Using E-mail in Learning English

A.      Intruduction

It's hard to remember what our lives were like without e-mail. Ranking up there with the Web as one of the most useful features of the Internet, e-mail has become one of today's standard means of communication. Billions of messages are sent each year. If you're like most people these days, you probably have more than one e-mail address. After all, the more addresses you have, the more sophisticated you look.

E-mail is part of the standard TCP/IP set of protocols. Sending messages is typically done by SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and receiving messages is handled by POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3), or IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol). IMAP is the newer protocol, allowing you to view and sort messages on the mail server, without downloading them to your hard drive.

E-mail refers to electronic communication between two individuals with the help of a suitable software application such as Yahoo mail^TM, Eudora^TM or Microsfot Outlook ^TM. Wherever the appropriate technology is available, email is being very widely adopted for private and personal communication, as well as for the conduct of business activities[1]

Though e-mail was originally developed for sending simple text messages, it has become more robust in the last few years. Now, HTML-based e-mail can use the same code as Web pages to incorporate formatted text, colors, and images into the message. Also, documents can be attached to e-mail messages, allowing files to be transfered via the e-mail protocol. However, since e-mail was not originally designed to handle large file transfers, transferring large documents (over 3 MB, for example) is not allowed by most mail servers. So remember to keep your attachments small!

B.  Definition of E-mail

Based in the www.thefreedictionary.com/e-mail, the definition of E-mail:

1. A system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a computer network, as between personal computers.

2. A message or messages sent or received by such a system.[2]

            In other side at www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/e-mail, we can find that the definition of E-mail is “a system for sending messages from one computer to another computer; messages that are sent electronically from one computer to another”[3]

C.  Features of Email Messages

The Email record holds the information for about an email that has been sent to a client. For information about setting up incoming email, refer to the "Setting up Incoming Email" topic. For information about setting up outgoing email, refer to the "Workstation Preferences - Email" topic in the "Spectra Maintenance" chapter.

      1.      Email Menu and Ribbon

a)      Email Menu

1)       Menu Button - The Menu button will display an icon based on the type of record it is. For an email record, it has an envelope icon. You can click the icon and choose Close Form.

2)       Quick Access Bar - If you opened the email from a hub or list, there will be gray arrows to select the next or previous record from that list.

3)       Title Bar - Once an email has been saved, the title bar will say "'Email -" along with the name of the client.

4)       Notification Area and Help Button - Just under the title bar to the far right, you will see notification lights if there is something about the client that warrants special attention. Click Help to get online help for this window. [4]

b). Email Ribbon

If you're not sure what a certain button is for, hold your cursor over the button and wait for the tool tip to be displayed. Note: Depending on how the email was created, some of the ribbon tools may not appear. For example, when you create a new completed email, the Attach File icon does not appear on the ribbon. When you open an email that was previously saved, there are a number of tools that are not available on the ribbon and there will be no option group.

2.      Home tab

  a). File Group

1)   Save - Save the current email and leave it open for reference or additional modifications.

2)   Save & Close - Save the email and close the email window.

3)   Save & New - Save the email and open a new, blank email.

4)   Delete - Delete the open email record.

b). Respond Group

1)   Reply - Reply to a received email message.

2)   Reply All - When replying to a received email message, send the reply to all addressees.

3)   Forward - Forward an email to another email address.

c). Clipboard Group

You can paste information that you copied or cut from another location or program into a single field. You can also cut or copy text from a single field for use elsewhere.

d). Options Group

1)   Spell Check - Check the email for spelling and grammar mistakes.

2)   Attach File - Browse out and find a file to attach to this email.

3)   Mark Unread - Use this button to mark this email as unread.

4)   Signature - Select a signature to be used for this email.

e). Format Group

1)   HTML -

2)   Plain Text -

f). Linkage Group

Link - Link this email to a client, as well as to a specific session and/or task, if desired. Also use this button to re-link the message to a different client.

g). View Group

1)   Client - Open the client associated with this email.

2)   Session - Open the session associated with this email.

3)   Task - Open the task associated with this email.

h). New Group

Parent Task - Create a new parent task and link this email to it.

i). Notes Group

View All - Show all notes related to the email, including session notes, invoice notes, etc.[5]

3.      Email Header Section

The Header section contains details about the email. Note that when you choose New Email, the direction is automatically "outgoing." When opening a previously saved email, you will not be able to modify most of the information displayed.

1)      From - Displays who sent (or is sending) the email.

2)      To - Automatically filled in with the main client's email address if this email is being created from a client or session record. The information in the field can be changed, if desired.

3)      CC - Type any additional email addresses here that you want to have carbon copied on this email.

4)      BCC - If you want this email copied to another email address that won't be visible to the recipient (blind carbon copy), you can add the email address here.

5)      Subject - Remember that proper "netiquette" requires you to fill in a subject line. It is even more important for business email. Some email filters will automatically put email with a blank subject into a junk folder or even delete it.

6)      Attachments - On a new email, any attachments will be shown here by file name. Right-click to remove an attachment. On a saved email, the names of the attached files are just displayed.

7)      Sent - This field is only available when recording a new completed email. Once an email has been sent or saved, the day and date will be in the upper-right corner of the email header section.

8)      Direction - If you are recording a new completed email, you can choose whether it was incoming or outgoing. Opening a previously saved email will just display the direction and you won't be able to modify it.

9)      Email Type - Type of email.

10)  Email Status - Status of the email.

11)  Assigned to Dept. - Department this email is assigned to.

12)  Assigned to User - User this email is assigned to.[6]

4.      Email Body Section

The Body section shows the main body of the email. For a form letter email, you can view the merged client and/or session information or make some quick edits before actually sending. You can copy and paste information from another program into the body of the email. This is a way for you to record the details of an email that you sent or received through another program. A saved email shows the content of the original email and cannot be changed.

D.      The Language Skill and Element Can be Adapted

The language skill can be adapted by e-mail are four language skill namely writing skill, reading skill, speaking skill and listening skill but skill more suitable this media are reading and writing skill.

E.       Procedure  using e-mail in Teaching English Language

Typically it's easiest to send a message to your email discussion group from your email reader. Just like any other email message you send. However, for those situations where that is not possible, you can use a web page on the mail-list.com.

You need to know the name of your list. This is the word before the @ symbol when you send an email to your list. For example, if you normally send an email to youremailgroup@mail-list.com, then “youremailgroup is the name of the list.

The procedure of teaching English using email:

1.        Go to this web page using your browser. http://db.mail-list.com/perl/subscriber-message.pl

2.        Enter your list name, subject line, email address and message

In the form your message write down the guide hat will be conducted by student to items which will be attach in e-mail.

3.   The next, give an attachment about learning material that will learn to student, click on the Choose File button, and navigate to where the file on your computer is located.

Press the Green Preview button when you are ready.

4.        Double check your message, and press Send Message Now

5.        You are done, and your message will be sent to your list.

6.        After message and attachment sent, wait the few days e-mail of student reciprocation will arrive containing answer the task/exercise have been commanded in e-mail.

F.       Strengths and Weakness of E-mail

The strengths of email are:

1.    Email works for exchanging essential information.

2.    You can reach almost anyone.

3.    Email knows no time zones.

4.    Email provides a searchable record.

5.    You can craft your message on your terms and your schedule.

6.    You can preserve and present parts or all of a string of existing emails.

7.    You can attach and include additional information.

When I look at the strengths, I can easily see flipping some of those to be weaknesses. Maybe most important is whatever you write and send is preserved whether you like it or not. Don’t hit the send button too quickly.

The Weakness of email are:

1.        Effectiveness is solely dependent on receiving party’s diligence in checking for messages. “But I e-mailed you the document last week, didn’t you get it?” Ever heard that or similar comments? E-mail is great as a form of follow-up communication, and possibly primary communication if you know for certain that the recipient checks their e-mail account regularly. However, you’re really taking your chances if you’re relying on an e-mailed message as the sole communication of a message of any importance.

2.        A close friend of mine recently mentioned that she was concerned as to whether an individual was going to show up for the engagement to which they’d been invited and agreed to attend several weeks ago. On the afternoon before the event, my friend sent out a follow-up e-mail and was panicked when she didn’t hear back 10 minutes later. It wasn’t until she finally realized it was useless sitting around waiting on an e-mail that may never come. She made a 2 minute phone call, confirmed the appointment and went on her merry way.

3.        It’s easier to ignore an e-mail than it is spoken conversation. E-mail makes it very easy to “tune out” messages that you just don’t feel like dealing with at present. A fair portion of e-mail is completely ignored. If you really need to get a message across, and need to be sure that it is received, pay a visit or pick up the phone.

4.        E-mail “conversations” often require days of back-and-forth whereas only a few spoken minutes would probably achieve at least as good a result. Despite its speed of delivery, you’re best off not attempting to use e-mail as a mean of real-time communication. If it can be covered via a phone conversation in a quick manner, don’t hold up the works by trying to carry out conversations requiring lots of back-and-forth interaction via e-mail. If you want to make sure that your conversation is documented and associated with a time, send out a quick e-mail summary of the conversation.

5.        Lacks the personal touch of spoken or face-to-face communication. Emoticons (i.e. “Smileys”) just aren’t de rigeur for business interaction (thank goodness). I’ve occasionally found my attempts to convey personality and perhaps a touch of humor are lost on the e-mail recipient. The drier the humor, the greater the chance that your one-liner will bomb. In a professional context, e-mail is great for communicating brief, informative messages but unless you try writing a full-length piece of e-mail literature (and even if you do), you likely won’t achieve the personal touch you want to convey.

G.      Conclusion

As conclusion in this paper are:

1.      E-mail refers to electronic communication between two individuals with the help of a suitable software application such as Yahoo mail, Eudora or Microsoft Outlook, Google mail and etc.

2.      In learning process this time very needing learning media which is good to grow the enthusiasm students, one of form of learning media is e-mail. E-mail serves the purpose of learning media in teaching four skills Language. Study by using this media is executed by on-line.

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[1] Poling, D. J. (1994). Email as an effectiveteaching supplement. EducationalTechnology, , P. 53-55

[2] Farlex, The Free Dictionary, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/e-mail, (20 October 2014)

[3] Britannica Company,  An Encyclopedia,  http:// www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/e-mail (20 October 2014)

[4]Studio Plus Software, http://www.studioplussoftware.com/help/current/WebHelp/ Working_with_Clients/Communications/Messages/Features_of_Email_Messages.htm,  (22 October 2014).

[5] I b i d

[6] I b i d