Communication

Some of my students did a terrific presentation today on communications media, where they divided the class into groups, then gave them a math problem to solve together, with the restriction that they could only use one communications medium to collaborate.  

The question was: "You have the misfortune of having an unreliable clock.  You set the clock to the correct time at midnight, but it loses 24 minutes every hour, and it now says 3:00 am.  The clock stopped one hour ago, so what time is it now?"

To solve the problem, one group could talk to one another face-to-face but couldn't write anything down.  Another group could pass one another paper notes, but not speak, while another used a similar technique but with instant-messaging.  The last group could only use their cell phones to send text-messages, with hilarious results.  The face-to-face group finished first and won the challenge, with paper and internet coming in second and third.  The text messaging group was catastrophic.  Their initial text read:

"You have the misprint of having an unreliable block Your block to the correct time at midnight but it loses 24 switches our and now it says 3am The block is stopped hour ago, what time is it now#"