Today we live in a society where technology is a major aspect in our lives. E-mail is a new way of communicating with individuals especially students, parents, colleagues, and administrators. I know from experience that an e-mail can go very wrong when a person misunderstands a word or a phrase that you used and can take offence very easily. I also know that it can be very frustrating when you have to e-mail the individual three or four times before they either understand the mix up or understand what you are asking. My question is, when is it appropriate to use e-mail and when should you bring that personal level in and phone a person or talk to them one on one?
Personally, I communicate better by talking to an individual rather than e-mailing them. I find that I spend more time trying to find that right word to use or an easy way for them to understand what I am trying to get across and I end up confusing myself and others. Are we creating an environment in the school that is impersonal with using e-mails and not taking the time to phone or make an appointment with an individual? Do we e-mail because it is faster than phoning and our days are already extremely busy? Any thoughts?
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Day 16 Thursday July 24
Q & A period *blog readback due – hand it in to Leanna
Day 17 Friday July 25
Eportfolio sharing & honouring
Here is a space for us to continue to explore issues related to education. With limited class time, a blog can allow us freedom to think and write when we are able and ready. A blog can also help us create and explore with a community of learners. Looking forward to the dialogue!
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Day 16 Thursday July 24
Q & A period *blog readback due – hand it in to Leanna
Day 17 Friday July 25
Eportfolio sharing & honouring
“If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.” Win Borden
1 comment:
I don't have much experience in a high school setting on "this side of the big desk", so I'm not sure how much communication is done via email/phone/in-person/etc in a high school teaching position... My opinion only comes from working in a professional office environment-
I operated on the principle that an email isn't a replacement for a phone call. I tried to use email as a replacement for faxes, or leaving a post-it note on someone's desk.
Misunderstandings via email are WAY too common, and I think that many of them are due to the fact that not everyone uses my principle above. If you're trying to explain something, or have a running dialogue, email is far too time consuming. I can remember several instances of a chain of emails 6-10 long, that could have been replaced with 1 phone call. 1-2 hours (literally) of reading/typing VS 10 minutes on the phone? Your choice.
I'd never think of having a discussion with a parent via email. Email would simply be a tool to setup a (phone or in-person) meeting.
The most important thing to remember is: if you're not comfortable putting it in writing and signing your name underneath - don't send it in an email!
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