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Email Basics

est. 60 - 90 min

 đŸ’Ą After this training:

  • The learner is able to explain the different uses of email.

👀 How to coordinate this training:


Things to note before this training

If people don't have an account, reserve time to create one beforehand or schedule a time to do this together during the training.

1. Exercise

Let's watch the video together or independently the video

Alternatively, you can show what email looks like on your computer and phone by explaining main features:

  • Login

  • Inbox

  • Different folders

  • How to send an email

2. Discussion

Let's discuss together how to use email:

  • What or which service do you use for your email account?

  • What different purposes do you use email for?

  • What is easy about using email?

  • What is difficult about using email?

  1. Exercise: Send an email

Write an email and send it to the trainer.

  1. Subject: "Hello" or "Greeting"

  2. To: trainer's email

  3. Message: Hello, here is the test message you requested during the training.

  4. Regards, First name Last name

  1. Additional Exercise

  • Add a CC or Bcc recipient to the message. Find out what these terms mean. https://youtu.be/ZnSfEklfo34?feature=shared

  • Add an attachment to the message, such as a document or screenshot, or a CV if the learner has one. Ensure it doesn't include sensitive information such as a personal identity code.

  • Create a signature for your email and add it to the message.



Materials needed:

Computer đŸ’»

Mobile phone đŸ“Č

Email account ✉



✹ Digital skills training about emailing


Gmail

Video language 🇬🇧 It's a long video, so you can check for relevant sections or get inspiration on how to demonstrate in the course.



Microsoft Outlook

Video language 🇬🇧


Materials in English 🇬🇧

  • Tutorial with videos and texts 🇬🇧 and available in more languages Outlook tutorial by Microsoft

  • Presentation Slides and Notes for Presentation 🇬🇧 Learn to use email (Digidel)

    Email is one of the most important functions in today's society. Without e-mail, there are few places on the internet where you can register as a user or order goods. Here, there are two different courses - one for Gmail and one for Outlook. Please note that some contents are based in Norway, but you can use slides and notes to get some tips on demonstrating and explaining this topic.

Materials in Finnish đŸ‡«đŸ‡ź

Demonstration and exercise tips 💡

1. Creating an email address

Go to Gmail or Outlook

  • Trainer: Open a browser.

  • Learners: Everyone goes to the browser and opens the site.


Start the sign-up form

  • Trainer: Click Create account → For myself.

  • Learners: Fill in:

    • First name

    • Last name

    • Username (close to real name, no spaces, avoid special letters; add numbers/dots if name taken).


Create a password

  • Trainer: “Password = at least 8 characters, with a mix of letters, numbers, or symbols.”

  • Learners: Type password → Confirm password → Next.

  • Tip: If “passwords don’t match,” retype slowly.


Add details

  • Learners:

    • Enter birthday (month, day, year).

    • Select gender.

    • Add phone number (for account recovery).

    • Optional: add another email for recovery.


Agree to terms & finish

  • Learners: Scroll down → click I agree.

  • Trainer explains about email, it looks like username@XXX.com


2. Logging in & out

  • Trainers:

    • show In Inbox, click your profile (top right) → Sign out.

    • Share about security concern: “Always sign out on shared computers.”

  • Learners: Practice signing out and back in twice (enter email + password, then Sign in).

  • Check also the mobile version: Make sure learners can access email from their mobile device as well.


3. Sending an email

Start a new message

  • Trainers: Click Compose and explain the components of writing an email.

  • Learners:

    1. In To: type trainer’s address (written on board).

    2. In Subject: type “Test”.

    3. In message box: write short greeting (start with “Hi”, end with “Regards”).

    4. Click Send.

  • Trainer action: Reply to each participant


4. Opening emails

  • Trainer: Explain inbox list (bold = unread, numbers show new messages).

  • Learners: Click trainer’s reply to open it.


5. Replying to emails

  • Trainer: Explain how to reply to an email

  • Learners: Open trainer's reply and type a short reply → Send.


6. Wrap-up

  • Trainer: Go through the steps you did in this lesson to recap what we learned, such as creating an email address, logging in/out, sending, opening, and replying.

  • Remind: Always sign out on shared devices.

  • Encourage learners to use email regularly.

  • You can share the training materials with learners via email.


Quick Troubleshooting

  • Username taken → add dot, number, or initial.

  • Password not working → must be 8+ characters with mix; retype slowly.

  • Can’t find Compose → look top-left.

  • Email won’t send → check address spelling.

  • Screen too small → zoom in (Ctrl/Cmd + +).

Open Badge: Communication and services

Discover how to use this training material together with other themes to help learners earn the Open Badge.

Badges allow learners to demonstrate the skills they have gained and showcase their achievements. Learn more by clicking the button below.



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