Technology - what is in and what is NOT...

A few weekends ago, my sister traveled from snowy CT to beautiful blue skies Carolina to visit me. During her visit, she mentioned a comment that my youngest sister made to my mother - "...Mom, no one emails anymore, we tweet, message, instagram..." Naturally, I burst out laughing because that had to be the most absurd thing I ever heard of. I consider myself to be up to date on social media and the popular way to communicate. I still email regularly as does every one I know (apart from my sister apparently). Fastforward to the last week of March. Students had to write a paper. Some students did not print their papers out and wanted to go to the library to print. I told them no one was going to the library and instead they had to E-mail their paper to me. Imagine my shock when after 10 minutes students were still trying to email their paper to me. I went around to different students' computer and saw they were either creating an email account, OR retyping their paper into the email. I was flabbergasted! I pull up my email account and directed all students to follow my directions and that it did not matter what email account they were on, it was all the same. I had to teach ninth graders how to attach a document to an email and email it to me. After this experience, I had to think back on what my sister had said -- did she have a point? Is E-mail really becoming obsolete with this up and coming generation? What methods of communication and exchange of documents will be use in the future? I currently use Moodle with my classes and it works like a charm - they had been exposed to it in the past and are familiar with it, though I am learning Moodle this year as I go since it is my first year using Moodle. If there's anything I can learn from this, it's that students will make sure I am up-to-date on the latest form of communication -- Students have already started trying to get me to have an Instagram and Twitter account and have made very convincing arguments why these social medias should be incorporated in lesson plans and activities. Ms. Bergin