Remind
Remind is an instant messaging service tool designed for teachers and can be used to securely message students, parents, school staff, and other groups.
First Steps
Getting Started:
Get Remind (Sign up)
User Communities and Sites:
Instagram: @RemindHQ
Twitter: @RemindHQ
Because “remind” is such a general and highly trafficked term, navigating their social media directly from the “Remind HQ” page is recommended above general searching through tags.
Technical Specifications:
Computer - use in web browser
Tablet
Smartphone
Remind App for Apple Products
Remind App through Google Play
While Remind is easy to use on a smart phone, you can have messages direct to an e-mail address.
Next Steps (Advanced Tips)
How to create an account
How to join a class
How to change notifications
Help with creating a class, adding people/owners, leaving & deleting
Getting started, using, administrating, and troubleshooting
Instructional Design
Why and when are you using these tools/functionality?
Remind is a school-safe instant messaging program. Students and teachers are communicating on Remind much as they would on email, but without the extra programming.
What are students doing?
Students are receiving course updates and communicating with their teacher and classmates via text message.
What are educators doing?
Educators are updating students with texts, reminders, and even course content/links.
General Guides to Classroom Use:
Guide to Remind classroom use during remote learning
Instructional Grouping(s):
Message individuals, groups, parents, and fellow educators. Use in hybrid teaching, as a way to connect efficiently with small pods of students or those working on a project together.
Formative and Summative Assessment Options:
Lessons aren’t a primary function of Remind, which is a communication system. Teachers could perhaps message parents a formative question to ask their child over the dinner table, or use as an occasional method of collecting exit tasks.
Management
Student Management:
It is important to have district approval (better yet, an all district generated account where your classes are pre-populated for you) so that you are not in danger of a liability issue posed by directly messaging students on Remind.
Once set up (either through your district or inviting populations via link, email, or other method) you can directly message students and parents with two-way communication updates or send announcements. All tenants of basic messaging are available on Remind and translations of messages are available.
Teachers can also add photos, videos, Schoology assignments, Google class assignments, Drive docs, surveys (from Survey Monkey), etc. to messages. Students can respond similarly (with photos, etc.).
Student Engagement
Remind is a great way to get immediate feedback from students. If they have their phone and are signed up, they can reply!
Student Privacy and Security:
Differentiation and Adaptation
Diverse Learners:
Remind is great for students who struggle with remembering due dates because it functions as a “remind” sent directly to students’ most accessible item: their phones! Because parents are linked in, this program is great for keeping kids accountable.
Adaptive and Assistive Features:
Reminds can be pre-scheduled so that the teacher doesn’t have to remember to send them. Students who need adaptive functions can use voice to text to streamline their messaging process.
Students can use text to voice to help them (and parents) communicate clearly with the teacher. A translate function is also available, and teachers can in some cases (depending on account type) even send audio messages.
Hybrid Strategies
Remind is a great system for digital learning and in-person learning. Use for quick updates year round and consider using it for the clubs, sports teams, etc.