While I am an avid user of information technology I have become increasingly concerned about the diluting effect of the internet on academic activity. Information technology should be used to supplement, not replace, conventional teaching and learning activities. Use e-mail to ask about substantive issues related to course material not as a wimpish way to seek approval for missing class or turning in assignments late. Additionally, be concerned about the source and quality of information available on the internet. Just because it exists in cyberspace does not mean that a fact is accurate or an argument is sound.
Writing is probably the most critical activity of learning.
Reading is important but it is too passive to motivate most people to think hard thoughts. I believe in writing. This course requires academic and professional writing, i.e. writing that is clear and crisp and is used to develop a well-organized and thoughtful argument. Good ideas can easily be diluted by bad writing. The form of documentation and citation is less important than the quality of the idea and evidence.