The title of my presentation for the NW MET Conference is borrowed from an article that appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education on October 6, 2006. The article noted that students in a number of colleges and universities were relying on texting and IM rather than e-mail for communication. The Chronicle in turn referenced a 2005 report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project called "Teens and Technology" that said teenagers preferred the newer technologies of texting and IM but used email when communicating with "old people."
Email is here to stay - for a while at least. Results from a Pew survey taken in December 2007 show that email is still the most frequently reported activity on the Internet. But, as an online instructor, I feel a responsibility to communicate with my students in a variety of ways.
I also feel an obligation to present my instructional materials in more than text on a screen. For these reasons I've embraced both Web 2.0 and rich media as well as other Internet technologies (e.g., VoIP) that don't fit either classification.
So, welcome to my session and I hope you'll have time to explore some of the very cool and amazing examples I've found while preparing for this presentation.
And, feel free to leave your comments, too.
