EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

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E-mail, List Serves and Bulletin Boards

To save time and money, the use of electronic mail (e-mail) has accelerated.  E-mail is fast, easy and cheaper than other options, i.e. U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express, UPS, etc.  E-mail is an electronic message sent from one computer to another.  Personal messages can be sent or received with attachments, such as photos or formatted documents.  E-mail passes from one computer known as a mail server to another as it travels over the Internet.  Once it arrives at the destination mail server, it is stored in a electronic mailbox until a recipient retrieves it.  This whole process can take seconds, allowing you to quickly communicate around the world.

To receive or send E-mail, you must have an account on a mail server. To send E-mail, you need a connection to the Internet and access to a mail server that forwards your mail.  Almost all Internet Service Providers (ISP) and all major online services offer at least one (1) E-mail address with every account.  School systems may provide E-mail accounts for staff and faculty. The following are words of wisdom on E-mail:

 

Words of Wisdom  Before sending an E-mail message, read what you wrote and pause before you send it.  Do you want the message to be sent across the Internet? E-mail offers two (2) potential disadvantages: The message may be misunderstood. The message is documented proof of what you said. Sociologists say that 60-80% of human communication depends on nonverbal communications.  The telephone eliminates body language but allows tone of voice to convey the message.  E-mail reduces messages to the words used.  Consequently, the intent of a message can be (and often is) misunderstood. An E-mail can be forwarded to anyone with an E-mail account.  The message may insult the receiver and provide evidence for a lawsuit. Caveat!  If you are using school E-mail, BE SURE you use it as a tool for educational or professional communication.  Jobs may be lost through the inappropriate use of E-mail.

 

The following are suggested rules for netiquette:

Netiquette (E-mail Etiquette) 1.      The best messages are short and to the point. 2.      Do not get caught up in grammar and punctuation. 3.      Use straight text.  Elaborate formatting is inappropriate for E-mail. 4.      Avoid the overuse of abbreviations.  Use only abbreviations that are common in the English language, such as FYI, or those appropriate with whom you are communicating. 5.      Salutations: ·        In non-businesses situations, bypass standard formalities and use “Dear Beth” or just “Beth.” ·        With business situations, if you normally address a person as Miss/ Mrs./Ms./Mr. Jones, then that’s the way you should address the E-mail. 6.      Insert your signature at the end of the E-mail and include your E-mail address.  If your E-mail address is a business address, include your title and company name. 7.      Once you get a response to your first E-mail, do not start a new-E-mail message.  This breaks the link (called a “tread”) between the original message and your response.  The correct response is to Reply, which maintains the tread. 8.      Do not send an E-mail in UPPER-CASE as it is the equivalent of shouting at the receiver. 9.      Do not assume that the instant someone is sent an E-mail, he/she will read it. If you need to meet or talk with someone on a particular day, the telephone may be a better communication alternative. 10. There is no such thing as private E-mail!  Do not send anything through E-mail that you would not want someone else to read.

But how do you teach this to your students? The following is a lesson for teaching Netiquette. For a copy of the lesson in Microsoft Word click the appropriate icon following the lesson.

 

When in Cyberspace . . . Netiquette   OBJECTIVES/RATIONALE   Cyberspace has its own culture and set of rules for behaving online - netiquette.  The student will demonstrate netiquette.   TEKS:  121.3(c) 2(A-G), 14(A)                                                                      TAKS: ELA 1, 4, 6     KEY POINTS   I. Golden rules for cyberspace behavior: A.      Remember the human. a.       When sitting in front of a keyboard and monitor, we tend to develop a feeling of anonymity, as do those with whom we communicate. b.      Since you don’t see the facial expressions and hear the tone of voice that accompanies written communication, messages often are misinterpreted. c.       People sometimes say and do things online that they would never do during face-to-face encounters. d.      When writing an online message, ask yourself, Would I say this to someone’s face? B.  Never say anything that could come back to haunt you. a.   Tempted to participate in online gossip?  How about a scathing message to someone whose has offended you?  This is called “flaming”.  DON’T DO IT!  Your words could come back to haunt you.  1.      Flaming” is an emotional response used when individuals want to convey strongly held beliefs and opinions 2.      Although flaming in and of itself not considered a breach of netiquette, perpetuating flame wars is. b.      Remember written messages do not dissipate in cyberspace, they are stored and may be forwarded to others. C.     Quality of your writing is important a.       pay attention to grammar b.      write clear and logical statements D.    Be tolerant of Internet mistakes - When someone makes a spelling error, asks a question you perceive as stupid, or offers a pointlessly long answer, be considerate.   E.  Corresponding in all caps a.  Never type in all capital letters when you correspond, it is equivalent to SHOUTING. b. Studies have demonstrated that typing in all caps is difficult to read. F.  Lower case typing - Never use all lower case G.  Spamming—the practice of sending duplicate pieces of mail to a wide variety of email addresses.  a.  Spamming is considered to be bad netiquette.  b.  It tends to be bothersome and generates response mail, which fills mailing lists with                  extraneous material. H. Chain letters a.       Chain letters are basically a way to get someone else to spam for you. They are annoying and rude. b.      In many places chain letters are illegal and have led to individuals losing net access. I. Line Spacing a. It is proper decorum to make online communication as readable as possible. b. Email is much easier to read when there are line breaks between paragraphs. J. Line Width - Most email is automatically wrapped to 80 characters/line (or less)   K.  Never forward any jokes or irrelevant emails to family or friends without their permission. These supposed “humorous” emails offend people who do not share your sense of humor or who are weary of having those irrelevant emails forwarded to them. L.  Return Receipt Request (RR) a.       Do not use the Return Receipt Request (RR) for each and every personal email you send simply because you like "knowing" when someone opens your mail. b.      This feature can be annoying and intrusive for the recipient. M.   When you receive a nasty email . . .             a.  Do not respond immediately, if at all. b. If you don’t feel that you can respond in a professional, diplomatic way, simply delete the email.  N.  Always minimize, compress or "zip" large files before sending. a.       Graphics and/or photo files are large enough to fill someone's email box. b.     This can cause their other mail to bounce. c.       Visit http://www.winzip.com/ to find down loads for zipping files. O.  Replying to email a.   It is proper netiquette to reply to all your email in a timely fashion. b.   Edit out unimportant parts of email you are responding to and respond point by point.   ACTIVITIES   I.        Email one another a question pertaining to a current health care issue.  Using proper netquitte, respond to question.  Teacher Note Have the students printout initial email and response. II.     Create “netiquette-no-no” scenarios and present them to the class.   MATERIALS NEEDED   Access to computers http://www.albion.com/netiquette/netiquiz.html (online Quiz)     ASSESSMENT   Successful completion of online Netiquette Quiz: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/netiquiz.html   ACCOMMODATIONS   For reinforcement, the student will check their emails and bring in examples of those where a breach of netiquette took place.   For enrichment, the student will create a poster with a slogan on netiquette. (Examples:  Stamp out Bad Netiquette!, Got Netiquette?,  Mind Your Netiquette.)   REFLECTIONS   This lesson is available in  Microsoft Word .

 

 

Abbreviations

Younger E-mail users tend to know and use electronic elements of style or abbreviations.  Keystrokes are saved using abbreviations in E-mail messages.  Some of the most common abbreviations are listed below.

The HSTE teacher will NOT use the following abbreviations when communicating with health care partners and other educators since they will not know what the abbreviations mean.  Use abbreviations that are common to the English language and the person to whom you are sending the E-mail.

The following instructional resources are recommended:

From Science NetLinks - http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/matrix.cfm

Grades 9-12
}    Adolescent Sleep	9-12	12D Communication Skills
}    The Allergy Chronicles	9-12	6E Physical Health
}    Cancer Risks	9-12	5C Cells
}    The Demographics of Mortality	9-12	11C Constancy and Change
}    Ethics and Reproductive Issues: The ...	9-12	6B Human Development
}    Extracting DNA	9-12	5B Heredity
}    Heart 1: Transplant	9-12	6E Physical Health
}    Heart 2: Changing Lifestyles and ...	9-12	6E Physical Health
}    Lasers Saving Sight	9-12	1C The Scientific Enterprise
}    A Mendel Seminar	9-12	12D Communication Skills
}    Mental Health 1: Human Behavior	9-12	6F Mental Health
}    Mental Health 2: Bedlam	9-12	6F Mental Health
}    Mental Health 3: Mental Health ...	9-12	6F Mental Health
}    Watch Your Thoughts! Diagnostic ...	9-12	3A Technology and Science
}    Women in Medicine: Past and Future	9-12	1C The Scientific Enterprise

From PE Central - http://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/pelessonplans.html

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