Last week in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Judith Tabron, the director of faculty computing services at Hofstra University, wrote a commentary entitled, "How to Find What clicks in the Classroom." http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i29/29a03801.htm

I can still remember when submitting an assignment by email, rather than handing the professor a print copy, seemed like cutting edge. These days, educational technology has gone way this point, and, in fact, a student can now complete an entire degree program without ever setting foot on a college campus. Obviously, some technologies, like course management software (Blackboard, Moodle), have enjoyed more success than others, and new tools seem to constantly pop up. In her article, Tabron makes a strong argument for trying out new technologies in the classroom, regardless of cost, and the impact it can make on teaching.  

She comments, "It may seem that the seeds are too expensive, but we have a compelling reason to pay the price: Our students live online. They fall in love, they shop, they order pizza on the Web. Their iPods, TV's, and Xboxes are sophisticated technologies. They instant-message their blogs from their cellphones, and they can't picture college having a place in any of this, because we haven't shown them that it can. It will be a dismal future if the only thing our graduates cannot do online is learn."