I love the idea of classroom websites! They have been around for awhile, but many teachers do not have one. I think that every teacher should have one for his or her class. They are an excellent way to communicate with parents and they are a way to showcase what your class is learning and doing in the classroom. I have been in classrooms where they have class newsletters that get sent home every week. This can provide the same information that a website does, but it’s not guaranteed to make it home. On several occasions I would find the newsletters stuffed desks, in backpacks, in the trashcan, on the floors and I’m sure many were lost or forgotten about. If the students don’t bring it home then the parents will not know what is going on in the classroom. I think that websites are a way to remedy this situation. On the websites the teacher can put the class news and reminders on them like a regular newsletter, but there are many more possibilities. For example, there is usually only one newsletter sent home a week, but with a website there can be news updated daily or sometimes even hourly. It can also provide more information such as homework assignments or projects’ explanations and due dates, links to extra homework practice, pictures of projects and activities that students have completed, podcasts of presentations students have given, and even blogs! There is so much that a teacher can do with a website.
It is a great way to let the parents see and learn about what their child is doing in school. Their children are spending eight hours a day in the classroom, and most parents would like to see what is going on. Most people these days have access to computers and internet sometime throughout the day so it would be accessible for parents. A teacher would need to keep in mind that he or she would still need to send home regular notes for the parents that don’t have access though. School administration can also use it as a way to see what the teacher is doing.
Another idea that was mentioned in class was the use of a class Facebook page. This would be a great way to get parents to look at the page because they probably check their Facebook anyway, but I’m not sure how it would work. We as teachers have been discouraged from having Facebook accounts, so it would be interesting to use it in a purely educational way. It shows another side of Facebook. It proves that it can be a positive tool for teachers and students if it is used in the right way. I myself would be cautious using Facebook with my class, but I would love to hear ideas for how it has been used successfully!
I agree with you about the Facebook page. I think that we sometimes forget about these types of technology, because it's so easy and most of us use it everyday. I'm curious to see how she made it work, because I think that I would be super nervous about the implications of being too personal with families. However, I agree with you about the newsletters, they are such great ideas, but hard copies aren't necessarily the best. I think that if we could even email these out, it would be much easier for parents to access it and would probably make them a lot more likely to read it.
ReplyDeleteI think that class websites are a great idea if they are updated often. When I found out my student teaching placements, I was able to find both of my teachers' websites. I thought that they both did a great job with creating a website. Some of the information on one of my teacher's website was from the beginning of the year. I would like to create a website for parents as well as the students in my classroom, but I want to make sure that I update it constantly so that it can be a great resource.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, one thing that my teacher learned and used the second to last week while I was there was a website that allowed her to create lists that would be sent out to all of the parents asking for different supplies. I thought that this was really interesting because once a parent decided to bring in something on the list, that item would automatically be crossed off the list. It also told my teacher who was bringing in what from the list. I thought that this was really cool because the day after my teacher created the list, three students had brought frosting and sprinkles for their Creative Cookie Day. I will say that the school that I was at had a strong parent support that made it easier for things such as this supply list to be successful.
I agree about your comment with Facebook. We have been told plenty of times to keep our Facebook private that it would be interesting to see how well the class Facebook page worked.
I also agree with teacher websites. I have been in classrooms hat had and didn't have class websites. My first practicum teacher was a bit older, but still learned to make a website. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was a great tool for parents to stay in touch. She also used if for her students, they enjoyed getting on the site where she had a special section of websites the students were allowed to use. She said they would use the site all the timed during school free time or even at home. I thought this was a great use of the site for the students as well.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit curious about how to use facebook in the classroom. I search and just typed Mrs. ___ Class and it quickly came up with a first grade class from Boone, IA. I couldn't access all of it, but it looked as if she was using it for simple updates to the family through status updates, for example, "Early out May 11th!" "Go the Distance Day is tomorrow, May 6th!! Please have your child wear a red, green, or white shirt and tennis shoes as we will be walking and exercising at the BHS track. What a great way to enjoy the spring sunshine!!" I was thinking, it actually would be great to actually use facebook in a positive way in education!