Technology can certainly facilitate communication. Rather than having to call possibly hundreds of parents at the beginning of the year to initiate a relationship, a welcome letter can be posted to the website that is easy to access. In addition, classroom updates that you would like all parents to see can be posted on a class website. Grades can also be accessed on the website so that parents can access their child's grades and remain cognizant of how their child is progressing in your class. Technology can inhibit showing sincerity and warmth. Group messages on the website and grades posted do not convey the relationship that you have built with the student as much as a call home would.
Classroom websites are certainly useful tools. They can keep parents up to date on what is going on the classroom, what homework has been assigned that week, and when big tests are coming up. These things can be accessed any time the parent can access the internet rather than relying on communication via the student. What are some other promising and realistic technologies to use to communicate with parents?
There are many issues that arise because of technology use. First, privacy is a major concern for parents, students, and teachers alike. Classroom websites should be password protected and student grades should only be accessible for the parents of that student. In addition, student work and photos should only be posted with parent permission. Second, technology can erode professionalism if used incorrectly. Teachers should be wary of using Facebook, MySpace, and texting to communicate with their students. All of these can lead to the blurring of the lines between personal communication versus teacher-student communication. Third, technology access can be a problem for parents. Some parents may have limited access to the internet or very slow connections. Consideration of these issues should be taken when writing a web page. For example, web pages should be formatted for easy printing so that the parent does not have to be at the computer to read the information if they do not want to be or cannot be. There are many other issues and possible solutions; can you list some of them?
I thought the articles were very helpful. It was interesting to read about how to include parents in the classroom using technology. Having a tool for parents to access information would probably ensure more effective communication. Passing notes through students can cause breakdowns in communication, because some students have a habit of shoving teacher letters deep down into the abyss of their backpacks. I like the idea of using a website to keep in touch with parents. I do see the lack of personalization as a problem. By sending mass e-mails, the teacher does not create a relationship with the parents. It could appear the teacher is trying to simply placate parents.
ReplyDeleteTechnology does provide easy and realistic access to parents. I really liked what the first grade teacher did from North Carolina. She kept the parents informed, while using the summary as an educational tool for her students. My main fear in using technology creating a miss-communication. As a teacher, I do not want parents to misunderstand an e-mail or a posting. Since you cannot hear tone on the internet, parents may negatively read into a note. It is important to remember your audience when writing on the internet. You do not want to offend anyone.
When communicating with parents and guardians, it's crucial that you are open, honest, and show a genuine interest in the child's welfare. I too like the idea of posting a newsletter or class update online or they can be e-mailed directly to parents.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, there still remains the issue of access. Not everyone has a home computer and if they do, they might not be very tech-savvy. Our e-mails might get lost, deleted, or put in junk mail folders. Also, when writing we need to not only remember our audience as Kaitlin said, but we also need to monitor our language. When we post personal writing online we loose tone and words we may consider non-judgmental can come off as offensive.
Technology can certainly assist us in establishing a rapport with parents, but we shouldn't hide behind technology. There's no real replacement for a phone call or face-to-face meetings.
Technology has become a key part of our society. It would be natural to incorporate it in our communication with parents. The first article suggested the use of daily updates through the website. This would be a great idea for one of my classes where the students currently have a 'scribe notebook' where one student writes down the general outline of what happened in class, if there were any worksheets picked up, and if there were any assignments announced. If this were done electronically, a student who missed a day would be able view it immediately and not have to wait the next day to find out their missed content. While the use of technology to give announcements may be a good idea, I believe that parent-teacher conferences should remain a face-to-face meeting simply because parents need to get in the school and understand how their students are learning on a daily basis. Since there are so many young teachers, one article discusses the use of web-sharing sites such as myspace and facebook. The use of these by teachers should be closely controlled. I believe that teachers should either create a whole new profile that they only use with the students and parents, or they do not have it available to be seen by parents or students. The content of what is shared should also be controlled. It could be used in a great way to enhance a class simply by having students comment on how they think a class is going, or you could put a question as your status and have them respond to it, or they could simply use it to ask questions and have you or another student respond. The use of technology has both positives and negatives when it comes to communicating with both parents and students, but it does allow a great opportunity for creativity and connectedness
ReplyDeleteI think technology is a great way to interact with students' parents and guardians. I agree with how an initial phone call telling the parent their child is behaving poorly could be a huge turn-off for the parent. Using other forms of technology like email, could keep the parent from that feeling. At the same time though, if the parent has not met with you at Back to School night and you've never spoken, the parent may feel that email is a very anti-personal way of contacting them. There should be some sort of initial contact from the teacher, maybe even through the parent's signature on a syllabus, before teachers "take the liberty" of emailing. Some families or parents may not have internet access at home or a job that provides them with an email address, so the use of technology other than in-person or a phone call may not be possible.
ReplyDeleteAt Menchville High, my practicum placement in Newport News, they have something called "Parent Assist" which links the teachers' grades through the attendance program to allow parents/guardians to view their child's grades and progress online. It reduces the number of emails and phone calls parents make to teachers asking for progress reports and also makes the students directly responsible to their parents rather than having to get all of the teachers involved individually.
My main concern with all of this technology talk is what about the parents who may not be as involved with their student as maybe they should be? A lot of "technology" seems to hinge on the internet, which makes me nervous because I am placed in Newport News. I love the idea of teacher webpages. My CT has one and loads a copy of everything they do in class onto the website in case a student is absent, she won't have to re-print another handout. What happens when you can't even get a parent on the phone though, much less to email or meet with you?