E-Mail
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E-Mail is...
...the transmission of messages over communications networks. Typically composed of plain text typed by the sender, e-mail messages can also include image, sound, and other multi-media content, as well as small computer programs. E-mail messages are usually archived, either on the user's own personal computer or on a larger "host" machine, thus allowing for long-term storage and retrieval.
E-mail lists are...
...in essence, e-mail management tools that allow any one "subscriber" to send messages to all the other list members. The others can then respond directly to the sender or back to the entire list itself, creating one variant of online conversation.
Some e-mail lists are set up to run automatically, while others have a moderator who oversees--and sometimes approves--messages sent to the list. Moreover, lists can be set up either for two way communication (to and from the list) or one-way communication (out to list members). The latter type of lists are sometimes refered to as "announcement lists."
Subscribers who join lists but do not themselves contribute to the stream of messages are know, somewhat derisively, as "lurkers." |
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Why Use E-Mail and E-Mail Lists?
Using e-mail, students can post papers, projects, and other works, which in turn can be useful for review and discussion. In the case of the former, students' own peers can review their work.
E-mail lists allow instructors the facility of accessing all their students with one exchange as the message is automatically delivered to everyone on the list (as opposed to sending the same message to numerous individuals one at a time.) E-mail lists are a great way to extend class participation beyond the classroom. Such lists also provide interactive educational components to courses, motivating students to improve the quality of their work. Such lists allow students to interact with each other and with the instructor. Instructors can provide comments, feedback, support, and guidance quickly and more efficiently. E-mail lists also promote a medium for collaborative learning and cooperation among instructors and students. They stress active participation and interaction, the sharing of knowledge, and communication building.
How to Use E-Mail and E-Mail Lists:
E-mail requires a connection to the Internet and some kind of client software, either a true, dedicated e-mail client or a Web browser to access so called Web-based e-mail (a.k.a. "Webmail"). Many vendors, such as Microsoft's Hotmail, offer free Web-based e-mail accounts. Web-based e-mail is convenient because it requires no special software beyond a Web browser. However, this convenience usually comes at the price of fewer and less well-developed features than dedicated e-mail software.
E-mail list software is available either as a stand alone product or as a feature integrated with other kinds of communications software. Moreover, many services allow for the creation of lists that are "hosted" on the provider's machines, elliminating the need for the hardware or the software. Of course, such service costs more.
More important, when considering the creation of an e-mail list, one must decide whether communication will be moderated or unmoderated, whether the moderator will need to approve all postings, whether communication will be two way or one way (i.e., a discussion list or an announcement list), and whether subsription will be automatic or will recquire subsequent confirmation by the new list member.
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