At the very beginning of the course the IT Trainer must make the senior students aware of the importance of having an e-mail account. It is a prerequisite for almost every online operation: the use of social networking, creation of accounts in electronic applications, websites, web-banking, sending and receiving important documentation, asking for appointments with different governmental and non-governmental institutions, communicating with their doctor, participating on social media, reading the press, shopping, hobbies, online entertaining channels, and other things that are important to them.
It would be easier to find ways to motivate and work with students of similar IT background, age, interests, hobbies and therefore having homogeneous groups would be ideal.
There are several e-mail platforms available and user friendly such as Hotmail, Yahoo, Microsoft Outlook, etc, but Gmail could be suggested as a great email platform for seniors because, with a Gmail account, they have access to several Google services, such as YouTube, Google Drive, and Google Docs. Setting up a Gmail account is quite easy; managing it, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. With all email platforms, there are a few daily tasks seniors should know how to do. However, seniors should monitor their email accounts closely.
The most important part of an e-mail account is the password. IT Trainers should show them on how to find a robust password by using capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. However, they must choose a password that’s easy to remember and then write it down and keep it safe.
Gmail provides users with its two-step verification with which you get a unique code texted to your phone or device. You must enter this code after your username and password in order to log in.
In addition to making sure their accounts are locked tight to deter hackers, seniors should continuously monitor their Gmail or other accounts for scammers. These daily tasks will keep them on track.
Activity 4.1: Suggestions on what to teach on electronic mail
Objectives: Explain to the trainers our suggestions and listen to theirs. Work with the content by taking into account the characteristics of our future students.
Duration: 60 minutes
IT Trainers group size: 10 maximum
Contents:
- Creating an e-mail account.
- Sending and receiving emails.
- Sending and opening attachments.
- Opening and organizing folders.
- Saving information.
- Security and confidentiality measures in the custody or sending of information.
- Internal and external communication procedures by email.
- Email address book.
As a first step, a concise presentation of the most important e-mail companies (Yahoo, Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.) could be made (if it doesn´t cause confusion) and the students could select the one that seems the easiest to them.
The trainers might suggest that Gmail is the most common and easy one and moreover it is connected to Google browsers.
Choosing a password safe and easy to remember is a challenge for everyone but not impossible.
It is essential to try with the students all the steps they learn during the course. Repetition is the main part of the learning process.
Seniors group size: 6 maximum, ideally 4
Equipment: Internet access, cannon, computers / tablets / smartphones, whiteboard, sheets of paper, writing utensils, Moodle platform or other, notes with the module information, comfortable chairs and table.
