"maths-gcse-a" is being set up to provide a forum for mathematics teachers at secondary level. Messages sent to the list may cover the following topics (this list is far from exhaustive):
- syllabuses at GCSE and at A-level
- use of IT: software and hardware
- announcements from examination boards
- announcements of INSET and other courses
- sites of interest on the internet.
The list is intended to promote discussion and relies entirely on contributions from subscribers. It is run on the server at Felsted School using the mailing list manager Majordomo. You do not need to understand how Majordomo works, but you do need to know how to add yourself to the list (and later to remove yourself) and how to post a message to the group.
To subscribe
Send the message:
subscribe maths-gcse-a
To: majordomo@felsted.rmplc.co.uk
This one-line message is placed in the body of the email. The subject line is ignored and may be left blank. Remember that your email is going to Majordomo, not to a human, so you need to get it exactly right.
When you send the "subscribe" message, you will receive a confirmation request. Follow the instructions precisely. Once the confirmation has been received by Majordomo you will be added to the list of subscribers and you will be sent a welcome message that should be saved for future reference. If you have any problems subscribing, send an email to the list owner: pgs@felsted.rmplc.co.uk who will then subscribe you manually.
To unsubscribe
Send the message:
unsubscribe maths-gcse-a
To: majordomo@felsted.rmplc.co.uk
To post a message
Send your email
To: maths-gcse-a@felsted.rmplc.co.uk
When you post a message, include a short subject line (I would suggest a maximum of 20 characters). When you receive a message, the subject will be preceded by "maths-gcse-a", making messages from the list easy to spot when you read your mail.
Replying to a message
When replying to a message that somebody else has posted, think carefully about whether you want your reply to go to everybody on the list, or just to the sender. The default on the list has been set for replies to go to the whole list so as to promote discussion - if you want to send a personal reply, make sure you delete the "maths-gcse-a@felsted.rmplc.co.uk" address from the headers of your reply.
Spams and Flames
Spam is the email equivalent of junk mail - unsolicited advertising. A flame is an abusive message. Mailing lists are often afflicted by such undesirable messages. Majordomo can be set to give the list owner various levels of control over the list. The setting for "maths-gcse-a" enable anybody to subscribe to the list (including potential advertisers and abusers) and follow the discussion, but messages sent to the list will be checked by the list owner to ensure that the contents are suitable for distribution. This is not an attempt to limit the scope of the discussions, nor to correct your English, but is done to ensure that spam and flames do not get distributed to the subscribers. Regular contributors to the discussion will be granted "privileged user" status and will be able to post to all subscribers without having their message checked first by the list owner.
The list is still in its infancy and had 24 subscribers on 18 May 1998.
Any views expressed are my own and not those of "Felsted School".
Paul Statter
May 1998