
00:00:17,740 --> 00:00:19,500
you know, most people probably don't think about

12
00:00:19,500 --> 00:00:21,220
unless they've been in the classroom

13
00:00:21,220 --> 00:00:22,940
and actually had to deal with it firsthand.

14
00:00:22,940 --> 00:00:23,780
Right.

15
00:00:23,780 --> 00:00:25,180
Which luckily I have not.

16
00:00:25,180 --> 00:00:27,300
Yeah, well, I think we can all relate to technology

17
00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:28,780
not working when we need it to, right?

18
00:00:28,780 --> 00:00:29,780
Oh, absolutely, yeah.

19
00:00:29,780 --> 00:00:30,620
Like...

20
00:00:30,620 --> 00:00:31,980
That's a universal experience.

21
00:00:31,980 --> 00:00:33,620
Yeah, and I mean, especially when you're trying

22
00:00:33,620 --> 00:00:36,740
to teach a class full of kids or students or whatever,

23
00:00:36,740 --> 00:00:38,540
and something goes wrong with the technology.

24
00:00:38,540 --> 00:00:39,740
Oh my gosh.

25
00:00:39,740 --> 00:00:40,860
It's like the biggest nightmare.

26
00:00:40,860 --> 00:00:42,980
Yeah, it's like the walls are closing in.

27
00:00:42,980 --> 00:00:43,820
Yeah.

28
00:00:43,820 --> 00:00:44,660
So,

29
00:00:45,660 --> 00:00:48,340
so to help us like kind of go through this topic,

30
00:00:48,340 --> 00:00:50,500
we're gonna be looking at an article called,

31
00:00:50,500 --> 00:00:54,500
Cold Closure in hashtag edtechrepairs,

32
00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:56,060
which is a fantastic title.

33
00:00:56,060 --> 00:00:57,180
Yes, very catchy.

34
00:00:57,180 --> 00:01:00,780
And it's from this blog called hackscience.education,

35
00:01:00,780 --> 00:01:01,620
which...

36
00:01:01,620 --> 00:01:02,540
I love that name.

37
00:01:02,540 --> 00:01:03,360
It's a great name.

38
00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:04,380
It sounds very official.

39
00:01:04,380 --> 00:01:05,220
Yeah.

40
00:01:05,220 --> 00:01:09,180
And it was posted March 9th, 2018 by Gary Ackerman.

41
00:01:09,180 --> 00:01:10,020
Okay.

42
00:01:10,020 --> 00:01:10,740
So,

43
00:01:11,740 --> 00:01:13,100
and yeah, like I was saying earlier,

44
00:01:13,100 --> 00:01:15,020
this is something that like everybody can relate to

45
00:01:15,020 --> 00:01:15,860
on some level.

46
00:01:15,860 --> 00:01:16,700
Right.

47
00:01:16,700 --> 00:01:19,220
So hopefully, you know, you'll find this interesting.

48
00:01:19,220 --> 00:01:20,060
Absolutely.

49
00:01:20,060 --> 00:01:22,860
So let's imagine like, you're a teacher, right?

50
00:01:22,860 --> 00:01:24,380
And you're in the middle of class

51
00:01:24,380 --> 00:01:28,500
and you're about to start this really cool interactive lesson

52
00:01:28,500 --> 00:01:29,540
using the smart board.

53
00:01:29,540 --> 00:01:30,740
Okay. Yeah. I've been there.

54
00:01:30,740 --> 00:01:33,380
Right. And suddenly like the smart board just decides to like,

55
00:01:33,380 --> 00:01:34,220
Take a break.

56
00:01:34,220 --> 00:01:35,060
Take a break.

57
00:01:35,060 --> 00:01:36,220
Yeah. Like it's just not working.

58
00:01:36,220 --> 00:01:37,060
Yeah.

59
00:01:37,060 --> 00:01:38,460
So you're like, oh crap, what do I do?

60
00:01:38,460 --> 00:01:41,220
So, you know, you submit a help ticket to the IT department.

61
00:01:41,220 --> 00:01:42,660
Right. Of course. That's the first step.

62
00:01:42,660 --> 00:01:43,600
Yeah. You're like, okay.

63
00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:45,060
Well, hopefully it'll get this fixed soon.

64
00:01:45,060 --> 00:01:45,900
Fingers crossed it.

65
00:01:45,900 --> 00:01:47,180
Right. And so you wait and you wait.

66
00:01:47,180 --> 00:01:49,780
And then finally you get a notification that's like,

67
00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:52,180
your ticket has been closed.

68
00:01:52,180 --> 00:01:53,020
Oh.

69
00:01:53,020 --> 00:01:54,660
Great. It's fixed.

70
00:01:54,660 --> 00:01:57,300
But then you go back to the smart board

71
00:01:57,300 --> 00:01:58,740
and it's still not working.

72
00:01:58,740 --> 00:01:59,580
Oh no.

73
00:01:59,580 --> 00:02:02,220
And it turns out that nobody actually like checked with you

74
00:02:02,220 --> 00:02:03,860
to make sure that it was actually fixed.

75
00:02:03,860 --> 00:02:04,700
They just like,

76
00:02:04,700 --> 00:02:05,540
Close the ticket.

77
00:02:05,540 --> 00:02:06,380
Close the ticket. Yeah.

78
00:02:06,380 --> 00:02:07,980
So that's what's called a cold closure.

79
00:02:07,980 --> 00:02:08,820
Yeah. Exactly.

80
00:02:08,820 --> 00:02:09,660
That's cold closure.

81
00:02:09,660 --> 00:02:12,460
And like this is a huge problem in educational technology.

82
00:02:12,460 --> 00:02:13,540
Oh yeah. Definitely.

83
00:02:13,540 --> 00:02:15,540
Because it can really like erode trust

84
00:02:15,540 --> 00:02:17,500
between the teachers and the IT department.

85
00:02:17,500 --> 00:02:18,340
Absolutely.

86
00:02:18,340 --> 00:02:21,820
Because like, imagine you're that teacher.

87
00:02:21,820 --> 00:02:24,060
You spent all this time prepping

88
00:02:24,060 --> 00:02:26,900
for this really cool interactive lesson.

89
00:02:26,900 --> 00:02:29,000
And then the smart board doesn't work

90
00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,500
and you submit a help ticket

91
00:02:30,500 --> 00:02:32,660
and then you think it's fixed, but it's not.

92
00:02:32,660 --> 00:02:33,500
Right.

93
00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:34,780
Like you're going to be so frustrated.

94
00:02:34,780 --> 00:02:37,060
Of course you're going to start to doubt the system.

95
00:02:37,060 --> 00:02:39,340
Yeah. And not only are you going to doubt the technology

96
00:02:39,340 --> 00:02:41,740
itself, but you're also going to doubt the people

97
00:02:41,740 --> 00:02:43,220
who are supposed to be supporting you.

98
00:02:43,220 --> 00:02:44,260
Exactly.

99
00:02:44,260 --> 00:02:46,940
And so then like the next time you want to try something new

100
00:02:46,940 --> 00:02:50,220
with technology, you're going to be hesitant

101
00:02:50,220 --> 00:02:53,540
because you're like, what if it doesn't work?

102
00:02:53,540 --> 00:02:55,780
And then I had to go through this whole rigmarole again.

103
00:02:55,780 --> 00:02:57,060
Yeah. You're not going to feel comfortable.

104
00:02:57,060 --> 00:02:59,700
Right. And ultimately like who suffers the most from that?

105
00:02:59,700 --> 00:03:00,540
The students.

106
00:03:00,540 --> 00:03:01,500
The students. Exactly.

107
00:03:01,500 --> 00:03:04,460
They're missing out on those cool learning experiences.

108
00:03:04,460 --> 00:03:07,180
Yeah. So like it's not just about a broken smart board.

109
00:03:07,180 --> 00:03:09,500
It's about the impact on teaching and learning.

110
00:03:09,500 --> 00:03:10,340
Absolutely.

111
00:03:10,340 --> 00:03:11,380
Now on the other hand,

112
00:03:11,380 --> 00:03:13,220
you have something called direct closure.

113
00:03:13,220 --> 00:03:14,180
Okay.

114
00:03:14,180 --> 00:03:17,300
Which is where a technician actually like talks to,

115
00:03:17,300 --> 00:03:19,420
to the teacher to confirm that the issue

116
00:03:19,420 --> 00:03:20,420
is actually resolved.

117
00:03:20,420 --> 00:03:23,500
Right. So it's not just closing the ticket in the system.

118
00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:25,540
It's actually confirming with the person

119
00:03:25,540 --> 00:03:27,220
that they can now use the technology.

120
00:03:27,220 --> 00:03:30,780
Exactly. And ideally this would be done in person.

121
00:03:30,780 --> 00:03:32,900
Like the technician would actually come to your classroom

122
00:03:32,900 --> 00:03:34,180
and like see it to themselves.

123
00:03:34,180 --> 00:03:35,020
See it to themselves.

124
00:03:35,020 --> 00:03:36,620
Yeah. And like make sure that everything's working.

125
00:03:36,620 --> 00:03:39,380
But like, obviously that's not always possible.

126
00:03:39,380 --> 00:03:41,220
A phone call or even a voicemail?

127
00:03:41,220 --> 00:03:42,780
Yeah. A phone call or even a voicemail

128
00:03:42,780 --> 00:03:44,260
would be like a good alternative.

129
00:03:44,260 --> 00:03:45,100
Right.

130
00:03:45,100 --> 00:03:48,860
And I think like even just that small act of communication

131
00:03:48,860 --> 00:03:51,900
can go a long way in building trust and confidence.

132
00:03:51,900 --> 00:03:52,740
Oh, absolutely.

133
00:03:52,740 --> 00:03:55,660
Because if you're a teacher and you hear from the technician,

134
00:03:55,660 --> 00:03:56,980
like, hey, I fixed the smart board.

135
00:03:56,980 --> 00:03:58,620
Let me know if it doesn't work.

136
00:03:58,620 --> 00:04:00,900
Like you're going to feel so much more empowered

137
00:04:00,900 --> 00:04:02,380
to actually use the technology.

138
00:04:02,380 --> 00:04:03,220
Exactly.

139
00:04:03,220 --> 00:04:04,140
You're going to feel like someone's got your back.

140
00:04:04,140 --> 00:04:04,980
Right.

141
00:04:04,980 --> 00:04:06,060
And you're not going to be as worried about it

142
00:04:06,060 --> 00:04:07,860
like failing in the middle of a lesson.

143
00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:10,180
Right. Because you know who to contact.

144
00:04:10,180 --> 00:04:11,020
Exactly.

145
00:04:11,020 --> 00:04:12,060
And they've already shown that they care

146
00:04:12,060 --> 00:04:13,300
about fixing the problem.

147
00:04:13,300 --> 00:04:15,980
Yeah. And another benefit of direct closure

148
00:04:15,980 --> 00:04:19,860
is that it can help to prevent those miscommunications

149
00:04:19,860 --> 00:04:21,980
that sometimes happen with help tickets.

150
00:04:21,980 --> 00:04:23,660
Oh, yeah. I can see that.

151
00:04:23,660 --> 00:04:26,020
Because like sometimes a teacher might describe a problem

152
00:04:26,020 --> 00:04:27,100
one way in the help ticket.

153
00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:27,940
Right.

154
00:04:27,940 --> 00:04:30,140
But then the technician might interpret it a different way.

155
00:04:30,140 --> 00:04:30,980
Right.

156
00:04:30,980 --> 00:04:32,380
And so they end up fixing something

157
00:04:32,380 --> 00:04:34,260
that wasn't actually broken or like.

158
00:04:34,260 --> 00:04:35,740
Or they missed the real issue.

159
00:04:35,740 --> 00:04:36,580
Yeah. Exactly.

160
00:04:36,580 --> 00:04:37,540
It's like a game of telephone.

161
00:04:37,540 --> 00:04:38,380
Yeah, exactly.

162
00:04:38,380 --> 00:04:39,220
Yeah.

163
00:04:39,220 --> 00:04:40,060
Things get lost in translation.

164
00:04:40,060 --> 00:04:40,900
Right.

165
00:04:40,900 --> 00:04:43,820
And so with direct closure, you can avoid all of that

166
00:04:43,820 --> 00:04:45,220
because the technician is actually

167
00:04:45,220 --> 00:04:47,860
talking to the teacher and they can clarify

168
00:04:47,860 --> 00:04:49,260
any misunderstandings.

169
00:04:49,260 --> 00:04:51,100
Right. They can make sure they're on the same page.

170
00:04:51,100 --> 00:04:51,940
Exactly.

171
00:04:51,940 --> 00:04:54,940
And so like even though direct closure

172
00:04:54,940 --> 00:04:58,220
might seem less efficient for technicians in the short term.

173
00:04:58,220 --> 00:04:59,900
Because they have to take that extra time.

174
00:04:59,900 --> 00:05:00,740
Right.

175
00:05:00,740 --> 00:05:03,900
But in the long run, it can actually save time and resources.

176
00:05:03,900 --> 00:05:04,740
I see.

177
00:05:04,740 --> 00:05:07,260
Because there will be fewer repeat repairs,

178
00:05:07,260 --> 00:05:09,620
less back and forth communication,

179
00:05:09,620 --> 00:05:12,060
and ultimately more time for teachers

180
00:05:12,060 --> 00:05:14,500
to focus on what matters, which is teaching.

181
00:05:14,500 --> 00:05:15,180
Makes sense.

182
00:05:15,180 --> 00:05:17,420
So yeah, it's like a win-win situation for everybody.

183
00:05:17,420 --> 00:05:18,220
I like it.

184
00:05:18,220 --> 00:05:21,060
Now, the article also talks about some

185
00:05:21,060 --> 00:05:23,180
of the challenges of ticketing systems in general.

186
00:05:23,180 --> 00:05:23,660
Right.

187
00:05:23,660 --> 00:05:26,940
Because like ticketing systems are very common in IT departments.

188
00:05:26,940 --> 00:05:27,500
Oh yeah.

189
00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:28,940
They're pretty much ubiquitous.

190
00:05:28,940 --> 00:05:29,220
Right.

191
00:05:29,220 --> 00:05:32,340
But sometimes they can feel more like a hindrance than a help.

192
00:05:32,340 --> 00:05:33,300
I could see that.

193
00:05:33,300 --> 00:05:36,660
Especially for teachers who rely so heavily on technology.

194
00:05:36,660 --> 00:05:38,140
Which is pretty much all from these days.

195
00:05:38,140 --> 00:05:38,820
Yeah, exactly.

196
00:05:38,820 --> 00:05:42,420
Like imagine you're a teacher and you submit a help ticket

197
00:05:42,420 --> 00:05:44,900
and then you get an automated confirmation email.

198
00:05:44,900 --> 00:05:47,380
And then you get another email when the technician starts

199
00:05:47,380 --> 00:05:48,340
working your ticket.

200
00:05:48,340 --> 00:05:50,140
And then another email when they update the ticket.

201
00:05:50,140 --> 00:05:52,180
And then another email when they close the ticket.

202
00:05:52,180 --> 00:05:54,180
Wow, that's a lot of emails.

203
00:05:54,180 --> 00:05:55,180
It is a lot of emails.

204
00:05:55,180 --> 00:05:58,260
And like if you have multiple devices that need support,

205
00:05:58,260 --> 00:06:02,300
which a lot of teachers do, then your inbox can quickly

206
00:06:02,300 --> 00:06:03,620
become like a nightmare.

207
00:06:03,620 --> 00:06:06,100
Oh yeah, you're constantly getting bombarded with messages.

208
00:06:06,100 --> 00:06:06,580
Exactly.

209
00:06:06,580 --> 00:06:09,860
And so it's no wonder that teachers talk about inbox fatigue.

210
00:06:09,860 --> 00:06:10,380
Right.

211
00:06:10,380 --> 00:06:11,900
You just start to tune out the messages

212
00:06:11,900 --> 00:06:13,500
because there are so many of them.

213
00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:16,660
Yeah, and it becomes really hard to like sift through all

214
00:06:16,660 --> 00:06:18,820
of those messages and find the important ones.

215
00:06:18,820 --> 00:06:19,340
Right.

216
00:06:19,340 --> 00:06:21,660
Like if you're looking for that crucial repair update

217
00:06:21,660 --> 00:06:24,660
and it's buried under a bunch of automated notifications.

218
00:06:24,660 --> 00:06:25,300
Exactly.

219
00:06:25,300 --> 00:06:26,260
That's stressful.

220
00:06:26,260 --> 00:06:26,700
Yeah.

221
00:06:26,700 --> 00:06:27,900
And it's inefficient.

222
00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:28,780
Absolutely.

223
00:06:28,780 --> 00:06:30,820
So it sounds like we need a more balanced approach, right?

224
00:06:30,820 --> 00:06:31,860
I think so.

225
00:06:31,860 --> 00:06:33,780
Like ticketing systems definitely have their place.

226
00:06:33,780 --> 00:06:34,060
Right.

227
00:06:34,060 --> 00:06:36,740
They're useful for tracking requests and making sure

228
00:06:36,740 --> 00:06:38,500
that nothing falls through the cracks.

229
00:06:38,500 --> 00:06:39,020
Right.

230
00:06:39,020 --> 00:06:41,780
But direct communication is also vital,

231
00:06:41,780 --> 00:06:43,220
especially in education.

232
00:06:43,220 --> 00:06:44,700
Where time is so precious.

233
00:06:44,700 --> 00:06:45,460
Absolutely.

234
00:06:45,460 --> 00:06:47,180
And so like maybe the solution is

235
00:06:47,180 --> 00:06:49,580
to like redesign ticketing systems

236
00:06:49,580 --> 00:06:50,980
so that they're more user friendly.

237
00:06:50,980 --> 00:06:51,820
I like that idea.

238
00:06:51,820 --> 00:06:52,060
Yeah.

239
00:06:52,060 --> 00:06:53,980
Like maybe you could have personalized notification

240
00:06:53,980 --> 00:06:57,580
settings or like clear subject lines that signal urgency

241
00:06:57,580 --> 00:07:01,020
or maybe even a system that prioritizes direct closure

242
00:07:01,020 --> 00:07:04,020
for those really critical can't wait issues.

243
00:07:04,020 --> 00:07:04,260
Right.

244
00:07:04,260 --> 00:07:06,500
Like if the projector in the auditorium is broken,

245
00:07:06,500 --> 00:07:07,980
you have a presentation in an hour.

246
00:07:07,980 --> 00:07:08,500
Exactly.

247
00:07:08,500 --> 00:07:09,500
I need to be fixed.

248
00:07:09,500 --> 00:07:10,260
Yes, Sam.

249
00:07:10,260 --> 00:07:10,460
Yeah.

250
00:07:10,460 --> 00:07:13,020
And so like the key is to make technology work for teachers,

251
00:07:13,020 --> 00:07:13,860
not against them.

252
00:07:13,860 --> 00:07:14,500
Absolutely.

253
00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:17,540
Technology should be a tool to support teaching and learning,

254
00:07:17,540 --> 00:07:19,820
not a source of stress and frustration.

255
00:07:19,820 --> 00:07:20,860
Exactly.

256
00:07:20,860 --> 00:07:22,900
So yeah, I think the big takeaway here

257
00:07:22,900 --> 00:07:25,180
is that clear direct communication is key.

258
00:07:25,180 --> 00:07:25,900
I agree.

259
00:07:25,900 --> 00:07:28,300
Especially when it comes to tech support in schools.

260
00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:28,740
Right.

261
00:07:28,740 --> 00:07:32,380
Because it builds trust, ensures that repairs are actually

262
00:07:32,380 --> 00:07:35,540
done right, and ultimately saves everyone time and frustration.

263
00:07:35,540 --> 00:07:35,780
Yeah.

264
00:07:35,780 --> 00:07:38,900
And that in turn allows teachers to focus on what they do best.

265
00:07:38,900 --> 00:07:41,300
Which is creating, engaging, and effective learning

266
00:07:41,300 --> 00:07:43,940
experiences for their students.

267
00:07:43,940 --> 00:07:45,100
Couldn't have said it better myself.

268
00:07:45,100 --> 00:07:45,860
Well, thank you.

269
00:07:45,860 --> 00:07:47,620
So before we wrap up, I just wanted

270
00:07:47,620 --> 00:07:49,860
to leave you with a question to think about.

271
00:07:49,860 --> 00:07:50,700
OK.

272
00:07:50,700 --> 00:07:55,060
How could communication between tech support and users

273
00:07:55,060 --> 00:07:58,820
be improved in your workplace or even just in your daily life?

274
00:07:58,820 --> 00:07:59,780
That's a good question.

275
00:07:59,780 --> 00:08:01,780
Yeah, like what strategies could you

276
00:08:01,780 --> 00:08:04,140
use to make sure that problems are truly solved

277
00:08:04,140 --> 00:08:06,780
and that everyone is on the same page?

278
00:08:06,780 --> 00:08:07,780
Something to ponder.

279
00:08:07,780 --> 00:08:09,700
Yeah, just something to think about.

280
00:08:09,700 --> 00:08:11,500
All right, so that's it for this deep dive.

281
00:08:11,500 --> 00:08:12,340
Thanks for listening.

282
00:08:12,340 --> 00:08:13,140
See you next time.

283
00:08:13,140 --> 00:08:40,300
Bye.