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A classroom that integrates technology into the educational experience ensures that
students with be prepared to succeed in todays world and job market. Being successful in
technology driven world requires the knowledge and use of technology. Global Classroom
Partnerships are the newest way to enhance educational cooperation between countries. The
three basic technologies that a teacher can introduce into their classroom that will enhance
communication, between parents, students and the global community, are a classroom website,
email, and video chatting.
Technology to Enhance Communication
Classroom Website

Parents: A website allows parents to be able to stay involved in their childs education. It
creates a platform for parents to communicate with the teacher as well as know whats
expected of their child in the classroom. Classroom websites can also assist parents in
making their children more digitally literate (Holcomb, Castek, & Johnson, 2007).
Improving their childrens digital literateness can be achieved by classroom websites that
provide supplemental education for parents to do with their child.

Students: A website can benefit a student by allowing them a controlled place to access
everything they need for their class. They can look up due dates for assignments and in
some cases keep an eye on their overall grade. Holcomb, Castek, & Johnson (2007) have
pointed out the connection between classroom websites and the new literacies that are
prevalent in our world today such as, computer skills.

Global Community: A classroom website can make your classroom accessible to others
who may be interested in attending the school or getting to know their childs future

educator. It can also allow students from around the world a glimpse of another
classroom.
E-mail

Parents: Email can be a tremendously efficient way for teachers to communicate with
parents and for parents to communicate with teachers when a face to face interaction is
not possible or necessary.

Students: Integrating email features into education can benefit students if they are absent
from school because of illness or if there is a planned extended absence. Correspondence
through email between teachers and students can be beneficial to turn in assignments if
the student is unable, for any reason, to attend class (Viseu & da Ponte, 2012).

Global Community: Email is a great way for students to connect with students all
around the world. Connecting with other students can open a students mind to foreign
ways of thinking, thus expanding their horizons.

Video Correspondence

Parents: Video chatting can be beneficial to parents who would like to have a face to
face with their childs teacher, but cannot physically be there to do so. Video chatting can
also be beneficial for regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences.

Students: Students in todays world are so comfortable with video chatting that it can be
a great way to get them involved in research. There are some schools utilizing this
technology already for a way for busy teachers to continue correspondence with students
outside of class (Angeli, Valanides, & Bonk, 2003).

Global Community: Video correspondence can be communication tool between school

participating in a global classroom partnership, in which classrooms around the world

communicate and work with other classrooms thousands of miles away (Kerlin, Carlsen,
Kelly, & Goehring, 2013).

Global Classroom Partnership

Parents: Parents can use the tools provided by the teacher to be as involved in the global
classroom partnership as they want to be. They can communicate with other teachers
besides their childs in collaboration of their education.

Students: Students will benefit immensely by being able to interact and share ideas with
a range of students that wouldnt normally be available to them.

Global Community: The global community benefits from information being shared that
wouldnt have been available to them in a traditional classroom setting (Kerlin, Carlsen,
Kelly, & Goehring, 2013).

Communication Internet Security and Safety:

Internet safety should be the first priority for teachers when they are presenting
technology in the classroom. Internet security should be discussed with students so they know
what is expected of them in the digital environment. Teachers should research thoroughly any
online resources they plan to utilize in order to ensure the security and safety of the tool. Talks
about internet safety should include cyber bullying, privacy, and unwanted solicitation (Moreno,
Egan, Bare, Young, & Cox, 2013).

Concluding Paragraph
Technology should be utilized in every classroom where it is possible. It creates a
platform for the teacher to relate to their students and keep them interested in the lessons. It also
provides many unique ways to keep the lines of communication open at all times. Technology
can even allow students to communicate with students all around the world. There are basic
forms of technology that allows teachers to communicate with parents, students and the global

community. They are easily assessable and include creating a classroom website, email, and
video correspondence; all these technologies make the communication between international
students possible through global classroom partnerships.

References
Angeli, C., Valanides, N., & Bonk, C. J. (2003). Communication in a web-based conferencing system: the
quality of computer-mediated interactions. British Journal Of Educational Technology, 34(1), 3143. Retrieved from:
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.a
spx?direct=true&db=ofs&AN=507799970&site=eds-live&scope=site
Holcomb, L. B., Castek, J. M., & Johnson, P. R. (2007). Unlocking the Potential of K-12 Classroom
Websites to Enhance Learning. New England Reading Association Journal, 43(1), 36-43.
Retrieved from:
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.a
spx?direct=true&db=ofs&AN=507943534&site=eds-live&scope=site
Kerlin, S., Carlsen, W., Kelly, G., & Goehring, E. (2013). Global Learning Communities: A Comparison of
Online Domestic and International Science Class Partnerships. Journal Of Science Education &
Technology, 22(4), 475-487. doi:10.1007/s10956-012-9407-7. Retrieved from:
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.a
spx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=89046619&site=eds-live&scope=site
Moreno, M. A., Egan, K. G., Bare, K., Young, H. N., & Cox, E. D. (2013). Internet safety education for
youth: stakeholder perspectives. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-6. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-543.
Retrieved from:
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.a
spx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=88981803&site=eds-live&scope=site
Viseu, F., & da Ponte, J. P. (2012). The Role of ICT in Supporting the Development of Professional
Knowledge during Teaching Practice. Mathematics Teacher Education And Development, 14(2),

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137-158. Retrieved from:
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.a
spx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1018701&site=eds-live&scope=site