The lecture
In this weeks lecture, Helen discussed the topic of communications, and more specifically how to write a professional e-mail.
At the beginning of the lecture we were asked to get into groups and form a draft of an e-mail using the appropriate net etiquette.
The lecture showed us how communicated has progressed throughout the ages, who uses communication, what networks are in relation to communication IE chain network, wheel network, Circle network, and all channel network.
The lecture went on to describe the four different types of communication and examples of the sort of people who would use a particular type of communication, and also the upsides and the downsides to Synchronous and Asynchronous communication.
The lecturer then went on to describe and give examples of different forms of communication that we would find most common like MSN messenger for example and the positives and negatives of this communication network.
The rest of the lecture was spent giving examples of ICT use and how vast the communication world really is.
I found this lecture very interesting, because i had never really thought about communication, but when i did look at all the various types of communication used in today's day and age with today's technology i realised that without it, i wouldn't be able to get by in life, as i use around 4 or 5 forms of technology each day, and without it, it would make life a whole lot harder.
All of the benefits and disadvantages of particular forms of communication opened my eyes up, of how to not only be careful when using Internet communication, but what form of communication would be most appropriate, safe and efficient for someone in today's day and age.
The tutorial
Week Nine's tutorial summed up what was discussed in the lecture, and gave practical questions on how to construct an appropriate e-mail. The tutorial for me was second nature, as I have always known how to write e-mails and in the appropriate form, but what i found helpful was all the issues about spam that i had never even known about, and how excellent pod casting can be to aid a students learning experience.
The workshop
1. The topic I entered was 'Crystal Healing' and I found the following groups.
-Pranic Healing
-Crystal Energy fields
-Crystal Therapy
-Crystal and Reiki healing
2. When looking through the messages on the bulletin boards posted they were basically everything and everything to do with Crystal Healing, most of it was a for or against argument on whether it is a legitimate form of healing, some messages were from people who do Crystal Healing, have had Crystal healing, or show any form of interest in the concept of Crystal healing.
4. Pod casting is an excellent resource for not only uni students, but also for business people, teachers, educators of any sort, musicians, basically, pod casting is excellent for everyone, for people all walks of life, and for any sort of purpose.
Educators use pod casting to teach students in a much more active way of learning, that enables students to absorb information in a way that isn't just mind numbing words on a page. For a technology that only requires a computer, microphone, and Internet connection, pod casting has the capacity of advancing a student's education beyond the classroom, so that they can use pod casting as a form of learning even in their down time, which makes learning a lot more fun and useful, especially for younger students, and can make learning an experience that is enjoyable and much more effective.
Pod casting in University adds a new dimension to the way that students learn, and the way that tutors or lecturers can teach making it a 'cool' interactive communication between teachers and students.
The following readings give descriptive ways of how to make your e-mail messages more efficient and effective and what tips to use when writing an e-mail. The following set of instructions to follow or use as a checklist to write a professional e-mail include,
1.Make sure that email is the right communication tool for the job.
2.Get to the point right away.
3.When asking a question, be sure to ask the question.
4.Specify who should respond.
5.Be clear about when you need a response.
6.Provide context to frame your message.
7.Don't forget the rules of grammar and punctuation.
8.One message, one topic.
9.Provide a summary when you forward an "FYI" email.
The second article which was very beneficial to my learning experience of creating an e-mail is all about essential email etiquette, which should be followed for every professional type of email being sent.The article goes into detail about the basics of writing an e-mail, which could also be used for a letter, to make sure it is as professional as possible.
The few steps to follow for excellent etiquette when writing an e-mail are, Think of an appropriate subject, address recipients properly, select an appropriate tone, avoid irony and sarcasm, edit your message, Keep Messages Pithy, and most importantly, Never underestimate the power of a well-crafted email.
The following two articles were a great help, they have taught me exactly what steps and the expected etiquette to follow when writing an e-mail, so that in future when i write an e-mail i am able to produce the most professional one possible.
The You tube videos also helped present the information in the articles in a much more effective and active way, and made the steps being shown a lot clearer and informative.
Reading: The Problem with Spam
The reading article, 'The problem with Spam' answered all sorts of questions about what spam is, why its a problem and why it should be controlled.
I learnt from this article that spam is the scourge of electronic mail and news groups on the Internet and that Spammers are, in effect, taking resources away from users and service suppliers without compensation and without authorisation.
What i found most effective about this article after reading of the damage it is doing, is a solution that can help stop the Australian contribution to the problems of UBE, which is simple and direct legislation and what it can do, which includes, banning the practice of transmitting Unsolicited Bulk Email, covers offshore spamming by Australian interests, provides for attaching to the outgoing revenue stream of foreign interests which spam Australians for the benefit of the spammers' revenue stream, and much more.
