Perhaps the most prevalent change in our day-to-day lives brought about by technology is that of a new ease of communication. One can engage in real-time conversations with people hundreds of miles away or have a silent, instantaneous conversation via text message with friends in the next room. Artists share their works with larger audiences, the whole world is up-to-date on events across the globe thanks to services like CNN’s “iReport” and in on the same inside jokes thanks to websites like YouTube and Textsfromlastnight.com. This surge in information availability and communication potential has a myriad of implications for educators, and can be a great help in connecting one’s students’ home and school lives if used properly.
In “Communicating with Parents”, Kathleen Casson lays out basic principles for parent-teacher communication, regardless of mode. Her opening sentences were what really struck me; to have a functional relationship with the parents of your students, the first time you call, email or meet them should not be months into the school year when a problem arises with their child. Rather, a pattern of sincere and positive communication should be set up early on in order to build parents’ confidence in the teacher and to make sure that parents and teachers are on the same page when it comes to expectations and hopes for the student’s performance in the classroom, which Casson notes as a key factor in achievement.
When used correctly, technology greatly facilitates interaction between busy parents and teachers. Sydney Brown’s article on class websites gave specific examples of families who have become much more engaged in their children’s’ academic lives thanks to websites administered by teachers. This involvement and willingness by parents to take an active role is determined in large part by how the website is presented; David Walbert’s “Writing for the Web” explains that effective website publishing will take an approach similar to the newspaper USA Today, meaning necessary information is relayed without much embellishment. By maintaining a well-thought out and frequently updated site as a resource for our students and their families, we as educators will make our own jobs that much easier by establishing a healthy link between students’ families and their academic careers.
Finally, the wonders of the World Wide Web do not come without potential hazards. It may be difficult to get some parents to use the internet to connect to their children’s schoolwork (or at all, for that matter. This writer’s father does not have an email address and has been known to type like the keyboard is going to bite him, for example). Being able to judge the family’s situation is vital in making technology work for you: if they’re fighting over one shared family computer with a dial-up connection, if the parents only use the internet during the day at work… these are all factors that must be taken into account when implementing this tool. The final article for this Blog entry discusses what I think is the biggest potential hazard to educators, and that is the fine line teachers must walk in cyberspace when it comes to connecting to their students. I was personally appalled by the stories about teachers in their mid-30s not only friending but subsequently flirting and beyond with their teenage students through social-networking websites. I’m not so naïve as to think this didn’t happen before Facebook, but there are certain lines that adults should be smart enough not to cross. We as teachers have an obligation to set positive examples for our students both in person and electronically, and there are lines that should not be blurred just because there are new ways to go about blurring them.
All in all, very educational readings that certainly shed new light on parent-teacher relations in the digital age. I think as we progress in our comfort level with technology as a society, we’ll see an abandonment of the dreaded parent-teacher conference in favor of a steady flow of communication between home and school, which could be a very healthy turn of events for all involved.
…Speaking of the digital age, did anybody else read and then re-read the sentence about the 14-year-old with a Blackberry? Kids these days, man.
Amanda--
ReplyDeleteWell done on the summary. And yes, I did read and reread the sentence about the 14-year-old with the BlackBerry. As for the rest of that article, I was particularly encouraged by Barbara Williams--the teacher who had no interest in friending students, but every interest in integrating technology into the classroom in a responsible way. I think my opinion on the matter sides with both her and the BlackBerry-providing father of the technologically hooked-up 14-yr-old. Both of them embrace and are enthused by the incorporation of technology in the classroom, but within certain limits. Parents do need to be responsible and there's no reason for teachers to shy away from advances in digital communication. As for friending students, I definitely would not want to friend them on my personal Facebook page, but I would not mind creating a Teacher Facebook page for myself where I can keep my professional persona and friend my students and their parents. I think this would be an excellent way to communicate with them.
I also really liked Kathleen Eveleigh's very creative use of her classroom website. I don't know if her approach for the day's summary would work for secondary students, but as teachers, we could definitely write one ourselves and post it to keep parents updated.
The Writing on the Web article seemed a little obvious to me, though I think it's still a good tool--especially for times when I am forgetful and need a reminder of how to lay out my future webpages. As dorky as this might sound, I actually really enjoyed the section about fonts. I have always been a font-lover and have always wondered what serif meant. Now I know. :)
I agree with you and Casson about first contact with parents. To initially call them with a problem is not good, though I find the thought of contacting parents asap at the beginning of the year rather daunting. It will be a very time consuming task and could be very frustrating given the fact that many parents work outside the home and as such could be hard to get ahold of. In this case, I think an email could suffice, especially if it was warm and open and included a link to your own website with information about your classroom and yourself.
All in all, I think these were some very useful pages to read and that in the future I will rely on some of the information that I've gleaned from them.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteReally great summary of the articles...
My thoughts are centered more on the "Writing for the Web" articles, especially as we have to create our own website in the near future for our own educational stuff. I thought it was interesting how he used the two examples of information versus ideas to sort out how long a particular page needed to be, and this was very useful for me. Erin, I too enjoyed the talk of the fonts, and am also pleased to note what serif and sans-serif are haha.
Other thoughts: on the communicating with parents through a webpage article, I really like the idea of maintaining a website for the students and parents. It is actually pretty easy to do, because most schools (at least the two I have been at) have a dedicated webspace for each teacher/class. When I taught last semester I did not do a good job of utilizing it outside of posting the homework for the students, but with a little bit of effort it could be a very effective way to communicate with students and parents. Finally, I did have some students 'friend' me when I taught, and it was a bit strange. Fortunately I do not have a very large Facebook presence, so I don't think very many things about me come up on the news feeds. I have thought of deactivating my account before, but I do like Erin's idea of having a professional account and a personal account. I need to take the time and change the privacy settings, and will do that in the near future (not that I really have anything to hide).
In terms of social networking sites, I do not think it is appropriate for teachers have a visible account with their students. There is line that continually gets more blurred between our private and professional lives, especially for teachers.
ReplyDeleteDigital communication should be restricted to school specific websites. From the articles, this can be used to allow teachers to give parents opportunities to ask specific questions to their children. I believe this is the strongest advantage of technology. It allows for stronger bonds between teachers and parents as well as parents and their children, not for affecting teacher/student relationships.
I agree that communicating with parents and students online is a great way to increase efficiency. Using a school provided site or another site (like a blog) for class summaries and homework may be the best way to keep parents involved in their child's life. In Williamsburg teachers even post grades online which seems to increase parent involvement. The only problem with this kind of communication could be some parents who might over react. Some students are under a lot of pressure from their parents and perhaps having their grades posted at all times might increase this pressure to an unhealthy point.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I liked from the articles was the idea that everything posted online is a form of publishing. That means that what you post online is a reflection of yourself and should be monitored as such. As a group of future teachers we should remember to keep our websites professional (as Dr. Moore would love to see). Fonts and colors are part of this professionalism, but so is proper grammar and correct spelling.
I want to reiterate the sentiment that using online communication may take some set-up time, but it may save time down the road. Students are apparently getting iPhones and Blackberries as preteens, so connecting to them on their turf will be vital.