One of the key differences between messages and e-mails is the student's ability to see the history of their communication about a course. When you send an e-mail from Blackboard, that e-mail is sent to a student's e-mail account. This e-mail now exists outside of Blackboard. Even if the student is no longer enrolled in the course or if the course is closed, the student can refer back to his/her personal e-mail archive. When you send a message using Blackboard's message feature, the message exists only in that course. If the student is no longer enrolled in the course or if the course is closed, the student will not be able to retrieve the message. This can be a factor when deciding whether to use e-mail, or messages, to communicate with your students.
Announcements are useful when you want a message to have an expiration date. You can use them to remind students of upcoming events and deadlines.
In the next chapter, you will learn how to use Blackboard Collaborate to conduct live...