Erin White

EDU 225
October 4, 2014
Brian Clark
Introduction: (www.mrswhitesworms.weebly.com )
Parent involvement is an essential part o chil!ren"s e!#cation an! a paper an! pencil are no
lon$er nee!e! or comm#nication% &s important as it is some teachers still in! that
comm#nication 'ith parents can be ver( !iic#lt% )n or!er to tr( an! $et more parents involve!
man( e!#cators have be$an implementin$ !ierent orms o comm#nication% Beca#se more an!
more people are #sin$ technolo$( as a orm o comm#nication in their !ail( lives man(
e!#cators are #sin$ classroom 'ebsites, email, classroom te*t messa$in$, an! also !ierent
smart phone apps%
Technology to Enhance Communication
(Classroom Website): +he inte$ration o technolo$( in e!#cation is chan$in$ ever(!a( an!
the 'a( e!#cators comm#nicate 'ith st#!ents an! parents is also chan$in$ !rasticall(% & $reat
'a( to be able to comm#nicate 'ith parents an! st#!ents is b( creatin$ a class 'ebsite% +eachers
can #se the 'ebsite to list #pcomin$ assi$nments or more inormation abo#t an assi$nment an!
also have calen!ar 'ith important !ates or parents to remember% +he 'ebsite can also be #se!
as a link s to man( $reat reso#rces s#ch as ,o#+#be vi!eos, po'er point presentation an! $ames
that the st#!ents can #se to sta( en$a$e! an! active in their classroom% -ore teachers have
!oc#ment cameras available to #se so this can easil( be #se! post home'ork an! !ail( class
'ork so parents are able to see 'hat has been covere! an! this can be ver( beneicial i a st#!ent
has misse! a e' !a(s o school% .ome school s(stems #se a co#nt( 'i!e 'ebsite that parents
can lo$ in an! keep track o their chil!/s $ra!es an! a link can be provi!e! thro#$h the classroom
'ebsite to allo' parents to #se% ) #se! the #llest, the 'ebsite is a $reat orm o comm#nication
an! allo's the st#!ents an! parents to ollo' an! monitor assi$nments, $ra!es, an! !ail(
activities%
(Text messaging): While havin$ a classroom 'ebsite is ver( beneicial it !oes take a lot o
'ork or the teacher to make s#re ever(thin$ is #p to !ate an! then it also re0#ires commitment
rom the parents to make s#re an! lo$ in% &nother $reat orm o comm#nication is te*t
messa$in$ an! is m#ch easier or some% -ost people comm#nicate !ail( thro#$h te*t messa$in$
b#t bein$ #se! in a classroom can have iss#es that $o alon$ 'ith it% .t#!ents or parents have to
$ive their n#mber to the teacher an! this can become a saet( an! privac( iss#e 1Bobbitt, 20123
Beca#se o this man( teachers have be$an #sin$ 4emin!101% )t is a $reat an! sae tool to #se
that !oes allo' the teacher to sta( in to#ch 'ith parents% )t is ree or the teacher an! eas( or
ever(one to #se% 4emin!101 keeps phone n#mbers hi!!en an! onl( !ispla(s the name so that
the teacher kno's% +eachers are 0#ite b#s( so this allo's the teacher to set #p te*t messa$in$
an! pick the !ates the( 'ant them sent o#t an! since most people have a smart phone this can be
!one rom an('here% +e*t messa$in$ is #se! b( ever(one an! #sin$ this is a $reat an! sae 'a(
or the teacher to sen! o#t remin!ers an! inormation%
(Emailing): +echnolo$( has became s#ch an essential part o o#r ever(!a( lives an! most
people have an email acco#nt that the( #se on a !ail( basis% People #se it or man( thin$s s#ch
as sta(in$ #p to !ate 'ith the ne's or to sta( in to#ch 'ith amil( an! rien!s so #sin$ email to
be able to comm#nicate 'ith teacher, parent, or st#!ent can be ver( beneicial% Emailin$ is ver(
convenient an! ver( cost eicient beca#se it is ree% -ost people have smart phones so the( can
#se it rom most an('here% ) the parent or teacher 'ant to sen! inormation an! it is not not
important the( can sen! a messa$e an! it is not essential to $et a response ri$ht a'a(, emailin$ is
a $reat orm o comm#nication% +eachers can #se email to also sen! o#t inormation relatin$ to
the class abo#t #pcomin$ home'ork, special !ates, or i the( have a 0#estion abo#t a partic#lar
st#!ent% 5ot onl( is email $reat or teachers an! parents b#t it is $reat or st#!ents as 'ell
!epen!in$ on their a$e% ) a$e appropriate then the st#!ent can email the teacher i the( have
0#estions abo#t an assi$nment or nee! inormation relate! to a class% 6or e*ample, email
has been #se! to acilitate class activities, mentorin$ activities an! collaborative 'ork 1Chan-in,
20073% Email can also be #se! to connect 'ith other people aro#n! the 'orl! an! share
inormation% .t#!ents can #se it to orm a connection 'ith other st#!ents aro#n! the 'orl! an!
learn abo#t their c#lt#re% Emailin$ is so 'i!el( #se in o#r ever(!a( lives that bein$ able to
incorporate in o#r comm#nication 'ith st#!ents, teachers, an! parents 'ill allo' #s to $et
inormation at a aster pace than beore%
(Social Medial): .ocial -e!ia has became ver( pop#lar amon$st people no matter their $en!er
or a$e% -an( people #se social me!ia 'ebsites to sta( connecte! to rien!s an! amil( an! some
#se to help promote their b#siness% &mon$st most o the social me!ia 'ebsites ) think that
acebook is probabl( the most pop#lar an! i #se! correctl( it can be a $reat comm#nication tool%
.ince most parents have some t(pe o acebook acco#nt teachers co#l! #se this to create a
private $ro#p pa$e 8#st or the class%% +eachers can post pict#res o their st#!ents thro#$ho#t the
!a( or 'eek an! #ploa! important !ates or events on the 'all or the parents to see% +eachers
an! st#!ents, i the( are the appropriate a$e, can also post 0#estions, comments, or even share
pict#res on the class 'all as 'ell% .ocial me!ia also allo's #s to connect 'ith other st#!ents an!
teachers aro#n! the 'orl!% Bein$ connecte! 'ith others aro#n! the 'orl! can allo' #s to teach
o#r st#!ents or even other teachers abo#t the !ierent c#lt#res aro#n! the 'orl!% We can learn
an! teach o#r st#!ents abo#t other areas o the 'orl! an! ho' the( learn an! also ho' the( live%
.ince man( parents an! st#!ents have some sort o social me!ia acco#nt it is a tool that can
allo' #s to comm#nicate ast an! eectivel( 'ith man( people%
Communication Internet Security and Saety:
&s an e!#cator ) 'ant to make s#re that the parents an! st#!ents kno' ho' important it
is to #se internet saet( 'hen comm#nicatin$ 'ith each other% &s teachers 'e sho#l! al'a(s #se
o#r !iscretion 'hen tr(in$ to choose a comm#nication tool in o#r classroom 1Coombs, 20103% )n
m( #t#re classroom ) 'ant to make s#re an! have the parents an! also the st#!ents a'are o all
the !an$ers that can come alon$ 'ith #sin$ the internet b( sen!in$ home inormation an! also
havin$ ever(one si$n a orm statin$ that the( are a'are an! #n!erstan!% 6or an( school or
teacher that #ses the internet sec#rit( threats are becomin$ more an! more !an$ero#s so
thereore it is ver( important that 'e e!#cate o#r st#!ents on internet saet( an! help them
#n!erstan! 'hat is ri$ht an! 'ron$% ) 'ant to be able incorporate all these $reat comm#nication
tools so the most important thin$ is to make s#re ever(one is on the same pa$e an! #ll(
#n!erstan!s ho' beneicial the( can be i #se! correctl(%
Concluding !aragra"h
)n e!#cation to!a( 'e have man( !ierent 'a(s to comm#nicate 'ith st#!ents, teachers,
an! parents beca#se o the a!vancement in technolo$(% )t has ma!e it some'hat easier to keep
ever(one inorme! an! #p to !ate on 'hat is $oin$ on in the classroom% -ore an! more people
are be$innin$ to #se technolo$( an! ) believe that teachers sho#l! be$in to incorporate these in
their classroom an! comm#nicatin$ 'ith parents an! st#!ents%
4eerences
Bobbit, 4%, )nman, 4%, 9 Bertran!, E 120123% Usin$ 4emin! 101 as a classroom:
Comm#nication +ool% NACTA Journal, 57143, ;;<;7%
Chan-in, =% 120073% Usin$ email to enable e21eective, eicient, an! en$a$in$3 learnin$%
Distance Education, 29123, 17;<1>7, !oi:10%1070?0157;>10702154>77
Coombs, D%, @eite A%, 9 Brierson, .% 120103 Openin$ Pan!ora"s Bo*: .ocial 5et'orks )n the
Classroom o 2010% Kentucky English ulletin, 59123, 14<17%