Ideas to encourage student use of email

[Kyle]

We've had student email for some time now but they don't use it, to be fair most of them don't know they have one! It's not something that's been pushed in the school before mainly down to poor ICT staff across the board especially management. There is now a big push on usage which in my opinion could be better. Does anyone have any suggestions how we can encourage students to use email across all years?

[synaesthesia]

"Your homework is in your inbox."

 

Before you know it, they'll be emailing eachother insults and sending inappropriate material to the All Staff distribution lists.

[Alkaline]

Year 7/8 get shown how to use it in my place and teachers send out homework to all their students.

 

I would start there and in a couple of years all of them will be on it.

 

By year 9 its too late. Might as well talk to a brick wall when it comes to teaching instructions.

[burgemaster]

make it easy for them with LDAP login or even better, single sign on so they dont need to re-enter any usernames and passwords.

[sippo]

They use our email as a chat system. It's an absolute nightmare.

[Disaster]

We use papercut with a mailto link for printing credit requests...

 

Also like synaesthesia said, mail to and from teachers their homework

[eyetea]

Ours are shown in Y7. Doesn't stop them from mucking about with mailing lists - we ended up putting us + a member of SLT on to all mailing lists to keep an eye on it.

[synaesthesia]

It will take time. Take reasonable care to monitor certain language (bad word lists for instance, if an email from within the organisation from a student (or indeed to) matches certain words, bcc you a copy and act on it) - word will get around about responsible use. It's no concern of ours if it's used as a chat system, it is after all a means of communication and if there's a problem with that in a class, then just like turning round and speaking to someone it's a matter of classroom control.

 

If you have Office 365 considering making the most of email and maybe even onedrive; banishing USB drives might help push it's use up.

[SovietRussia]

Never need to worry about mailing lists - Exchange stops all the students from attacking them with pictures of gta

[Novalee]

Show the older students (our sixth form do this) how to set up email on their phones - that way there is no effort in checking their email as they are always on their phones anyway.

[Dkeen94]

Our year 7's are shown from the outset so they atleast have some idea of the system. Id go with the "Homework" in your inbox idea or "Please email me your work" so i can have a look at it.

[SteveBentley]

We've had student email for some time now but they don't use it, to be fair most of them don't know they have one! It's not something that's been pushed in the school before mainly down to poor ICT staff across the board especially management. There is now a big push on usage which in my opinion could be better. Does anyone have any suggestions how we can encourage students to use email across all years?

 

What is the benefit to a student of using your email service? Is it a solution waiting for a problem or are there genuine benefits to using it?

[mthomas08]

What do we use email for:

 

Email your teacher for help

Email IT for password resetting on other systems

Scan to email from the printers

Email your homework

Homework is in your email

Email work to your self from home (if you don't have remote access to areas)

 

It's been rare since I have seen this request though, Email today is like their mobile phones and they cant live without.

I do remember when the question was being asked if it was even useful for them to have email. Now it prevents Students needing to take 10 sheets home every day or spending an hour writing down in their books what's on the blackboard... that was a time.

Edited October 3, 2014 by mthomas08

[witch]

One school I know did the homework thing but they also sent out random messages with puzzles or jokes, or things that the children had to bring in for a small prize or a merit/house point/whatever (these were year 7). Cue the whole year group bringing in a spoon one day!

It got them used to continually checking their emails though

[tommej]

Kids can't email each other here only staff.

[Andrew_C]

if an email from within the organisation from a student (or indeed to) matches certain words, bcc you a copy and act on it)

BUT ensure that mail too YOU doesn't trigger another mail to you, then another... Happened here a few years back. The mail server soon filled up.