EDTC 6433 Module 3 Resolution

Resolution:

Question:  How can I use technology to effectively and efficiently communicate classroom information to parents?

            ISTE 3 is focused on demonstrating competency and fluency with digital age tools.  Likewise the standard is concerned with using these tools to collaborate with students and parents alike.   Connecting with parents is a highly valuable and underutilized tool in propelling student growth.  ISTE 3 places a focus on the importance of this task and how we as teachers can utilize technology to accomplish this goal.  One issue related to this standard is how can we communicate with parents without overwhelming them with information. Parents receive plenty of information throughout their day and in order for our information to be effective, the delivery and weight of information needs to be just right.  This week I focused on methods of collaborating and communicating with parents.

            As a specialist that works with almost 300 students throughout the year, I need to implement not only a collaboration tool with students, but also a collaboration tool with parents.  This provides parents with information regarding music class, an often over looked class on their child’s schedule. In my search for information I came across one article and one study in regards to parent-teacher communication tools.  Both placed efficiency as a vital element in communication.  In a blog post by Aileen Miracle (2015), a tool called “informances” was listed as means of communication. This allows an opportunity for parents to come into their child’s class and witness firsthand what goes on during music.  This is not necessarily a digital age communication tool, however it is a new spin on the idea of communicating information, and it is one that I like quite a lot.   The second resource I found was a study testing the effectiveness and efficiency of multiple technological tools.  DiJohn (2015), found a class website to be both ineffective and very inefficient.  One tool that she found useful was Remind, a text based app that allows quick and efficient communication with parents.  This app was also referenced in Gwenn’s article, “Using Technology To Connect With Parents” (Donohue).

            Moving forward I think I will use more technology when communicating with parents.  Mrs. Miracle’s idea of using “informances” as a real time way of communicating information to parents, and also using something like Remind as a way to communicate short bursts of information, seem like great ways of blending technology and non technology methods of communicating and collaborating with parents.  Both of these tools allow me a chance to use digital age learning as a way to connect with and collaborate with parents.

Links:
Mrs. Miracle's Blog
http://www.mrsmiraclesmusicroom.com/2015/01/parent-communication-for-music-room.html

Effective and Efficient Parent-Teacher Communication study:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.891.453&rep=rep1&type=pdf

References:

A Miracle. (2015, January 26). Parent communication for the music classroom.

            Retrieved from

            http://www.mrsmiraclesmusicroom.com/2015/01/parent-communication-for-music-room.html

DiJohn, Germaine M., "Effective and Efficient Parent-Teacher Communication"(2015). Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers. Paper 111.

Donohue, Chad. Using Technology To Connect With Parents. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/63615.htm