Techno logy
Tools for Teachers

What is email?
Electronic mail, or Email, is the term used to describe the tool which allows one computer user to send a message to one or more other computer users over a computer network in a digital form. Email can be sent internally to members of an organization through their internal computer network or they can be sent externally to anyone in the world by using the network of computer networks that make up the Internet.

It's very similar to our traditional mail system with post boxes, post offices, envelopes and addresses. The difference is that instead of Canada Post delivering your messages around the globe for you, messages are sent electronically to other computer users via the computer network (the Internet) taking a fraction of the time to get there AND, you don't have to walk to the letter box!

Just as you can send attachments with your letters in the normal post (snail mail) you can also send computer documents, graphics, software or anything else that can be turned into a digital form attached to an email message.

• Online Collaboration: E-mail
  One of the most prevalent uses of the Internet is e-mail. Electronic mail has revolutionized how people communicate and share ideas. This 6:22 minute Kidz Online video will show you the basic tools of e-mail and what you need to get started.

Why would I use it?
Teachers can use email to:

• Contact other teachers individually to stay in touch, ask for materials, give or get tips and advice.
• Communicate with small groups of teachers about shared topics of interest. This could include curriculum committees, planning groups, extracurricular activity planning,. Personal convenience is increased through not having to spend so much time on the phone, and by being faster than regular mail.
• Contact administrators when they are otherwise unavailable.
• Read school memos and newsletters, reducing paper use.
• Communicate with parents individually, allowing for communication at mutually convenient times. This typically takes much less time than phoning and can be used easily for very short messages
• Communicate with groups of parents, as in sending out form letters, class newsletters, reminders about assignments and tests. This is called a Mailing List. Teachers can create a list of people to receive email, and send a document to all of them at once.
• Communicate with students. Individual students may ask questions they didn’t have time for or are reticent about, They may ask for quick clarification and save class time as well as phone time.

• Communicate with groups of students. Special study groups, classes, extracurricular groups (sports or travel) can be created and contacted easily.

• Check out these links for ideas on integrating email into curriculum.

  • Email projects - Visit this link to learn more about how to integrate email into your classroom.
  • Find some e-pals - At this site, you'll not only find an ever growing database of classes,but you'll find a conference room where your class can chat with your penpal! Classrooms from more than 80 countries, speaking more than 60 languages are represented. Search the database for an ePAL classroom or add your profile to the searchable database.
  • Gaggle - Gaggle Network to provide safe, teacher-controlled e-mail accounts for students.
  • Saskatchewan Schools -Some Saskatchewan Schools and School Divisions have registered on the Sask. Ed. website.
    

What Do You Need?

• Email Software
  In order to read or send any electronic mail you will need special software. This is most typically already installed on your computer, as an email function of Internet Explorer, as Microsoft Outlook, or very rarely some other program
• Email Account
  To become an email user you need to have an email account set up for you by an Internet Service Provider or your school system. This would normally occur automatically when you get your classroom Internet connection. You would normally gain access to email by talking to your technical advisor where a user account will be set up for you. When you get your account you will be given an email address, a Username and a password which you would use to access your email.

You can obtain free email accounts through certain web sites on the Internet. You check your mail through your web browser by looking at a web page, typing in your name and password. These types of services are nowhere near as secure as having your own email software on your own computer and can be slow with delays. They are free though and provide additional services such as receiving regular news from various sites of your choosing. One such site is the Hotmail Site. Many students have a regular email address from their home Internet provider as well as one or more free email account (often under other names).

• Email Address
  Each email user is given an email address which distinguishes them from each other like your name and street address distinguish your house from your neighbors. Your email address is usually your Username or User ID, plus the domain name of the computer through which you normally gain access to the Internet with an @ symbol in-between. Your Username doesn't necessarily have to be your real name it can be a variation or any name of your choosing - e.g.. (wizard@edumail.vic.gov.au)

How do I get it to work?

• Sending Email.
  Most often, your school division will offer assistance in learning the basics. Colleagues in the building, even students, can offer getting started advice as well. The site Sending Email - Anatomy of an Email Message gives straightforward, step-by step instruction about sending email.

Checking for email will help with the basics of receiving and reading email.

Wiredguide™ - a beginner's guide to computing and the Internet - Billed as a help resource for new computer and Internet users, this site offers a collection of tips and instructions on how to accomplish simple computer tasks like cutting and pasting, creating browser bookmarks, etc. It's by no means an exhaustive resource, but could be helpful if you're a newcomer who needs help with the basics.

Attaching files
This is a very handy use of email. Any file on a computer can be attached and sent to another email address. Use the attachments button or the paper clip symbol on the email message screen. This will allow you to browse through files. Select the file or files wanted, click OK, and they will be sent with the email message. This is a great way to share classroom newsletters, digital pictures of class activities, teaching materials, or any other file. Do keep in mind that copyrighted material such as software should not be shared in this manner.

In general, it's good manners to keep attachments small. Some files, such as pictures, take up a lot of space and can clog the computer system. Be very discriminating about who you send files to. Most people don't appreciate getting unneeded attachments.

Opening and Reading Attachments
From the open email message, select the attached file. You will be prompted to save the file before opening, which is a good idea so that it can be checked for viruses first. It will then behave as any other file on a computer. Some important considerations:

• Never open an attachment unless you know who it came from and what it is. Attachments are a common means of passing on computer viruses. Unknown or suspicious attachments are best deleted.
• Attachments don't open unless the program that created them is also present on your computer.
• Make sure your computer has virus protection software that is turned on. It is an essential protection against costly damage to computers.
  

About Mailing Lists
There are two kinds of mailing lists. Personalized lists are the ones you can create to send messages to groups of people you select. Listservs are special interest discussion groups which anyone may join. People join to read, send, and discuss focused topics of interest.

• Personalized Mailing Lists
  Personalized Mailing Lists are very useful to teachers. You can make mailing lists of friends, fellow teachers in a school, selected students or an entire class of students, parents; any combination you wish. Essentially, it is Making the list initially can be a bit time consuming, but pays off by helping you to be able to communicate with exactly the people you want to reach.

In Microsoft Outlook, these are called personal distribution lists and are created from the file> new>distribution list menu sequence.

One very useful feature of personalized discussion groups is that each message recipient can reply to the message, and has the choice whether to reply to the sender (the person who sent the original message only) or reply to all (send a reply to everyone in the personalized list). This can be helpful in sharing feedback to the group in a timely manner.

Electronic Collaboration: A Practical Guide for Educators This site from Brown University offers a highly detailed discussion of the various ways in which educators can use electronic collaboration - the web, chat utilities, and BBS systems - in learning applications. This is a great resource for teachers interested in electronic collaboration.

• Listservs
  Listservs are pre-existing email discussion groups focused on specific topic. They are available world-wide on the Internet. Internet users can read or contribute messages to ongoing discussions as they wish. The messages on a Listserv can be read occasionally, or you can join a list and receive every new message automatically each day. Be aware that this can mean, for some very active lists, more that 100 messages a day. Using the Internet provides information on how to join a listserv. Like television, discussion groups can use up an incredible amount of time for very little return.

Best Practice

• Familiarize yourself with the skills of reading and sending email.
• Being able to send and read attachments can be very useful when sharing ideas and material with others.
• Take the time to create mailing lists for people you would want to send the same information to. This could be students, parents, and other teachers.
• Be considerate of others by not sending large files unless necessary
• Copyright laws apply to the Internet. Be careful about the ownership of material you pass on. Wherever possible, attribute authorship.
• Please be conscious of security. Do not pass on your home email address unless there is a compelling need. Do not pass on anyone else's email address without permission - this particularly applies to students.

School Boards have strict policies about use of their computing equipment. This generally precludes use of school board equipment for personal email.

Do's and Don'ts for Students On-line - This lesson plan from the U.S. Department of Justice is designed to help students stay safe when using the Internet. Applicable for elementary and middle school students.