Tech task #2: How will you use technology to engage parents as partners in their child’s learning?

“Parents’ needs are changing. Many schools are experiencing a growing demand from parents for greater reassurance about their child’s well-being, achievement an progress.” (http://bit.ly/dRNWm1) Engaging parents through technology could be an effective means to stay informed in their child’s learning. This allows parents more flexibility in the sense that they can access the teacher’s form of communication in their own time, and in whatever space they would like. Technology is simply a very convenient way to keep consistent communication with the parents of your students. According to the site: http://bit.ly/iczvgB the first step to start this “technological relationship” is to ask parents what is accessible to them, as well as what they are comfortable using. Then, you need to decide what would be the most efficient way to share your information.

There are several types of technology that I can see being useful to parents. Basic email is probably the most common way to communicate. Twitter would be an excellent tool to get students and parents mingling together on one unified program. In some instances, cell phones could be used as reminders or updates. If students or the teacher has a blog, parents can be informed of this and can keep up to date that way.

Challenges could occur such as those parents who do not have access to the forms of technology that every other family in the class has. What do you do for that one family who can’t participate in the same way as everyone else? Do you create an alternate method of communication? Another challenge is to keep parents up to date on checking regularly on their child’s learning progress. Some type of reminder would likely be a common solution to this.  Finally, some parents might have the access to technology, but they don’t feel comfortable using it at all.

I would love to go above and beyond with the amount of technology that I’ve seen teachers use to communicate with parents. It wouldn’t be an easy task to begin, but very rewarding. At the start of the semester, I would offer a session for the parents to help them get familiar with different technology that I would use during the semester. This is where I would get feedback and discuss what their limitations are, and if they would like additional assistance.

Overall, I think that using more technology to engage parents with the school life of their child is the way to go. Parents can access it on their own time, they can show their kids that they are making an effort to stay connected with the school, and that they themselves can share their learning with their child. I think we should all make the effort to make this a regular practice in our classrooms.

Tech Task #1

a) I am currently in my last year of Secondary Education (French-major, Religious Studies-minor), and VERY excited to finish up my degree. I was born and raised in a small French village in the north of the province called Zenon Park. My family of 8 bumps the population of Zenon Park to almost 200. I have 5 brothers (3 older, 2 younger), which most people would say they feel sorry for me, but I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed it. My two oldest brothers are now married, and I have 3 young nephews from their families. Growing up, I only spoke “Francais” until we started having a period of English everyday in Grade 4. Being part of the French culture, traditions, and later, realizing its uniqueness is what presented me with the ideal of being a French teacher.

Outside of school, I thoroughly enjoy being active and playing sports. I’ve been lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons at the U of R Pool for 3 years now. I try to swim or work out almost every day, and also play recreational sports such as: floor hockey, water polo, volleyball, and ultimate Frisbee. I’m a very avid fan of the Montreal Canadiens, and am ecstatic to watch them play live for my first time in February for the Heritage Classic in Calgary. When I have time to relax, I enjoy baking or cooking new recipes and sharing the product with my friends and family J

b) My experience with technology is at an “average” level. I’ve done a lot of work with Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Skype, and basic web sites (facebook of course). During my internship, I was fortunate enough to have a Smartboard in my classroom, so was able to learn and research about how to efficiently use it in my classes. I have an open attitude with technology and am easily amazed by new things that I learn within it.

c) There is a big push for continual upgrades of technology in the classrooms. A big benefit of classroom technology is that it’s meeting students where they’re at in their interests and their everyday routines. Students are now at that point, where they’ve never done without computing technology, and by not using it, we’d be taking away what they know. I see a benefit in using technology to meet the needs of students who have various types of disabilities. It also targets the students who have “technology intelligence” of the multiple intelligences. A very basic limitation is schools that don’t have the funding to provide the necessary programs needed. Also, teachers who are not computer literate may not be willing or comfortable to use technology. I believe that technology should be a key component in the classroom where it can eventually be integrated naturally in every class. I think technology should be used with the sole purpose of the class, and not used as just a recreational tool.

 
d) I have a few expectations for this class. For my personal life, I’d like to learn about tools that will be more efficient for me in keeping my computer organized, and finding simpler ways to access things on my computer. I’m hoping to become more familiarized with programs that I’ve never used, and only heard of. From what I’ve heard from former students in this class, we will be learning a lot of practical things that can be used in the classroom, as well as helping ourselves in our job search. These are the reasons I decided to take this class as my last elective!