There are many ways to communicate with colleagues over the Internet. We will use this space to explore several options.
We are familiar with our local email. We can send personal messages or we can send messages to the whole school or the entire district depending what address we use to send our message. The "real" Internet email has many of the same kinds of options but on a bigger scale.
Mailrings
(Also called email discussion groups or listservs)
Many sites invite people of similar interests to join
a mailring sponsored by that site. Generally one needs to provide his/her
name and email address to join up. After joining, one will start
receiving email addressed to the whole group of people. You have to option
of responding to the group, responding privately, or simply reading and
enjoying without responding (referred to as "lurking.")
What to Expect
Depending on the number of folks on the mailring and how"chatty" they are, you may receive anywhere from 5or 6 to close to 60 (andmore) emails a day. If you belong to more than a couple of these you may have your hands full! Many of these lists offer a digest form--you will receive a mailing on a regular basis which combines all recent messages. You might receive one digest every few days, or 3-4 in a day. The digests are especially handy for groups where you prefer to read more than respond.
Where Can I Find a Mailring to Join?
Many websites offer mailrings. For teachers some of the
best options are found at teachers.net.
Following the link will take you to a page where you
can subscribe to several mailrings at one time, depending on your interests.
Another source, liszt.com
lets you search for mailrings by topic.
How Can I Save All These Good Ideas?
(These instructions are for Netscape,Internet
Explorer may be set up differently)
If you are on a good, active mailring, you will soon have tons of good ideas, or recipes or other bits of information you want to save. In order to keep from filling up your email screen with these gems, you should create some folders . While in your email, go to"file" then "new folder" In the screen that pops up, type aname for your folder, then click ok. Go back to your emails and select one that will go in your new topic. On the top of the screen is a button marked "file." Click it, select the file you want to put the email in and POOF! your mail is now safely in that folder and out of your inbox. To view those messages again, select that folder the same place you select your inbox, "sent" or "trash" folders--your new folder will be among those.
Newsgroups
What is a Newsgroup?
Newsgroups work much like
mailrings, you submit comments, questions and responses to an entire group.You
have to have a newsserver to access these groups (most internet providers
include this in their service)(Our school's filter service does not allow
these to show) You subscribe to a newsgroup. There are tons
of topics available both support and shared interest groups are available.Most
newsgroups are unmoderated, which means that the language can sometimes
get a bit rough.
You can search for information on newsgroups at liszt.com
Message Boards
(also called Chat Boards, Discussion Boards, Forums)
These are often part of special interest sites. They allow you to "post" a message and leave it there. You go back later to check for responses to your post. You may have to register to participate in a message board, but not always. Some boards are more active than others, be sure to check the dates on the most recent posts. If they are several weeks old, you may have trouble getting a prompt response to your post.
A source for several special interest chatboards related
to teaching is available at teachers.net.
Click and you are ready to read and post.
Other Ways to Communicate
Guestbooks
Many websites offer a guestbookwhich you may sign. You
can comment of the design or helpfulness of the information on the pages.
People really appreciate it when folks take notice of their efforts. Some
sites have active guestbooks, that act much like a message board, such
as this one at TeachersHelping
Teachers.
Live Chat
Sharing ideas "live" is a great way to build a global
community. You can find live chats at many special interest sites.Some
are scheduled as far as day and time, others are more of a drop in situation.
It is also possible to have "meetings" this way with like minded
individuals. Teachers.net schedules
several meetings a month. Some of these are hosted by those who frequent
teachers.net, others have had some notable authors and "speakers."
Instant Messages
These are programs you can download that allow you to select your list of those you wish to chat with. Two popular ones are ICQ and AOL's Instant Messenger (which will work even if you do not use AOL) . If your family has the same program, it makes for inexpensive comunication between family memebers (that is, as long as you do not count the cost of the computer and Internet service!). Both services have the option of allowing anyone to come chat with you, but that can be disabled easily. Both of these programs allow instant communication one message at a time, or allow a "chatroom" to which you can invite those on your list.
These are just some of the many options that are availableto
those who wish to seek out global communication. It is an exciting
adventure, a chance to learn and share ideas. It is a way to make
the world just a little bit smaller and friendlier.