Communicating with Parents the Electronic Way
It used
to be that whenever you need to communicate something with your
students’ parents (e.g. bad behavior in class, grades, frequent
absences, etc.), your only options were to:
- call them at home or personally take time off to visit their home,
- send them a note through their kid, or
- wait for the parents-teachers conference at the end of the grading period.
Recent
developments in information communications technology though have been
revolutionizing how teachers are communicating and getting their
students’ parents involved with their children’s education. Newer, more
efficient and more effective methods of communication you can use to
communicate faster with your students’ parents are constantly being
introduced.
For example, Smart offers affordable wireless broadband connection with Smart Bro.
With the service, even areas without landlines can have Internet
connection. Other Smart Bro services were also recently introduced such
as the Smart Bro Computer Station which will bring wireless broadband closer to more people through shared access.
Here are some technology-savvy ways you can let the parents know what’s going on:
E-mail them
One of the most cost-effective means of communication today, e-mail
allows you to send letters, reminders, and notes to your students’
parents with just a few clicks of a button. If they have Internet
connection in their homes or in their barangay, collect the parents’
e-mail addresses, then group them by class so it’ll be easier for you
to send class-specific messages. With e-mail, you no longer have to
wait for the end-of-term parents-teacher meeting to let the parents
know how their child is doing in school. If you have no e-mail account,
you can sign-up for one in any of the numerous free e-mail providers
like Yahoo!, Gmail, and Hotmail. 1
Create a website
Teachers around the world are creating class websites to keep the
parents updated with the class activities, lesson plans, student
reports, school announcements, schedules, and assignments. You could
post these information on your website so the parents can check if
their kids are doing their homework or following the new dress code
implemented by the school. Here at SmartSchools, we support a school’s
website initiatives.2
Set-up parent chatrooms, electronic bulletin boards
Chatting and bulletin boards allow you and the parents to communicate
with each other. Schedule weekly chat sessions with the parents so you
could have a chance to update them with what’s going on in class and
answer any questions they might have about their kid’s performance. Use
the bulletin board to post messages and announcements to them. 3
Create an electronic-newsletter
Newsletters are traditionally used to update the parents of what’s
going on in school. The problem is, production and mailing require
considerable resources. To solve this, use electronic newsletters
instead. E-newsletters are not only more cost-effective (no need to buy
paper and pay for printing), they’re also easier to disseminate.
Set-up an e-group and invite the parents join.
This way, you only have to send your e-newsletter to a single e-mail
address and the service provider will automatically send it to all the
members of the e-group.
Post your students’ grades online
With today’s new technological development, you no longer need to wait
for the end of the grading period to let your students and their
parents know how they are doing in class. There are now websites and
software that allow you to post your students’ grades online and
upgrade them every week. Posting your students’ grades on line would
not only let the parents regularly check how their child is doing in
class, but, because everything is posted, it would also save you from
having to explain to overzealous parents why their kid only got a grade
of 75 instead of the 90 they were expecting. You can post your
students’ grades on the following websites for free: 4
- OnlineReports.com
After you join this site, you can then create a secure grade book. Access the site here: http://www.teacherreports.com/Information/ - ThinkWave.com
Download their free software then post the grades on their website so
both parents and students can access them. Download the free starter
edition of ThinkWave here: http://www.thinkwave.com/.
Create text-brigades
There is no communication tool as ubiquitous today in the Philippines
as the mobile phone. Use this tool to your advantage. Create
text-brigades to be able to quickly and, through offers like Smart’s
unlimited texting service, inexpensively disseminate important
announcements and information.
Sources:
1, 2, 3 Education World. “Parents and Teachers Working Together,”
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev124.shtml
1, 2“Working with Parents: Advice from Teachers,”
http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/working_with_parents.htm
4 Education World. “Posting Students’ Grade Online Keeps Parents in Touch,”
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin172.shtml
