The use of e-mail as a learning tool, and the need to teach students how to use this tool in a responsible and safe manner is required by the Alberta Information, Communication Technology program of studies.  It is therefore necessary for school districts to make these tools available to students and necessary for teachers to supervise the way students use them.

At this time, students do not have individual e-mail accounts in our District and we are recommending that teachers do not use free web mail alternatives such as Hot Mail or Netscape Web mail. This is not to say that we do not approve of, or support, teacher supervised student e-mail.  On the contrary, each school may request more than one special school  e-mail accounts under the school name. One may be used as a mail-back location for the school web page and the others can be used for teacher supervised student email. In all cases incoming e-mail must be managed by a teacher at the school, who is responsible and accountable for being the local postmaster for his or her students. However, under no circumstances should students be given access to the e-mail password! This way we can monitor and ensure that e-mail is being used in an appropriate and educational manner.

The procedure for setting up these email accounts is as follows: Your principal or assistant principal must...

1. write a letter on school letterhead, requesting that a school email account should be set  up for student use. 
2. specify the name of the teacher who is going to manage the distribution of email at the school level.  Both the teacher and the administrator must sign this letter.
3. send this letter to the help desk at Central Office via pony.
4. When the account is set up and the teacher gets the new password. Every computer can be set up with a  students user profile that permits outgoing email but no incoming email.  The teacher sets up a profile (on a   teacher machine) which permits outgoing and incoming email and the teacher is the only one who has the password to receive email responses.

Settings on lab (student) computers should be set so that a blind copy of outgoing email is automatically forwarded to the monitoring teacher.    (Under Edit-->preferences--> Mail & News groups --> copies and Folders--> Blind copy to -->enter the school's email address.)

This way all outgoing and incoming student email can be monitored at the school level.

In the event that more than one school project is being undertaken simultaneously, additional accounts may be requested. Individual teachers can be responsible for monitoring individual communications sent or received by their students.  We need to remember that not all classes will be involved in an email project simultaneously.

It is important that we find a manageable approach to handling student email.  Because using communication technology is required for students in the Information and Communication Technology program of studies. Here are a few of the required learner outcomes that could be addresses using email:

C2    Students will seek alternative viewpoints using information technologies.

     Division 2
     2.1 seek responses to inquiries from various authorities through 
            electronic media

C6 Students will use technology to investigate and/or solve problems.

     Division 2
     2.6 solve issue-related problems using communication tools such as a 
            word processor or e-mail to involve others in the process

P6 Students will use communication technology to interact with others.

    Division 1
     1.1 compose a message that can be sent through communication 
            technology
     1.2 communicate electronically with people outside the classroom

     Division 2
     2.1 select and use the technology appropriate to a given 
            communication situation

     Division 3
     3.1 communicate with a targeted audience, within a controlled 
           environment, by using communication technologies such as 
           newsgroups and web browsers
     3.2 demonstrate proficiency in accessing local area network, wide 
            area network and Internet services, including uploading and 
           downloading text, image, audio and video files

     Division 4
     4.1 select and use the appropriate technologies to communicate 
            effectively with a targeted audience

C5  Students will use technology to aid collaboration during inquiry.

     Division 4
     4.1 use telecommunications to pose critical questions to experts
     4.2 participate in a variety of electronic group formats

• Link for Learning E-mail Netiquette
• Safe Searching
• Legal & Ethical Issues