Teachers Trade and Discover Effective Tips for Collaborating with Student Families

Building Bridges: A Look at Tech Tools for Teacher-Parent Communication

Effective communication between educators and parents is essential for student success. Through the power of technology, educators can find innovative ways to bridge the communication gap, keep families informed and engaged, and continue supporting students even at home.

In a recent social media chat, teachers from various subjects, grade levels, and backgrounds came together to share their insights on education technology. The chat revealed that many teachers are using technology beyond their classrooms and leveraging it for effective collaboration with parents and caregivers.

Let's explore how various educators from our chat leverage technology to enhance communication with parents.
 

Leveraging Online Platforms for Daily Engagement and Timely Updates
 

Many versatile platforms allow teachers to share snapshots of classroom activities, track student behavior, and even have private conversations with parents – all in one convenient space. They offer parents a unique window into their child's learning journey, allowing them to access assignments, announcements, and other resources alongside their students, fostering a sense of partnership.

Here are some platforms favored by our educators:

“In my classroom I use ClassDojo daily. I love to post pictures of activities we’ve done that day. Another great feature is setting up event reminders. I also use it to communicate to parents one-on-one about any specific needs or concerns.” - @MadelineMi22206

“I use ClassDojo to communicate and stay connected with families. It allows me to message them (as a text platform), upload pictures of students, share newsletter and any updates with them. I feel like it gives parents a glimpse of what happens in the classroom.” - @ranamsayed

“For direct communication with families, I use Remind. I also allow access to the students’ apps such as RazKids, HappyNumbers, and PowerSchool so parents can monitor their children’s progress on their own.” - @ThatTeacherInNJ
“I use an app called ClassTag to engage students’ families. This is a great tool for sharing announcements, supplemental resources, and for sending quick updates. It also allows the parents to message me quickly and easily from their mobile devices.” - @LS89672574

“My primary online source for communicating with parents and families are via email through my weekly newsletters. I also post messages for my students and parents on Google classroom (assignment relevant announcements).” - @jel05008

“Tools like @canva for newsletters, @classdojo & @googleforedu collaboration features allow me to engage with students & families in real time. These are easy ways to share announcements, classroom updates, photos, & links to helpful resources.” - @MsAshleyShanley

“My school has a Facebook profile and we’re allowed to send the principal monthly updates on fun school experiments and events! They post photos with parental consent, and we can interact on the posts!” - @naddhyax_
 

Promoting Transparency and Accountability with Technology

Educators can utilize technology to promote transparency and accountability. Parents can have access to online gradebooks and other parent resources, allowing them to monitor their child's assignments and academic performance closely. Utilizing effective apps which facilitate quick updates, message exchanges, and resource sharing between teachers and parents, promotes active communication and involvement. 

What does that look like? Hear it from our participants:

“We utilize technology to communicate plans with students' families. This allows us to establish effective lines of communication, foster collaboration, and engage parents in supporting their child's overall academic success.” - @RaqLedesma

“The most obvious ones are communicating through email, but parents also have access to Google Classroom where they can see announcements and all the coursework. Parents also have access to the online gradebook to monitor their child's work/achievement.” - @DavidSpill6607

“In a workshop the presenter taught us how to utilize the survey feature in google to collect different types of data. Since then, I used it multiple times when talking to families about everything from different lessons or events going on in school.” - @TaitLiza

“For a music program, technology helps to promote what students do, their rehearsals their concerts, events, and festivals. It really facilitates parent engagement and creates community and culture.” - @elmichi89
“I have Google classroom set up, but also use ClassDojo as a behavior tracking tool. Students are able to see their points in class and parents can check/keep track of in-school behavior at home too.” - @CoachK923

“Technology is used to monitor the student progress and sending parents their kid’s results. We communicate via phone and email and discuss how they can improve.” - @somspachas

“Beyond emails/texts with the parents, I engage them with google classroom, which they have access to via their kids, and Genesis, the school's tech hub. Parents can review materials, look at assignments, and make sure their kids are keeping up.” - @Kafkaesque83
 

Looking Ahead: Future Goals in Parent-Teacher Communication
 

Although technology can be a powerful tool, teachers must remember that some parents may not be tech-savvy. It's important to explore communication methods that work for everyone to ensure all parents, regardless of their tech skills, have access to important information and can actively participate in their child's education. Here are some observations by our new teachers and their plans for the future:

“I usually use Class Dojo and Google Classroom to engage with my student's parents. So far, I haven't had any issues or problems but there is always room for improvement especially for parents who are not very tech savvy.” - @FatimaHassan223

“Next year, I would like to include my students’ parents on our Google Classroom. I think this would be a great way to keep parents more involved in student learning.” - @TinaIppoliti7

“This is one thing that I do have to work on, I mostly use emails but for next year, I would like to do a newsletter to get sent home after each unit so that parents know what we are doing in class.” - @angelnh84

“Email is used to interact with families. Next year I will put together a digital newsletter.” - @powergraham5000

“World Language K-5 (Spanish) As of right now, the only way I use technology to communicate with parents is through email. However, in the future I would like to send out a weekly newsletter to communicate to parents what we are working on in Spanish.” - @JillianB_17
 

Collaborate with Us

By embracing technology to collaborate better, educators can create classrooms that extend into the homes of their students and engage families. Thanks to technology, you, too, can join the conversation and explore practical tips that can transform your classroom and empower every student on their learning journey.

To explore the conversation or contribute your insights, search "#TeacherEd #EdTech" on the X platform or check out our Wakelet that curates the chat.

Also, check out our previously published blog posts addressing this topic:

•    Leveraging Google Apps to Improve Classroom Management, Collaboration & Citizenship
•    9 New Teachers Thriving In Schools That Foster Teacher Collaboration
•    How Collaboration Fosters Effective Inclusion for Special Education Students
•    Teachers Enhance Learning and Productivity Using Technology
•    NJ Alternate Route Teachers Talk EdTech on Twitter

If you’re considering following your dream of teaching, Rutgers Alternate Route can offer you the support and training you need to succeed. Be sure to follow Rutgers Alternate Route on Twitter and sign up for Alternate Route’s monthly newsletter for more information and stories from the field of education.