It's all about COMMUNICATION! Bridging the Teacher Parent Gap.

Communication between teachers and parents is a crucial element in developing a successful learning community.  A parent must be aware of what their child is doing in school and there should be a frequent, easy accessible means of communication.  Back in the day there may have been a note sent home from the teacher every few months and a couple of parent teacher conferences a year. Too much time was allowed to pass, and no open window of communication existed.  Flash forward to modern times, and technology has opened up a new frontier in parent, teacher and student communication.  Teachers use websites, moodle, twitter, blogs, and e-mail to communicate with students and parents on a frequent basis.  Technology has allowed parents to stay up to date on all upcoming projects and events, in a way that was never possible before.

When teachers and parents communicate more often the student wins. The more a teacher learns about a what a student is dealing with in their home life, the better equipped they will be to reach that student.  A teacher needs to frequently inform a parent of the progress of a struggling student so that swift action can be taken in gains are not being made.  The more a parent is aware of what is expected of their child, especially in the younger grades, the more likely the child will be to complete assignments and stay on task.


I believe that best way a teacher can communicate with parents is by creating a personal website that is updated on a daily basis.  The website should list all important contact information, your teaching philosophy, upcoming projects, quizzes, tests and events. A teacher may also want to create a blog to share in greater detail the projects that the students are working on.  I also like the idea of sending out a weekly newsletter via e-mail to parents that details all that has occurred and what is upcoming.  LetterPop is a great site to use to make such a newsletter.  Engrade, which I described in my last post,  is also a great tool for teachers to use to  communication and share grades with both parents and students.


The members of  Team TechSavy and I created a 21st Century Classroom Parent newsletter using LetterPop.  Each of us took a different subject: math, science, social studies, English and described how we would be communicating throughout the year and what technologies that we would be using. We collaborated to create a curriculum that incorporated technology and that offered a strong means for communication. It was a great experience working with my peers to complete this project. We talked about how important it is for a teacher to have a frequently updated website and a blog.  We all agreed on how important communicating with parents is.   Here is the link to our  newsletter: Team TechSavy's 21st Century Classroom Communication Parent Newsletter.  Check it out and make your own!


Are you doing your part to bridge the teacher parent gap? Or are there uninformed parents lurking around?

Engrade: A Teacher's Best Friend!

After exploring and working with Engrade, I am very impressed with this online teacher toolset. The Engrade system provides teachers with every tool they need to create a well organized, 24/7 learning environment.  Dog may be man's best friend, but when it comes to teachers, Engrade is a best friend that they should not want to live without.  Buckle up as we explore all of the fabulous tools and features Engrade has to offer!

 Engrade has the following features:

• a gradebook that you can custom design for your particular class.  You can create different assignment categories  such as essays, homework, tests, quizzes etc and decide what the weight of each of these items will be worth and if you would like to drop the lowest grade.  When I was working with it, it was very easy to use.  You just have to plug in the numbers and Engrade calculations the total average for each student.  
• A homework calendar where teachers can post upcoming assignments, projects, tests.  Students have 24/7 access to this calendar, so there is no excuse for them to say they did not know or that  they forgot.
• Messaging- Teacher, students and parents can message each other privately and safely at anytime of the day. SPAM FREE!
• Quizzes- Teacher can make a quiz on engrade.  You can create your own quiz or browse quizzes other educators have made.
• Flashcards- Teachers and students can create their own flashcards of key terms.  I really like how you can browse through previously created flashcards.  This is a great tool for students to use before a test.  The teacher can really pinpoint what the students needs to know for a test.
• Wikis- Teachers and students can collaborate with others classes around the world.  Teachers can share resources and ideas about the topics they are studying.
• Attendance- Engrade allows teachers to keep track of daily attendance records on a simple spread sheet.
• Discussions- Students can engage classmates and the teachers in online discussions
• Administer Reports-  Administers can quickly and easily see students progress, which makes it easy to identify at risk students.
• 24/7 access- Studens, teachers and parents can log on at any time.  Teachers can post answers and corrective feedback.  Students can check assignments and grades.  Parents can see their child's progress and communicate easily with the teacher.
• IT'S FREE! I know it hard to believe but the Engrade system is free! You just have to set up an account and you are good to go!

After exploring all of these features, on scale of 1 to 10 I would give engrade an 11!  It promotes communication and provides quick feedback among parents, teachers and students.   My favorite feature is the quick and easy gradebook.  It allows teachers to enter grades and organize assignments in a timely fashion that does not detract from valuable planning time.  I will definitely use Engrade in the future. Below is a snapshot of the class I created.  Please explore Engrade for yourself!  You will not regret it!

It's Mind-Mapping Time!

Below is the mind-map I created using gliffy.  I choose to create my mind-map on the writing strategy called "POWERS."  POWERS represents 6 steps to writing: P- Prewriting, O-Organize, W-Write, E-Edit, R-Revise, and S-Share.  I believe this is a useful strategy for students to learn about and use, because it breaks down the writing process into easy, doable steps.  Students may get overwhelmed when they have to complete a writing assignment.  This strategy simplifies the writing process and provides a clear organization for what students need to do to write a good essay.


Creating a mind-mind for the strategy was quite fun.  When looking this map, I believe that a student can get a very good grasp as to what they have to do when writing.  They map lays out the frame work of what they should be doing and places it in a visually pleasing format.


When creating this mind-map, I learned that the way that you choice to present information to students can really make a world of difference.  Instead of writing the steps to the POWER strategy on the board, the mind-map allows students to see the steps in a different way. I would have my students create their own mind-map of this strategy and have them add their own personalized characteristics to each of the steps.


The mind-map is a tool makes learning a more personalized, interactive experience.
Gliffy was a very user friendly site to use. It had a library full of pictures and you also can upload your own.  I would definitely recommend using Gliffy.


So what are you waiting for? Go get your mind-mapping on! : )

Oh the possibilities! Learning beyond the textbook.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I created the above video using animoto.com.  The site was extremely user friendly.  You can upload your own videos, pictures, and music or you  may also choose from their library.  Making these videos is very easy to do, yet they are highly engaging and effective.
 I made my video on rural, urban, and suburban areas (grade level 2-3).  Students would be able to watch this video and categorize the pictures as rural, urban, or suburban.  These videos engage students visually, and acoustically.  For a culminating project idea, students could create their own video.
My favorite part about creating videos is that it can be used for any subject, with any grade level and it really makes students put their own personalized touch on the topic.  Digital stories go far beyond the pages of a textbook.
Teachers in the 21st century should take full advantage of the free, easy to use resources that their digitalized students respond and relate to best.  Know the audience you are teaching to and learning outcomes will increase.