Electronic mail is, today, probably the most powerful way of connecting people and making each and every one of us, its users, feel closely linked to the rest of the World. It is an equally powerful way to get students in touch with the world(s) outside the classroom and to help them ". . . discover the basic humanity they share with people around the globe" (Heide and Stilborne 18).

My use of the Internet for professional research and of email both for personal communication and to develop student exchange projects has led me to value 'the mother of all networks' much more as a communication medium than an information medium. By no means undervaluing its immense and extremely convenient potential for updated information – unbeatable, indeed! –, it is effectively in the field of communications that the Internet has had its greatest impact. Giving the common person access to practically anyone, whether in a remote or neighboring corner of the World, is probably one the greatest 'peaceful' revolutions ever. Allowing students the possibility to meet other students, teachers, experts or common people, and to know other cultures directly through the click of the mouse, will have a tremendous effect on the learning process and positive effects on their future as working people.

I believe that the potential the Internet and its tools hold for Education is still in its infancy and that its future is difficult to predict. Though much has been achieved, certainly much more is still to come. And that will inevitably depend on the will and determination of the teachers. We, as teachers of the 21^st century, need to seize the future, today. We need to structure our daily activity in order to involve more project-based work, more collaborative work, otherwise I feel we will partly fail in preparing students for their future active life. I couldn't agree more with my email friend, Mark Warschauer, when he suggests that "most pedagogical frameworks currently practiced or advocated are insufficient to allow students to develop the advanced communication skills required in the 21^st century. . . What we need. . . is project-based learning, with students having the opportunity to engage in learner-centered collaborative projects, working together with their classmates and with others around the world, using a variety of technological means. These kinds of projects can nurture the kind of autonomous learning required for 21^st century success" (9). I sincerely hope they will also nurture more understanding, tolerance and solidarity, essential factors for a better and more peaceful World.

A cultural exchange is a form of project work based on a 'give and take' of information, ideas, knowledge, experiences, even sources and resources, between people or groups. It can be a simple or complex activity, depending on the objectives set out, carried out in practically any discipline and with any age level.

Among its main objectives, I include:

• the opening up of new and different horizons, perspectives and visions;

• the broadening of general knowledge; and,

• contact with other people and/or peoples, and cultures.

But a cultural exchange can also help develop a deeper knowledge of a subject matter; produce first-hand, direct and updated information; and allow students to arrive at similarities and differences, eventually at 'unity in diversity'.

To a greater or lesser extent, cultural exchanges have been a part of the learning process for quite some time. So what's special, attractive or motivating about an email cultural exchange? Why does it cause such excitement among students and teachers? Is it any different from the other cultural exchanges?

The word email by itself has a 'magic' touch that is powerful enough to attract students. Why? Well, even though they may not know much about this tool, or may never even have worked with it, at least they know it has to do with computers. And that is certainly enough to stimulate the senses of most of them. In fact, my experience has taught me that, in any activity related to computers, motivation, the first ingredient to a successful teaching-learning experience, is practically unnecessary.

An email cultural exchange, then, is basically the same thing as a cultural exchange developed through snail mail, but with a very special added attraction – the innovative medium. A medium that, at the start, benefits from two very powerful factors - ubiquity and informality.

But I ask: Is email really as accessible and ubiquitous as we may think, or be led to think? Hardly, as yet. According to the United Nations Development Program for 1999, there will be an estimated 700 million Internet users by 2001, close to 10% of the world's population. However, we all know that the digital divide is a reality and, unfortunately, a reality that may tend to increase rather than reduce with time. Thus, in my opinion, what we are currently experiencing is merely an apparent and illusive sensation that computers, the Internet and email are everywhere and accessible to everyone, probably because we, the privileged 'haves', already have access to far more people than we will ever be able to cope with or probably need. Nevertheless, and in spite of all this, email undoubtedly holds a very significant place in the world of communications, with its current level of accessibility being a key advantage in numerous fields, including our own field of Education.

With regard to the informality of email, I believe it is a major advantage. Speaking for myself, but also bearing in mind the numerous accounts I've read of people who share my feelings, all I can say is that I would never dare pick up the phone and call the unknown writer of an article or book I truly enjoyed reading, just to make a few nice comments or ask for help. I might fax the person. But I would never hesitate in sending an email. In fact, I never have, because, from the very first time I used email, I felt it to be a very friendly and informal means.

As yet, no other learning tool is comparable to electronic mail and to its potential for communication, exchanging information, knowledge and ideas on an informal basis with unknown people, peers, friends, family, common people, professionals, mentors - whoever! The contacts, ideas, suggestions and help I would have missed had I not adopted it a few years ago! It has certainly opened up my horizons! On the other hand, it is an extremely flexible and versatile means of communication, because files of any type - text, graphics, video and audio - can be attached to the message on order to better illustrate, emphasize, diversify or enhance the information being interchanged.

But there are other features that give this extraordinary tool a clear advantage over others we use. Speed is the first benefit that comes to my mind. Messages flow back and forth at the 'speed of light', merely depending on the availability of the sender and receiver. This is certainly a stimulating factor for our students who, as young people of their time, are always looking forward to instant results. Immediacy is another. As the time period between sending and receiving is generally very short, everything happens, or seems to happen, 'at once', 'just-in-time'.

Moreover, a greater sense of 'closeness' between sender and receiver results from its informality, speed and immediacy. As is probably the case with many of you, I have never met face-to-face with most of the people I contact with, but, curiously, I often get the feeling that we've known each other personally for some time.

Additional advantages are cost effectiveness – it is an extremely cheap means of communication, especially for long distances; user-friendliness – it is very simple to use; and convenience – we can send messages or check our mailbox whenever and practically wherever we want to, without disturbing the receiver(s) or being constantly disturbed ourselves. In this sense, there is also a certain feeling of privacy that does not characterize the phone or the fax.

Looking back at all the features of email, then, we can easily see that it has considerable benefits not only for the learning process when compared to other means, but also for the students. Its user-friendliness, speed and immediacy fascinate them at once, so they take to it very easily, even when time 'off line' is maximized and they don't get a chance to use it extensively. The mere fact that they may be writing and sending messages once a week, or every two weeks, and receiving messages from their partners, is enough to keep them highly motivated.

So, for the teacher who has already taken to email, I believe his/her next step is to think of effective and meaningful ways of integrating it into the curriculum. There are several possibilities, depending on the objectives laid out and the discipline(s) involved. From the students' point of view, it can be used for interactions with experts, colleagues and teachers the world over; or for exercises in writing with a follow-up of peer or expert analysis and critique, including corrections and/or suggestions for change. It can also be used to carry out surveys and correspondence between keypals; to collect and share information, findings and experiences on a national or international scale; or to collaborate on projects. These activities not only help develop positive attitudes such as cooperation, tolerance and solidarity, but also help foster an appreciation for cultural diversity. According to Ann Heide and Linda Stilborne, "[w]hen students communicate with people in distant and foreign places, they begin to understand, appreciate and respect cultural, political, geographic, and linguistic similarities and differences. Their view of the world and their place in the world changes" (10). Their view of the world becomes more realistic and much more comprehensive, I would add. Hopefully, mutual understanding will develop, as I previously mentioned.

In terms of language learning, I have found that exchanges between two classes are very useful and motivating. Useful, because students develop their writing and reading skills in the foreign language in an enjoyable, natural and almost unconscious way. Motivating, because they do something different, something they enjoy and relate to, and they communicate genuinely with peers in a different part of the planet. And don't we all know from experience that authentic communication is often difficult to come by in everyday class?

On the other hand, exchanges are simultaneously useful and motivating, because students learn to use a new tool that most certainly will be an integral part of their working world. And they learn to use it in a natural environment, linked to the curriculum and to something they are themselves producing, in other words, it is not in the textbook. Furthermore, when there is the added attraction of publishing their work on the Web, both the enthusiasm and the care put into the end product increase significantly. Despite the demand for both students and teacher concerning extra workload and commitment, these exchanges are a very rewarding activity not only because they enhance human relationships and understanding, but because they also generate a special closeness between teacher(s) and students, very healthy for the learning process.

Speaking of English, it is curious to point out that "[b]y the year 2,000, an estimated one and a half billion people – a quarter of the world's population – will speak English" (Geary 6). For some 400 million, mainly living in the UK and the US, English will be their first language. For the remainder 1.1 billion, it will be their second or third language, essential for their professional and personal lives. At present, three-quarters of the world's mail and 80% of email on the Internet are in English. "There has never been a language spoken by so many people in so many places," emphasizes Professor David Crystal (6).

No wonder the spread of English to so many different parts of the World, especially among non-native speakers, has caused the emergence of 'New Englishes'. Yes, English has been changed and adapted into different varieties and forms in order to suit regional needs, forms which contain words not recognizable by native speakers, as is already the case in parts of Asia, Australia, the Caribbean and South Africa.

In addition, English is the lingua franca of the European Union, where "[o]ne in three [Europeans] now speaks English well enough to get along in conversation" ("Euro-tongues wag in English" 6). Thus, a likely scenario for the future of the English language may well be what Professor Crystal defines as ". . . the emergence of a regionally neutral conversational English for international use, with each country retaining its own national variations" (Geary 6).

But whatever the future of the language that has brought us together for three wonderful days in this beautiful 'World heritage' Alentejo town, one of our foremost tasks as teachers of English is to motivate our students to learn it as interestingly as possible. What better way to "mix business with pleasure" than to have them use their genuine knowledge of the language while improving it in a meaningful and fun way through the use of technology? What better way to enhance the learning process than to develop email-based projects or exchanges in order to give students the opportunity to interact with peers, learn about other cultures, peoples, ways of living and thinking, traditions and customs, while using authentic language as best as they can?

There are many basic guidelines to bear in mind when designing and implementing email-based projects or exchanges. I will highlight the following:

• be in command of the equipment and software before introducing them to the class;

• choose a curriculum-based project that will benefit from the technology being used;

• give 'meaning' to the project and to structure its objectives, tasks and expected outcomes very carefully;

• choose a catchy title;

• start small and build on experience;

• write a clear and concise 'call for collaboration';

• set clear beginning and finishing dates, as well as deadlines for the different tasks or phases, and to stick to them;

• reduce time 'on line' to the minimum;

• break the ice by having the participants introduce themselves before starting their real work;

• keep regular contact with all the participants;

• emphasize the need to keep a record of everything;

• share the results with everyone involved and, if possible, with a wider audience - the school, the parents, the community, the Web; and,

• send 'thank you' messages to everyone at the end of the project.

Due to lack of time, I confess I have always been very unconventional, because I have never asked my students for suggestions about the theme, title or contents of any of the exchanges. However, on both occasions I did present the group with the complete layout, and made a point to discuss it openly with them. Both projects were curriculum-based and enthusiastically approved by everyone involved. The implementation details and the more or less rigid deadlines were previously dealt with between me and my colleague, whom I had met through email. How else?

The broad objectives were basically the same for both projects:

• promote cultural and social contact between different and distant communities;

• encourage exchanges of experiences and share traditions that can lead to a better knowledge and understanding of one another;

• broaden linguistic competences in the foreign language;

• integrate new communication technologies in the learning process;

• publish the project on the Web, making the students both producers and publishers of information; and,

• provide a wider and genuine audience for the students' work.

Among the objectives specifically related to learning a foreign language, I included:

• improving the students' language competence;

• stimulating the writing process in the foreign language;

• improving the students' reading comprehension;

• encouraging the pleasure of reading and writing.

Why opt for an email cultural exchange rather than a 'snail mail' cultural exchange? Most of what I have said until now seems to me to explain and justify the choice. Think of the advantages I mentioned, and you will find most of the answers. Ann Heide and Linda Stilborne, whose view I share, put it very clearly: to educate a child born into a world of instant information, and used to the immediacy of everyday life, using only the traditional tools, is inadequate (8). "In fact, schools must change continually to accommodate the society in which they operate. . . Because information [and communication] technolog[ies] [are] currently the driving force in our culture and our economy, it is time to incorporate [them] into the curriculum in a meaningful way" (9). Integrating new technologies naturally and seamlessly into the curriculum, when appropriate, is undoubtedly one fascinating means to achieve the desired end.

But there is more to email than its motivating power and educational results. There is one other extremely relevant advantage in the medium/long run: email as a tool to develop what Pat Maier et al. call transferable skills, that is, "general skills relevant to the world of work" (11), among them:

• writing and using media (communication skills);

• team work (group work skills);

• autonomy and self-confidence (personal skills);

• interviewing (interpersonal skills); and,

• using a communication medium (IT skills).

Learning to use email effectively, whether individually or in groups, is undoubtedly a transferable skill that will give students the ability not only to work independently or collaboratively, thus gaining autonomy and self-confidence, but also to turn the computer into a means of communication, a tool and a resource.

What are we waiting for? Let's seize the future, today! Let's integrate a simple and powerfully motivating tool into our curriculum, and get on with the show! After all, isn't acting an integral part of our everyday experience in the classroom?

Thank you.

Évora, 30 October 1999

References

• "Euro-tongues wag in English". Authentically English. Mar. 1998: 6-7.

• Geary, James. "Sowing the Seeds of Speech". Authentically English Mar. 1998: 6.

• Heide, Ann, e Linda Stilborne. The Teacher's Complete & Easy Guide to the Internet. New York: Teachers College Press, 1998.

• Maier, Pat et al. Using Technology in Teaching and Learning. London: Kogan Page, 1998.

• Warschauer, Mark. "Millennialism and Media: Language, Literacy, and Technology in the 21^st Century." Keynote address. World Congress of Applied Linguistics. Tokyo: Aug. 1999.