Interruption to service: no new posts for a short time

Service interruption

I was unable to do very few blog posts this past month or so. This was partly because of required technical work at the backend of the site that made it difficult for me to post new items, but also because I was due to go into hospital on April 27 for a knee replacement. This was cancelled at the last minute but then re-arranged for tomorrow (May 14). I’ve had to do a great deal of medical preparation (blood tests, X-rays, etc.) as a result. I will not then be posting blogs for at least two weeks from today, possibly longer.

However, I know that the site has still been as active as ever – indeed average daily hits of around 1,500 have never been higher. This is partly because the blog is used as set or required readings on a number of courses about online learning or educational technology, and many others use it as a resource for research, course design or planning in online learning.

Thus the web site will remain ‘live’, with the over 2,500 posts still available to everyone. (If you notice any major technical problems, please contact Anthony Whalen at anthony@marsworks.com. Marsworks – in Ottawa – provides the technical support for the site).

My in-box

I do have some posts waiting on the following topics (I provide links to the original resource in case you are interested and can’t wait!):

• an analysis of Competency-based learning toolkits, including eCampusOntario’s Open Competency Tool Kit, 
• a new tool for online learning for those in correctional institutions
• the special issue of Online Learning on the Covid-19 Emergency Transition to Remote Learning
• the EDUCAUSE 2021 Horizon Report
• the Royal Society of Canada’s report: Investing in a Better Future: Higher Education and Post-Covid Canada
• STEM Education in the Time of Covid
• CanElearn’s Understanding Pandemic Pedagogy
• Friedman et al.’s U.S. Children Learning “Online” without the Internet or Computer
• an analysis of (U.S) Online College Students Data and Preferences, published by Wiley Education

I hope to tackle these when I return to work, probably early in June, depending on my recovery. However, there will almost certainly be other stuff while I’m away that may get higher priority.

Thank your blessings

Although I have been waiting nearly a year, I feel very fortunate that the health service here in British Columbia is still able to do elective surgeries such as mine during the pandemic, with still many case counts and hospitalisations. We are indeed in a race here between vaccines and infections, with the vaccines currently just about winning.

However, it will also be a huge relief if I can again walk without pain in a few months time.