A vital part of education is communication with all stakeholders -- especially students and parents. These EdTech tools will help with communication that continues to foster relationships and support academic advancement given extended school closure. If you currently have a communication tool in place, please continue the method your students and parents expect.

While some resources may work for general audiences, others may be better utilized with a specific grade level.

Words of Wisdom: The Importance of Communication in Virtual Learning

Resources Recommended for Communicating

Words of Wisdom: The Importance of Communication in Virtual Learning

Astor Communicate.mp4

Emily Astor

Walland Elementary

Communicate Clark.mp4

Amanda Clark

Heritage High School

Communicate Stewart.mp4

Rebekah Stewart

Heritage High School

Resources Recommended for Communicating

Classroom Dojo

This is an online monster-themed platform designed to create a community between educators and learners. It can be used as a management tool, but you can also share images and messages with students and parents in a secure way through the use of the free app. Classroom Dojo has committed to always being free for teachers.

Gmail Mail Icon - Free vector graphic on Pixabay

Email

Many teachers use Powerschool or Google Classroom email functions to reach parents and students. When using this resource to more than one student or parent, please remember to BCC the email in order to maintain privacy.

Google_Hangouts_Chat.mp4

Google Chat

Google Chat will allow teachers to create an open forum for discussion and questions during the Virtual Learning period. This tutorial, created by HHS TTL Jeff Nuchols, will demonstrate how to create a chat group and enable notifications. All chats are stored within Google.

Google Classroom Quick Tutorial (if you are panicking!!).webm

Google Classroom

Google Classroom allows you to post announcements, assignments, questions, etc... to your classroom. This tutorial was created by HHS TTL Rebekah Stewart.

Google Meet & Classroom Screen.wmv

Google Meet

Google Meet allows teachers to setup a virtual classroom with students. If you plan to livestream with students, Google Meet is the only approved tool for livestreaming. For best practices, please record all livestreams and post them as a classroom resource for future refernce. When using Google Meet, please start the meeting with a nickname, be sure everyone leaves the meeting before you, and immediately delete the link from your Google Classroom page.

1) The first video shows how to setup and distribute a Google Meet session to your students. Be mindful that the link is shared before the meeting, but not too far in advance. Also, best practice is to open the meeting room a little bit early so you can see what students are doing when they arrive early.

2) The second video is a tutorial that shows how to record the meeting so you can post it on Google Classroom or share with others to access for future viewing.

Want to see participants in Grid View? Use this extension to add Google Meet Grid View.

Google Voice

Google Voice is a free service that works with your GSuite account to give you a phone number students and parents can use to call or text directly. This will be a replacement number that is designed to keep the teacher's personal number private. If needed, your Chromebook can be used to communicate by text and phone rather than using your cellular device.

Remind

Remind is a two-way messaging service for educators available by email, text messaging, or downloading an app. By creating a class, teachers can share message, images, and resources with all students in a class without exposing phone numbers. Parents can also respond directly to the teacher by replying to the text or notification.

Seesaw

Seesaw is great for delivering online content to connected accounts. Parents and students will need to download the app and join through a code. Seesaw works both for communication as words, images, and resources and for building a learning portfolio for students in your class. Teachers can communicate to the whole class or directly to a parent; Parents may respond to the whole group or directly to the teacher.

BCS Virtual Learning Toolkit created by Tony Boring, Stephanie Kirk, Colleen Mattison, Jeff Nuchols, Jennifer Walker, and Chris Whitehorne; site maintained by Stephanie Kirk and Jennifer Walker.