A respiratory virus had me by the throat—literally. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t something to share with colleagues. I avoided campus for a full week… seven days with no face-to-face time!

I did get in some total downtime, but I still “met” with two faculty members, redesigned three modules for an upcoming online course, and participated in a staff meeting.

I’ll be honest—I’m of mixed mind when it comes to 24/7 accessibility. I don’t have a handheld device, and my cell phone doesn’t even get answered all the time! Yet there are some times when things just need to get done and I’m the one to do them. Even if sick.

So how?

• Dropbox: http://dropbox.com – This free Web tool has saved me multiple times. Some days I am on multiple campuses, and sometimes I need to access a file from home. I was introduced to this tool while collaboratively writing content for the DePaul Teaching Commons—four writers in four completely different campus locations!
• Google Docs: http://docs.google.com – An old standby that many faculty know how to use! So good for those subject-matter-expert/instructional-designer content-building activities.
• Wimba – The synchronous tool integrated within our learning management system—also works as a wonderful “meeting space” when discussing online course content.
• The Telephone – Do not throw out the old technologies! The landline still has better sound than 99 percent of cell phones, so if your ear is clogged, pick up the phone! And still the best way to hear/participate in a staff meeting.

Best, of course, is not to get sick at all.

But that technology has yet to be perfected.