This week’s topic is on the advantages and disadvantages of communicating with parents and students via digital technologies. Web pages, blogs, text/instant messaging, Skype, and social networking sites are just a few of the methods discussed in the reading assignments. I’d like to discuss your opinion on the topic in relation to our current practicum experiences and are expectations for a future career in elementary education, but first I will summarize the key ideas from each article.
In Communicating with Parents, Kathleen Casson provides a general overview with helpful tips on establishing a positive rapport with parents. Her first tip, which many teachers unfortunately forget, is that “it is never a good idea to speak to a student’s parent or guardian for the first time in order to tell them about a problem”. An initial contact with a negative undertone can certainly spoil a relationship with parents for the rest of the year! Begin communication early in the year or in the summer months before school starts, to introduce yourself and to convey to parents that their involvement is welcomed, even expected. In fact, Casson suggests that teachers should open their classrooms both figuratively and literally to parents. Rather than view parents’ presence in the classroom as an intrusion, teachers should consider this as an opportunity to showcase students’ learning. However, Casson does not address the necessary boundaries that I feel are important to establish with parents. Teachers should be firm and never overextend themselves to meet unreasonable demands from parents (this is especially important for “helicopter parents” who tend to hover!). To avoid any potential problems, teachers should communicate clear guidelines (appropriate times to contact you, preferred ways of communication, setting times to meet rather than showing up unexpectedly, etc). With this advice in mind, teachers will be better prepared and should not have to fear interaction with parents!
In his article, Writing for the Web, David Walbert discusses a growing trend in education – that is, the use of the web as a medium for communicating with parents, students, and colleagues. Many teachers create and maintain websites and blogs for the greater school community to view. Walbert argues that the web can be “an effective tool for many types of verbal communication if we’re thoughtful about the way we communicate”. He describes the ways in which teachers should be conscious of how they present material online. Every detail, down to the size and type of font used, should be considered with respect to its purpose and user-friendliness. After all, we want our audience to find the material to be usable and accessible! Many of his principles for writing for the web can be observed in his own article. Although long, the article is easy to scan because the author has organized it clearly and strategically by subtopic with bolded headings and subheadings, concise paragraphs, a table of contents, highlighted key words/phrases (only when necessary), hyperlinks, well-chosen fonts, and an index. Several of these suggestions may be common sense, but for those who are less experienced in the world of digital technologies (like me!), I would recommend Walbert’s article.
Sydney Brown’s Using a Classroom Webpage to Communicate with Parents provides a snapshot of life at a school in North Carolina, where teachers post daily summaries of classroom activities online for parents to access. Many of these teachers, even those in the primary grades, involve the students in creating these summaries. The goal is that parents will be more informed and better prepared to communicate with their children and teachers about what is going on in school. When prompted with a “What did you do today in school?” type of question, many students will reply with a simple “nothing”. Parents may feel alienated from their own child’s education in such situations. Brown highlights the benefit of maintaining a classroom website: “with the classroom website, a parent or caretaker can build on the information conveyed in the daily summary and ask more specific questions”. In this case, the school had a grant that allowed them to provide computers with internet access to families with demonstrated financial need. This information, along with the unfortunate fact that universal access to internet is not possible for many school communities, the school’s success may seem idealistic, even unreasonable. Still, I think they model the creativity and resourcefulness with emerging technologies that many teachers should strive to match when trying to engage and include parents in the education of their children.
In Should Teachers, Kids be Digital "Friends?", Rhonda Bodfield debates the merits and potential pitfalls of digital communication between teachers and students. She points to studies by the National School Boards Association, which “show roughly three-quarters of students ages 9 to 17 with Internet access use social-networking tools weekly.” Several criminal cases involving improper communication between teachers and students have emerged in recent years, demonstrating that teachers need to be aware of what is appropriate and ethical. For those of us who plan on teaching in the primary grades, I am not sure how relevant this article is. However, I think it is still important that teachers remember that school administrators and colleagues (even potential employers!) have access to the personal information we present online. Overexposure is a concern that anyone should be conscious of when using social-networking tools. With that said, I would like to open discussion with the following questions:
How much communication do you feel is appropriate or necessary between home and school?
What factors do you think are most important to keep in mind in communicating with parents?
How do think technologies may support or inhibit these factors?
What technology(ies) do you think are most promising and realistic to help you to communicate with parents?
What issues might you need to keep in mind in using technologies to communicate with parents?
What precautions would you take or advise parents/students/colleauges to take when using the internet as a means of communication?
Hope you all had a great weekend. I look forward to reading/responding to everyone’s opinions on the topic!
Oops! I noticed a few typos in the first paragraph... I meant to say "I’d like you to discuss your opinion on the topic in relation to your current practicum experiences and your expectations for a future career in elementary education". Just wanted to clarify!
ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteYou asked some great questions! I want to focus on three in particular that peaked my interest. They are as follows:
1. Communication between Home and School
I believe that a great deal of communication is appropriate between home and school. Especially at the elementary level, parental involvement is vital to each child’s educational success. The more a parent becomes involved and is thus on the same page as the teacher, the more support at home the child will receive. In addition, the proper amount of parental involvement and communication may ensure that the teacher stays on the right track and vice versa. For example, after a teacher-parent conference, if a parent believed that the teacher was performing less than satisfactory work, the parent may report the teacher to the principal. Contrariwise, if the teacher believed that a particular parent was not engaging or supporting his or her child at home, the teacher might become more involved with the student to compensate for the lack of educational support at home. Therefore, proper parent-teacher communication may further buttress the child’s educational support network at home and in doing so further the child’s educational experience at school.
2. Important Factors when Communicating with Parents
I believe the following factors important when communicating with parents: honesty, consistency, respect and civility. First, the teacher must be forthright and honest with the parent. The teacher will only do harm by lying to the parent. For example, if the teacher felt uncomfortable telling the parent that his or her child was not performing well at school and instead, told the parent that the child was doing well at school, the parent might not work as hard with his or her child at home and as a result, the child might not progress at the necessary rate. Second, the teacher must be consistent in his or her communications and attitude toward the parent. The parent must know what to expect and must be confident that the teacher is always being upfront and honest with the parent. Finally, the teacher must show the parent respect no matter his or her background and as a representative of the school, the teacher must be civil in his or her communications with the parent.
3. Technology most Promising to Communicate with Parents
I believe that an online class website is most promising with parents. I believe, however, that technological communication devices such as email, Facebook, online chatting, etc. are not promising when communicating with parents. By posting an online website that does not allow for an online discussion, the parents do not have the opportunity to criticize or critique the teacher but merely accept the teacher’s proposed curriculum and classroom structure. As a result, the parent does not have the opportunity to openly undermine the teacher’s authority. Technological communication devices such as Facebook, email, and online chatting, should never be used to discuss classroom issues or problems. While I might concede that email could be used to set up meetings, I do not believe it should be used to discuss a child’s problems or successes. As with any written technological form of communication, the use of email, Facebook messaging, and online chatting might be misinterpreted by the receiver (i.e., the parent). Finally, such communication methods take away from the personable nature of a one on one parent-teacher conference. Such intimate meetings allow for the teacher and parent to really get to know each other and in doing so, build a healthy and respectable relationship that might not have otherwise been developed through online messaging.
I'm looking forward to class discussion this Tuesday. We read about some pretty controversial issues and thought-provoking ideas.
Hello, Undecided Bloggers! Its been awhile since we last blogged together. Megan, thanks for starting us back up again with a very interesting, thorough, and thought-provoking post!
ReplyDeleteI think it is essential for there to be good communication between home and school. I don't think you can "put a number" on this communication (as in a certain number of contacts per week), but feel that good communication between home and school is when both teachers and parents feel informed about necessary details concerning the student and the students education and feel comfortable getting in touch to ask questions about any uncertainties. I think that in today's schooling, teachers and parents have more opportunities to stay in touch. I remember being a mail carrier between my parents and teachers when I was in school, and though I like to think I was an excellent delivery girl, there were some times where communication was spotty due to my messy folders or misplaced backpack. Nowadays, teachers and parents can communicate through email and websites, which the articles pointed out. I think these technologies allow for more communication between home and school, as they are relatively quick and easy. More people are likely to use these forms of communication as they are non-confrontational and can be sent anytime from virtually anywhere. I've observed my cooperating teacher reading and answering emails from students in her class as well as sending questions and comments of her own to teachers of her own children. i think this is both a good and bad thing. True, the accessibility and relatively low-effort characteristics of emails allow quick communication, but often I think this communication tool is often over used. This weekend, my friend, a new 7th grade science teacher, told me that she spends at least 45 minutes a day answering parent emails. This is obviously a large chunk of her time that may be better spent doing other things, which leads be to believe that there are benefits and concerns with using technological communication devices. Lindsey makes a great point about the appropriate usage of emails and websites. I think there needs to be a clear agreement between parents and teachers about what kind of issues warrant being addressed by email and when it would be more productive to arrange a face-to-face or phone meeting. It is important for all parties to remember that while some things can be appropriately settled by email, some issues are too big to sort out in this manner and would really be better addressed in person.
I really like Brown's idea of a class webpage. Though this may be a little time consuming, having such a resource for parents to access about their students day could be very valuable. Many parents want to be involved in their children's educations, but this can be hard when students talk over dinner about lunch and recess as their favorite times of day. By providing daily summaries, or even a weekly update, parents can easily look into what their children are doing at school whenever they think about it. This is also economically friendly, as it saves the paper where a weekly newsletter may be printed.
However, it is important to remember that not all families have easy access to computers and the internet. In some cases, sticking to the basics of ink and paper may be a better option to stay in touch with parents. Since we're used to using computers, email, and websites as resources in our everyday lives, we may not always think that others do not have this luxury. For this reason, we must test the waters in our teaching placements and see if technological forms of communication are the best bets for establishing and maintaining relationships between home and school.
I look forward to reading everyone's posts and seeing you all in class! Happy monday :)
Megan, thank you for your thorough post and for these helpful question prompts.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the amount of communication appropriate or necessary between home and school… I think that anything that enhances a parent’s power to effectively communicate with their child ought to be utilized. Today, it seems that the school communication through the Internet provides the most efficient means to achieve this. How to optimize this medium deserves our attention. While reading about Brown’s use of the class webpage, I was initially wary that the teacher was placating to the high demands of the parent. By implementing a class site, however, the teacher seems to be calling the shots. Parents are aware that posts may be limited on certain days, and are also aware of the teacher’s time constraints with respect to email. Having a webpage arranged may end up saving the teacher a fair amount of time, pleasing parents, and improving parent-child communication. What’s not to like? I have to wonder, though, if one’s webpage is less than stellar, it could make way for a lot of pitfalls and criticisms from parents or administrators. In any case, it’s certainly an approach to be considered.
And… to finally answer Megan’s question, I think parent-school communication should ideally be focused and respectful of the teacher’s time. Parents should be provided with guidelines for communication, just as students are made aware of classroom procedures. However, each situation is unique and actual communication time will inevitably vary.
With respect to precautions to take when using the Internet to communicate, I would urge teachers to supplement their online information with newsletters that go home with the students. We need to be sensitive to families’ online status, and we certainly don’t want to inhibit productive communication by assuming that everyone has the same access (and even habits). When it comes to teacher-student online communication, I think that should be approached very carefully and professionally. Instead of using Facebook to communicate, perhaps the teacher should set up a blog solely devoted to students’ concerns and questions.
Looking forward to hearing everyone’s stance on this tomorrow!
Hello Undecided Bloggers! I agree with all of you - the amount of communication between home and school is very child-dependent. Lines of communication must be kept open so that the parents feel involved with their children's lives and education, but Megan is right; this could very easily lead to an abuse of these lines of communication by "helicopter parents." For this reason, a website would probably make a good tool; parents would be able to keep up with what their student was doing, but would have to make extra effort in order to interfere.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing to keep in mind, I think, is the parents believe they are doing the right thing when they interfere. For this reason, it is important to stress that you are doing the same and maintain the boundaries between home and school. Technology like e-mail or facebook blurs these boundaries. Facebook and other such applications should not be used at all and e-mail should only be used when necessary. It is too easy to create a more personal relationship through these mediums and that needs to be avoided.
Above all, I believe that technology is a useful way to keep communication available, but like every other use of it, it must be done selectively.
I would agree with everyone that the internet and internet based communication is one of the easiest ways to communicate with parents. I think it will be even more important in the future as our generation gets older and has children. I know I would much rather get an email than a phone call on just about anything. I think using all aspects of the internet can be beneficial to the teachers, parents and students. Another example using myself, I check facebook more than I check blackboard (maybe I'm a bad student). If a teacher wanted to make sure I got the message, Facebook or another such public access popular website would be a much better way. There are ways to make Facebook groups private so not just anyone can join or even see the group. I also like the idea of having a wiki style website like ours for school. I would lock some pages to only be accessed by the teacher so students cannot go in and change what it says to do for homework. The students can have their own pages and parents can check in on what their students say about school.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, teachers should not rely too heavily on the internet. It's hard for me to imagine living without the internet, but many people do. While there is public access at places like libraries, we should not make it that difficult for parents to receive information regarding their children.
I think a news letter would be fun for the classroom. It keeps parents updated, and can also involve children in journalism.
We also have to think about parents that may not be able to read, or speak English.
I think this was said sometime over the summer, if the child is the only one in the house hold that speaks English, information might not always get to the parents fully (no kid wants to get themselves in trouble when asked to translate a bad note). Teachers should use the best of their ability to reach out to those parents and I think phone calls would be best in this situation. Maybe borrowing a teacher who speaks Spanish, Arabic, etc. to relay a message on behalf of the teacher. This helps those parents to be involved more. I realize it may be difficult to find another person who speaks a more obscure language, but in larger cities there is often a translator involved with embassies or police departments that you could ask for help.
While I do not think technologies should take away from traditional methods of communication such as the face to face conference. Doing such intimate conference with every parents everytime somethings happens is not at all feasible. We need to be able to decide what is important enough for a conference and what is better said through an email. Technology should be used to enhance conferences and provide quick updates periodically.
I know I'm long winded, sorry.
ReplyDeleteOn a different note,
I think parents should use common sense as in "Don't call at 2 in the morning to talk about a bad test grade." I don't think there should be set guidelines for communication. I would like to make myself as available as possible for communication, not alienate parents by setting specifics like "call me here if this is the case, email me if this" and so on. I know parents may want to call me at home at dumb hours, but I will use that time to set up a phone appointment for another time or talk, if it is necessary. Having guidelines for communication like students have classroom rules is treating the parents like they are babies. If a teacher did something like that and expected me to adhere to it, I would definitely be annoyed.