The Urgency
Electronic media create new venues for communication. They give voice to those formerly silent and break the monopolies of those previously in exclusive control. A startling example of these shifts occurred in 1989 at Tiananmen Square, when the government's media repression was thwarted by the wireless communications of individuals with cameras, pagers, cell phones, and ham radios.
In today's wired, networked society, it is imperative that students learn to communicate effectively using a range of media, technology, and environments. This includes both asynchronous and synchronous communication, such as person-to-person email correspondence, listservs, group interactions in virtual learning spaces, chat rooms, MOOs, MUDs, interactive videoconferencing, phone/audio communications, and interactions through simulations and models. Several of these require knowledge of etiquette unique to their particular environment.
While technology does not alter the fundamental principles of high-quality, interactive communication, it does add new dimensions for enhanced communication through the use of expressive digital visuals, online learning environments, chat rooms, threaded discussions, and email. Expertise in the use of these new interactive communication conventions are as essential to students as expertise with phones was a decade ago.
