Using Digital Communication as Educators

     Digital communication is a wonderful tool in that we can use it to stay connected with family and friends that are not physically near to us. It helps us to keep our relationships strong and growing with other people, and to stay updated on what is happening in their lives. Unfortunately, digital communication can be a weakness in a society when we only use that for our communication. If we neglect real face-to-face relationships then digital communication is not doing us any services. We should be building relationships with people in person and then use digital communication as a way to stay connected with those people when we cannot be physically with them. This is an example of what John did. He made relationships with other Christians and churches, and then kept in contact with them in letters. Human beings were created with the need for relationships, for physical and face-to-face connections with other people. We were not created to stay at home along talking to people online. 

    In our world today, and especially in the classroom, digital communication can be a simplistic and accessible way to communicate with our students and their families. By using digital communication we can better involve families in what we are doing in the classroom and what their student is doing in the classroom. It also helps us build better relationships with them, as it is easier to share information about ourselves and learn more about the families we are working with. As Christians we are called to love one another and to build relationships with others. As Christian educators then we are called to do the same, but with our students and their families specifically. Digital communication is a tool for us to do that, but nothing can take the place of building face-to-face relationships with them, just as John believed in the Bible.