E-mail malfunction- Who is to blame?

     In our last blog, we explained exactly what social media is about and that it is not only limited to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. We also saw the different types of communication services that our college utilises. Before we get into the topic of social media, we wanted to explore the ways in which COSTAATT currently use to communicate with us and the problems that exist around them. Many students choose not to use this one in particular. We are talking about the e-mail!! Some of us opt to using our personal email address, leaving lecturers to discontinue using the school’s email address in order to communicate with students. Here is a way the college is making an attempt to better service the students but we are not complying. Why?

 We tried to do a poll on our Facebook page to see what was the problem with the e-mail however not many responded. So we went to the hallways to investigate further into this problem.  Most of you replied:

• I Hate having various email address

• It Does not work all the time

• Email is not always received

• Too much 'junk mail'

• I do not check it so why bother give it

  Some of these are poor excuses. This brings up the question of who is really to blame for the gap in communication?

  The problem with junk mail has been addressed and most email are strictly from administration. Some stated that the junk mail was not only random messages from students but e-mails from the library, a guy name Jason C. Charles and from other faculties. However, the e-mails from the library are very useful because at some point in time you are going to need them and they advise you of their services. Also, Jason C. Charles is the Placement Officer from the Career Management Department. He sends information on available jobs. I don't think that is junk mail.

  Another complaint was about having too many e-mail addresses. There is a solution for that. LINK THEM!!

  'What? Link them?' Yes Link them. Follow these steps. It's easier than you think!!

• Sign into your school e-mail

•  Click setting

•  Click Forward and POP/IMAP at the top of the page

•  Follow the instructions to add an e-mail address to forward your school e-mail to.

•  This process can be done for other e-mail accounts you want to keep tabs on.

  Our school e-mail is not simply just for receiving and sending messages or assignments. It can make group projects an ease. As some of you would know by now, our school e-mail is under Gmail. Google has an app called 'Google Drive'. Here more than one person can work on a project at the same time. So instead of doing a project in parts then e-mailing it to one person to put together, then everybody reading it and one person receiving numerous alterations to the document, then have to put it back together, everything can be done in one spot. Their is also a chat box right next to the document so a group meeting can be happening and decisions made while getting the work done. Now isn't that much easier than the first long drawn out process? Some may say I can do that with my personal gmail address, however not everybody has jumped on the Gmail train for our personal accounts. Some still use Yahoo, Hotmail etc. However, with our school e-mail address we are all on the same track.

  Another advantage of using Google Drive, is that teachers can track who are the delinquents in the group. You can also have evidence to show up those 'piggy backers' and ensure they get their deserving grade. This is how it works: Everyone who makes adjustments to the document is assigned a different colour. In order to see what the person did follow these steps:

• After the document has been edited go into 'File'

• Scroll down to 'See Revision History'

• A box will appear at the right hand side of the document. You will everybody's name, color assigned to them as well as time they edited. 

• Click on the person

• Scroll through the document to see where their colour is and that was what they did. 

  If you want a play by play:

• Go to the bottom of the box where you will see 'Show more detailed revisions'.

  NB: Ensure the box that says 'Show changes' is ticked before looking through the document.

  How easy projects can be if we just use our school email!! We complain semester after semester about people giving us a 6 for a 9 or just not doing anything at all. Here is a simple solution. A good question we should ask ourselves though is why lecturers do not utilise this service.

  We are always ready to blame COSTAATT but is it really COSTAATT's fault? If we do not utilise this simple service, would using social media make a difference?

  Who do you think is to blame in this case COSTAATT administration or the students?

  Leave your thoughts/suggestions below; we would love to hear from you.