The E-mail De-Divide

To: Professor@University.edu Subject: Why It's All About Me

I often speak of the Internet as being it's own social circle, with it's own culture, norms and ideas of what's appropriate. In this time where technology has put virutally everything at our fingertips with a mere click of the mouse, is it suprising that those growing up in "the Information Age" have a different perspective on what's acceptable to say to professors?

This article highlights one of the problems with technology from an educational perspective. People are forgetting that e-mail is correspondance just like conversation is. Would I say to my professor "Whoa, I was SO DRUNK last night, can you give me your teaching notes?" Absolutely not. At least, I'd like to think not, because I recognize the divide. While the facelessness of e-mail may bridge some gaps, there are times when it significantly widens others.

Changes

In doing research for TE 891, I was struck by something I'd never considered. The possibility that teachers don't use technology because they don't know how. And, that they don't know how because their teacher preparation programs didn't teach them. Why didn't I think of that myself? I've worked at MSU in technology for over six years. I know that professors often don't have more than basic tech skills, and often don't have those. What I never considered is how this propagates the "vicious cycle" of technology resistance. You can't teach what you don't know, right? And, if people aren't teaching, how will people learn? The brave few will venture out on their own, while the others are left behind. Whose job is it to catch them up?