Using E-mail for Class Discussions

During this course, we will 'talk' with each other using e-mail. Specifically we use a special kind of software that takes a single e-mail from you and delivers it to everyone in our class. We call talking this way, 'Posting to the e-mail list. Other names for this form of communication software are listserv, mailring, and e-group.

Sending and Receiving E-Mail

If you click the Discussion hot link at the top right on our class Web pages, a pre-addressed e-mail will appear. It will be addressed to:

multicultural@wiredinstructor.net

Important Tips: When you send your message to multicultural@wiredinstructor.net, our computer will automatically forward your message to everyone else in the class. If you want to speak publicly to the entire class ( this will be the case most of the time), click reply and replace the individual's e-mail address with: multicultural@wiredinstructor.net When you receive a message from a classmate via the class e-mail list, it arrives with a classmate's individual e-mail address in the From: section of the message. If you want to speak privately to the individual sender of the message, click Reply. Next, type your subject description. Now you are ready to send an e-mail to just that individual. Let me give you a gift: it is NOT NECESSARY to save all of your classmates' messages. Skim the postings and then delete them. Feel free to respond to whatever you would like, but you are also free to delete messages. You are not required to read or reply to every e-mail that you receive as part of our class discussion. Please, read all of *my* postings thoroughly. Many students create an e-mail folder and name it "Instructor" and save the instructor postings in that folder. Some students learn to set 'filters' with their e-mail system to automatically sort incoming mail to the correct folder. The time you spend learning how to do these tasks is save back many times during the course!

Meaningful Subject Lines

Please give your e-mail postings a module-specific and meaningful subject line. To help set this habit, I have suggested subject lines on the Activity pages. For example, if you are reacting to Module 2, activity 5, it helps to see:

Subject: Mod 2: Act 5 Cultural Misunderstandings

If you reply to a specific post, you can revise the subject line. For example:

re: Mod 2: Act 5 Cultural Misunderstandings - Jill's Insights

Having a relevant subject line makes it easier to keep track of the many messages you receive during this class.

It is okay to use Your Delete Key!

You will be receiving a lot of e-mail. When you open your e-mail software and see 20-40 messages be prepared, but do not panic. It may seem overwhelming at first. Remember that you do not need to read all the postings from your classmates (unless you choose to do so).

• It is okay to skim for an idea that makes you want to respond.
• It is okay to leave e-mail unopened and read it later.
• It is okay to delete e-mail unread if it just gets to be too much.

Would you like to know more?

If you are new to online learning (or just curious) consider reviewing these handy tutorials. They cover email communication, creating email folders, and bookmarking sites of interest: UNI Professional Development Tutorials.

As always, don't hesitate to write me directly at mc@wiredinstructor.net. I am here to help.

Dennis O'Connor
Instructor