Electronic mail is the sending of messages from one person to another using electronic technology. This paper discusses communication through a personal computer and the commercial electronic mail service. Basic information about the technology of electronic mail is provided, such as hardware and software, subscription and options of electronic mail services, and message or file processing. Education in remote rural Canada has benefited from electronic mail in several aspects: (1) for correspondence courses in distance education programs, interaction between the tutor and learner is enhanced due to the immediacy of the new technology; (2)convenience and privacy of communication are improved by using a personal computer at home; and (3) reasonable costs are affordable for students ($20 per year). Particularly, the learner-tutor relationship is improved. Because of the higher speed of the on-going dialogue (from weeks by post service to days by electronic mail, for a round-trip message), the student learns more actively and can share peers' ideas and experiences. Education switches from a teacher-centered mode to a learner-centered one, as students can learn independently of any class at a pace determined by them. Problems in communication may occur however, when the telephone system does not function well. Another problem is the poorly advertised electronic directory, which makes accessing subscribers' addresses difficult. (GGH)