Technology in the Early childhood classroom has a different feel and look than typical classroom settings. We have a SMARTboard and iPads to use in our center. Since the children are much younger (ages 3-5), we have yet to expand on much more than this technology.
I would like to become more technologically savvy with parents. I would like to start a blog for parents to use and communicate with. This would allow for extra events communication that would be something more than just a newsletter. Parents would be seeing what we do in our center with pictures as well. This might help strengthen that home-school connection.
I would also like to do a blog for other teachers to use. I follow several blogs that give great advice and ideas that I incorporate into my classroom. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel. I have been getting and now it needs to be my turn at giving back too.
We send out a survey to parents after 1st quarter and at the end of the school year for feedback. This would be another way that we could get these results but in a different way. We could post the survey online and also have weekly feedback from parents about our center.
Early childhood centers are not only based on children, but also families. Technology needs to not only be focused on the students but also on the families.
Are you an early educator? What kinds of ways do you use technology with students and families?
I definitely think using technology to connect with parents is a great idea ... I wonder if a Ning would be a good way to get parents involved in discussions? You could post information and ideas for parents to see and use!
ReplyDeleteA great classroom management tool and communation tool is classdojo. It's free and a wonder behavior tool to use with your students. It lets parents see what their children are doing in real time and with a recent update you can send parents messages through the app. I love it and use it daily in my first grade classroom.
ReplyDeleteI would also recommend using google forms for surveys. It is simple to create and easy to email to parents or host on a website. I'd be happy to help you create one. :)
I might have to really think about using a Ning! Thanks Katie... great idea!!
ReplyDeleteJay.... why did I never think about making a google form???
Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!!