10 Point out that e-mail communications are saved and kept on the system.
The exact way this happens varies between systems, but all e-mail users
normally have at least an in, out and trash mailbox. It may also be possible
to copy messages to personal files or disks. By whatever mechanism,
learners can keep track of all the messages they have composed and sent.
Keeping similar track of handwritten messages is less likely, or would
involve the trouble and expense of photocopying. Learners looking back at a
range of e-mails they have composed can see for themselves how their skills
with the language are developing.
11 Remind learners that e-mail can be a way of keeping in touch with
friends in other institutions. Most universities and colleges have Internet
facilities available to learners, making it possible for them to send messages
to anywhere in the world, let alone in the institution. Such facilities are
normally free of charge to learners, and in any case the actual costs are
insignificant once the equipment has been installed. You may be able to find
English speaking ‘keypals’ for your learners through a local TESOL
association.34 Setting up computer conferencing
If your learners are people who would enjoy participating in debates, or group
decision making/information building activities, or peer feedback activities, then
it is worth considering doing these things via the medium of a computer
conference. This can be set up in a particular class, or alternatively to serve
particular needs of learners across a range of classes. The technicalities of how to
set up the computer conference will of course vary according to particular
systems available in different institutions, so we do not cover setup as such in
these tips. But if the medium of computer conferencing is available to you, we
hope our suggestions may help you to work out how to make the best use of it.
1 Work out definite purposes for each computer conference. Conferences
are much more successful when they are provided to relate to identified
needs, or specific intended outcomes. For example, it can be useful to use a
computer conference as a vehicle for the creation of an annotated list of self-
access resources by a class, helping students to learn from each other’s work
in tracking down relevant or useful materials.
2 Explain to learners the benefits of participating in computer
conferences. Learners can exchange a lot of information, both study-related
and social, through such conferences. They can get peer-feedback on their
own ideas, and even on selected parts of their work. Participating in
computer conferences helps learners to develop computer-related skills: for
example, it can quickly help them to speed up their keyboarding skills.64 500 TIPS FOR TESOL