I had the opportunity to attend one of the World Origami Day classes at
Origami Heaven (Dennis Walker's) and was impressed with how it went. A
brief quirk with our local audio being muted left the group physically at
OH to rely for a bit on strictly visual cues. This turned out to be a good
thing: it illustrated both Dennis' skill in teaching and the potential of
the platform to work even if the teacher wasn't speaking a language
understood by everyone.
I was especially impressed with Patty Grodner, who was on the front line,
handling not only issues with the feed but also setting it up and
coordinating with the facility. Few people understand just how risky it can
be walking into a new place that may or may not have reliable internet,
setting up a video conference, and seeing that it works the entire time.
It's tempting to assume that errors are an effect of poor preparation, when
in fact issues arise despite preparation. The mark of an effective planner
is the ability to respond to things quickly and ensure that things run
smoothly.
Thanks again to Patty and the rest of the team that made this event a
success.
I must disclose that I'm not an Origami USA member, so my opinion does not
create a conflict of interest.
