4 Ways To Connect With Parents Via Texting

By Lisa Nielsen

Building the home-school connection is important for all school staff, but few realize the power of the tool in their pocket. Even if they don’t have Internet access, most parents have access to cell phones. However, in many cases, most simply use their phone as a calling and texting device. It’s time to change that! There is so much more you can do with free and easy-to-use resources that will help you coordinate and connect with parents in powerful and exciting ways.

1.  Mass texting

Services like Remind101 provide a safe, one-way, mass text messaging system created specifically for use in education. It keeps your phone number, and the phone numbers of your subscribers private, stores all of your sent messages, and it’s free to use. Once the school’s parent coordinator signs up and creates a parent list, parents are able to sign up with one text or e-mail. Because of the convenience of sending messages directly to phones, Remind101 is a perfect tool for announcements and reminders such as school holidays, school events, photo days, fundraising events, testing days and more.

Places like New York City public schools are using  Mobile Commons, another mass texting service to keep families informed with text messages in English or Spanish throughout the school year. Mayor Michael Bloomberg touted the program as a crucial step in “doing more to make sure parents have the information they need to help their children succeed — even when they are on the go.”


2. ClassPager
Connect with parents and engage students with polls, exit tickets, event reminders and more using ClassPager. ClassPager allows parents and students to use their own devices (phones, tablets, laptops or other computers) to respond to questions or surveys that the teachers designs with simple text messaging. Questions can be both open response and multiple choice.

Amar Vedi, an algebra and statistics teacher at Vance High School in North Carolina, uses ClassPager to assign homework, send out reminders, share links to educational videos and answer questions. In many cases, this is sent not only to the students, but to the parents as well to keep them apprised of what is taking place in his classroom.


3. Twitter
Anyone (in the U.S.) can receive tweets on their phone even if they haven’t signed up for Twitter. This is a simple way for people to get information they care about in real time. For example, let’s say you want to get tweets from New York City Schools (@NYCSchools). Just text ‘follow NYCSchools’ to 40404.
It doesn’t have to stop with following your school district. Schools, principals and even teachers can set up Twitter accounts to keep parents connected to the latest information.  Locke Elementary School in Chicago uses it to great effect.


4. Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere provides a terrific way to capture the thoughts, ideas and opinions of parents. Simply set up a multiple choice or free response poll, text parents the code, and have them text their answers like they do on shows such as “American Idol.”
Principal Eric Sheninger of New Milford High School in New Jersey suggests using Poll Everywhere during back-to-school nights. He says it’s a great way to elicit feedback during budget presentations or to secure real-time input on school initiatives.

Laura Spencer, an instructional technology coordinator for a K-8 school district in San Diego suggests quizzing students on topics taught in school with a twist. She also sends the messages to parents. She explains that students enjoy comparing their responses to their parents’, and this gives parents a deeper insight into what is happening during the school day.

Maine school board member Lisa Cooley suggests using Poll Everywhere to provide data about parent opinion to inform school board decisions. For example, ask how they felt about a recent school event, a new facility, the holiday homework, or a new curriculum.

So, what do you think? Could some of these resources be help build home-school connections where you work? Which ideas do you think will be successful or have you experienced as being successful? Are there challenges or concerns that are getting in the way of you implementing some of these ideas? If so, what are they?


Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997 and is the author of “Teaching Generation Text: Using Cell Phones to Enhance Learning” and The Innovative Educator blog.

Apa Yang Anda Perlu Tahu Tentang 1BestariNet Yes ID

Apakah itu projek 1BestariNet?

1BestariNet adalah projek yang diinisiatifkan oleh Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (KPM) dan dilaksanakan dengan kerjasama YTL Communications. Di bawah projek ini, sebanyak 10,000 buah sekolah rendah dan menengah di Malaysia akan dilengkapkan dengan akses Internet 4G berkelajuan tinggi dan platform pembelajaran maya, yang menyediakan sambungan Internet yang laju dan boleh dipercayai serta akses kepada Penyelesaian Pembelajaran Bersepadu bertaraf dunia yang dikenali sebagai Frog VLE. Ketahui lebih lanjut tentang 1BestariNet di sini. 

Panduan Pelaksanaan Rintis Pemantapan Profesion Guru (PPG) Di Melaka

Muat turun Garis Panduan Pelaksanaan Rintis Pemantapan Profesion Guru (PPG) di sini

FROG Virtual Learning Environment

Frog adalah Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) yang dipilih bagi projek 1BestariNet. Frog mempunyai fungsi sebagai komuniti pembelajaran bagi seluruh warga sekolah.

Persekitaran pembelajaran maya Frog, atau VLE ialah satu sistem pembelajaran berdasarkan jaringan yang menyerupai pembelajaran dunia sebenar dengan mengintegrasikan konsep pendidikan konvensional dengan kaedah maya.

High-Speed Broadband For All Schools By 2014

 

Government schools will be provided with fibre optic connection under the 1BestariNet project.

THE government's 1BestariNet project will ensure that all schools in the country have high-speed broadband connectivity to provide virtual learning for students by 2014.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said the contractor chosen for the project was a licence holder and facility and network service provider under the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998. The 1Bestarinet project was awarded to YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YTL Comms) for a period of two years.

Replying to a question from Er Teck Hwa (DAP-Bakri), Wee said the contractor was also a licence holder of the rights for a cloud-based virtual learning system and has the potential and expertise in providing broadband connectivity.

He said the contractor was the owner and operator of the YES telecommunications network that provides telephone and 4G broadband services.

"Under the 1BestariNet project, all 10,019 government schools will be provided with fibre optic connection at 4 Megabytes per second (which can be upgraded to 20Mbps). Meanwhile, schools in rural and interior areas will be provided with the VSAT network with speeds of 2Mbps (which can be upgraded to 4Mbps.)"

Wee said the implementation of the 1BestariNet was based following studies from the BCG Consulting Group and monitoring of the Schoolnet project in place previously.

He said the project involved the setting up of the infrastructure for broadband connection and provision for a virtual learning system for schools and Education Ministry agencies.

Wee said the government would make considerations on the scope of the project based on public importance. In answering an additional question from Er, Wee said while schools had previously spent RM600 under the Schoolnet project, they will now only pay RM475 for the improved service.
Meanwhile, the house heard yesterday that private higher learning institutions have been found to lower their entry qualifications to attract student enrolment, for profit's sake.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said the ministry was aware of such issues and were constantly monitoring such institutes.

"Some colleges have also been found to put up inaccurate information in their advertisements about the courses and facilities offered.

"Last month alone, my ministry had, together with the Malaysian Accreditation Agency (MQA), conducted spot checks on 226 colleges," he said. He was responding to a question from Datuk Noraini Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong) about steps taken by the ministry in identifying colleges which provide false credentials about their courses.

Source: 

New Straits Time. (2012). High-Speed Broadband For All Schools By 2014. Retrieved from http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/

Projek 1BestariNet Di SMKBR

Sejajar dengan matlamat kerajaan untuk mengembangkan modal insan serta penggunaan Internet, 1BestariNet memperluaskan teknologi untuk meningkatkan tahap pendidikan dan melengkapkan pelajar dengan kemahiran sewajarnya bagi menghadapi dunia masa kini.

Kerja-kerja untuk pemasangan menara pemancar 30m Monopole sedang dijalankan.  Berikut adalah kronologi Projek 1BestariNet di SMK Bukit Rambai.

18 Jun 2010 - Kerja menanda tapak menara dijalankan oleh pihak kontraktor dengan dipantau oleh guru penyelaras bestari.

Pada 16 Julai 2012 - Pihak kontraktor menggali lubang untuk membina frame bagi kerja menuang simen konkrit.

19 Julai 2012 - Kerja menuang simen konkrit dijalankan.

24 September 2012 - Kerja-kerja pemasangan kabel elektrik telah siap dijalankan.

Memperkenalkan Projek 1BestariNet

Di bawah projek mercu tanda 1BestariNet yang diterajui Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (MoE), kami berbangga untuk melaksanakan platform pembelajaran maya berteras 'cloud' dan jaringan Internet berkelajuan tinggi ke 10,000 sekolah seluruh Malaysia.