When taking an on-line class, email plays an essential role in building a learning community. It's your primary means of communicating with me, your instructor, as well as with your classmates. You've already officially registered for this class; now you need to let the rest of us know you're here by signing in via email. Please do this before or during the first week of class. Here's how:
I'm going to show you how to set up a free, web-based Yahoo mail account required for students who plan to use more than one computer for course work. You can work at home, at work, at school, or anywhere else you happen to be. Any computer or web browser except AOL seems to work. (If you already have email service and an email account that satisfies you, you don't need to open one at Yahoo. You may use anything that works, of course, but I can't help you unless I know your system. I am familiar with Eudora, Pacbell, and Yahoo mail. You must follow these check-in steps no matter what service you're using.)
To register for your free web account, use your web browser to access Yahoo mail. Create an Yahoo I.D. You must choose a name you want to use as your email address. It may take several tries if the name you select has already been chosen by another person. Create a five or six (5-6) letter password you can't forget. This is email, not your bank. Keep it simple. For convenience, use the same password when you register at E-groups. Enter your real name and other information as requested. Just follow directions, and look for the help link if you get lost. Read your welcome message. Then enter my address in your addressbookFirst name: Susan. Last name: Schulter. Email address: susan_schulter@westvalley.edu
Click on Options, and then Preferences. Enter your real first and last name to be included on the "from" line of your email. I can't grade you otherwise! Enter "80" for display screen width and "72" for composing screen width. Compose an email message addressed to me. Tell me your class's section number, (English 70A section 0449, or English 70B section 0411.) Please also tell me anything else that you'd like me to know about you, such as interests and hobbies, reading preferences, subjects about which you write, things you'd like to learn this semester, which genre -fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction- most interests you. Remember that your message to me is also being posted in our class Egroup, and everyone in the class will read it as a way of getting to know you.
If setting up your Yahoo account is your first experience with email, spend some time looking at the general information about email provided by the help desk. It's very good.
Once I receive your first email, I will send you a personal note acknowledging you and welcoming you. I will also add your name to my own addressbook, as well as to the class group email list that I am creating for all of us. When everyone has signed in and I have assembled the group email list, I'll post a copy to everyone. You will then have access to all the email addresses of your classmates. Whenever you participate in a class discussion or share one of your assignments with the entire class, you will do so by posting to the group email list. You can, of course, correspond with individual classmates by posting only to their addresses. You can also write exclusively to me, which is, in fact, what you will do when handing in exercises and assignments that are being graded. I will use the group email feature of our course as well as the "notes and messages" link, to send discussion guidelines, specific assignments, lectures, and other items of interest to the whole class.
Email: susan_s@pacbell.net • Language Arts • West Valley College