Communicating

With the advent of the Internet, computers became excellent communication devices. Today computer-based communication programs range in complexity from basic text e-mail to online video conferencing. Your child will most likely learn to use e-mail, but may also be required to master more advanced computing skills.

Select a question below to learn more about communication. Use the navigation to the left to learn about other general technology uses.

1. How are computers used for communication?
2. What kinds of computer programs do children use to communicate?
3. What are some of the popular e-mail and instant messaging programs?
4. Does it cost money to send e-mail?
5. Will my child be required to have an e-mail account?
6. Should I have an e-mail account?
7. Where can I learn to use e-mail, instant messaging, etc.?
8. Is e-mail private?

What are some popular e-mail and instant messaging programs?

Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, and Microsoft Outlook Express are all popular e-mail programs. To find out more about Hotmail, visit http://hotmail.com. To learn about Yahoo! Mail, visit https://login.yahoo.com/config/mail?.intl=us. In addition to the foregoing programs, Macintosh users also have the option of subscribing to the email services of http://www.mac.com. AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger are all widely used instant messenger services used by both PC and Mac users. To explore AOL's Instant Messenger go to: http://www.aim.com/index.adphttp://www.aim.com/index.adp. To explore Microsoft's Instant Messenger go to: http://messenger.msn.com.

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