Rana Walton

6/14/15
Mr. Martin
EDU 225

Technology to Support Communication

Todays communication is not done through word of mouth. Todays communication is

done through some sort of technology, whether its through phone, email or through a social
media page. Educators in the twenty-first century have to keep up with the world around them,
and that is through technology. Classrooms are now equipped with laptops and tablets as a way
of learning. Busy teachers find it hard to take time out of their day to make phone calls or write
notes to working parents who are difficult to contact. Yet administrators, teachers, and parents
continue to strive for regular interaction as a way of involving parents in classroom life and
improving student achievement. So for an educator communicating to the students and parents is
now through an email or even a text (Ramasubbu, 2015).
Technology can be used to enhance communication with parents, students and the global
community the classroom in many ways. One source of communication can be done through a
class web page that provides information and updates on class activities as a whole. This could
be a joint effort by the teacher and the students, and will serve not only the purpose of
communication, but also a learning experience for the teacher and student (Brown, 2008). The
web page can consist of upcoming events, homework assignments, parent/teacher corner, and
extra credit. The parent/teacher corner can only be access by the parent and teachers. Here the
teacher can send messages to the parents if a conference is needed. This a way students can

always have their assignments, even if they tried the excuse of I left it at school. The teacher
can have a blog page if the students feel free to chat with their classmates about classwork and
assignments. This is also another way the teacher can monitor their student and parent
involvement.
Everyone is always on their phone, it doesnt matter the time of day or location, and there
is always a phone in someones hand. Therefore another great way of communicating with
parents and students is through a ClassDojo. ClassDojo are being used by millions of teachers,
parents and students, without doubt a staggering rate of adoption for apps that were launched but
a couple of years ago. ClassDojo is a behavior management tool for the classroom. Each student
has a profile complete with their own avatar to which teachers can assign positive and negative
points throughout the lesson. The programmer can be operated by a teacher from their computer
or tablet, and each time they award a point an optional sound plays to alert the class. This
information is then recorded on students' profiles so that it can be reviewed throughout the year.
Parents also have logins so that they can view their child's achievements from home. Why not
have the access of your childs behavior at the tip of your hands (Buchanan, 2014).
Technology allows parent-teacher interactions to be practical, positive and personal.
Technology mediated communications tools such as videoconferencing, phone conferencing,
online chats, and emails are already being discovered as efficient mediums to enhance
school/home communication that allow teachers, parents, and students to stay connected and
informed (Ramasubbu, 2015). The one thing that may be an issue with all the advanced
communication is the lack of meeting face to face. Teachers may never get a chance to meet the
parents, its like talking to a mysterious person for a whole year.

References
Brown, S. (2008). Using a classroom webpage to communicate with parents.
Retrieved from Learn NC: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/689
Buchanan, S. (2014, May 22). An apprehensive teacher's guide to ClassDojo.
Retrieved from theguardian: http://www.theguardian.com/teachernetwork/teacher-blog/2013/nov/28/teacher-guide-classdojo-behaviourmanagement
Ramasubbu, S. (2015, March 17). Using Technology to Enable Parent Teacher
Communication. Retrieved from huffington post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suren-ramasubbu/using-technology-toenabl_b_6479766.html