I have found that the various tech tools are so valuable for communicating. I also teach F2F, and still rely on the tools. So, not only do online classes use them, but so do the F2F and hybrid courses. I find communicating through email is valuable for more personal reasons. Quite often I have student that don't understand the concept that there are things you do not post on the discussion boards. My welcoming intro goes over what the various tech tools are used for during the class. This saves a lot of time later. At the moment, I have an online class that is using the discussion board for personal comments! So, my explanations don't always work!