Where have I been?

They say that you’re not supposed to apologize for not blogging. Instead, you’re supposed to just start back up again. But I’m usually much more prolific online and have been absent for so very long that I thought I’d quickly explain where I’ve been…

I went to New Zealand for my faculty fellowship at the University of Canterbury. Soon after I arrived, there was a huge earthquake in Christchurch, the city in which my family and I were living, which disrupted for many weeks both the university and my stable, high-speed Internet access (Internet access at our house, in motels, and outside the big cities was fairly iffy).

On top of all that, the day after the earthquake (and just as I transitioned here to BigThink), I broke my elbow falling off the stage 1 minute before one of my presentations at New Zealand’s national educational technology conference. Of course it was the elbow on my right (dominant) arm. Since then I’ve been in a cast and then a sling. Ugh. More points toward my apparent goal of being named the world’s clumsiest person.

So I haven’t really been able to type for a couple of months. While I could hunt-and-peck with my left hand, it would take me hours to get a few paragraphs written. And then I had to find somewhere with good enough Internet access to upload. Plus I was trying to be a good faculty fellow and take care of my duties there in New Zealand, as well as trying to keep up with my work at Iowa State and get my two edited books to the publishers, and attending to the needs of my family in a foreign country, all while being physically- and Internet-impaired.

My fellowship was awesome. My family’s exploration of New Zealand was doubly so. But my online presence (and much of my other work) has taken a tremendous hit. I can now type again for short bursts before my arm starts aching. A big thanks to BigThink and to all of you for your patience and your willingness to wait for me. Expect much more from me in the weeks and months to come…

[FYI, the photo is of me and Dr. Niki Davis, my faculty ‘sponsor’ in New Zealand]