There’s no shortage of apps, programs and websites you could use to ease the challenges of connecting with students’ families. In fact, the sheer number of options can become a hurdle in itself, as sorting through them and determining which will be effective can eat up a good bit of your valuable time.
Fortunately, Edutopia has done some of the work for you. Below is a list, excerpted from Edutopia’s Home-To-School Guide Tips, Tech Tools, and Strategies for Improving Family-to-School Communication, of tools that have already been road tested by teachers.
• MakeUseOf.com offers a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a school Facebook page.
Fortunately, Edutopia has done some of the work for you. Below is a list, excerpted from Edutopia’s Home-To-School Guide Tips, Tech Tools, and Strategies for Improving Family-to-School Communication, of tools that have already been road tested by teachers.
• MakeUseOf.com offers a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a school Facebook page.
• Tools like Google SMS-Translate help educators reach out to non-English-speaking families who use mobile devices. View this YouTube video to see a simple demonstration.
• eChalk allows districts and schools to customize web content and keep parents informed about everything from schedules to student work.
• Individual schools can use Tapped In, a free communications hub for educators, to set up forums for teacher-parent discussions.
• Survey tools like Poll Everywhere allow teachers to solicit responses and opinions from parents and help them feel more connected to the classroom.
