The first day back to school can be daunting or exciting or
both. As teachers return they are taking their
computers out from storage, dusting them off, setting up their classrooms after a deep
summer cleaning, and planning for the first days of school. Starting out the beginning of the year with
all the tools for communicating with parents and students sets the tone for the
rest of the school year. What better way
to start the year than with a centralized digital hub for students to find
resources for your classes?
While not the only website option out there, Google Sites is a free tool for easily creating website pages that include classroom calendars, interesting resources, homework, upcoming assignments and projects, forms
and documents, as well as links to other outside resources. The various google tools work well together
and can often be embedded inside a google site.
For example a slide show can be programed to play automatically and be
embedded in your site giving an automatic tour of your classroom. An announcement page can be customized into a
daily homework listing. A calendar can
be embedded on a page showing assignments, projects, or field trips coming up. Promote your website often and use it in your daily
classroom routine. Update and show it to your students as they walk in to your classroom each day. They will know what to expect for the day and
can update their planners at that time.
Consider this scenario:
Middle school student A has not turned in homework for several
days. You ask what happened and they say
they forgot to write it down in class. Their
planner is empty even though you provide students time in class to note what
they need to do in their planners. You
can demonstrate where to go online to find the information
they need right away. There are many
other scenarios you might encounter but a parent will always be relieved to know
there is a place they can look to help their child be successful in class.
Make communication tools a priority in your school year
planning. Start the year with these
resources already created and available on the first days of school, at back to
school night and parent conferences. Printing
out your classroom expectations including website and email contact information
is standard at the beginning of the year. Consider this: Provide parents with a business card or sticker with your classroom website noted
for easy access. A refrigerator magnet is an interesting
alternative. Print inexpensive business
cards (I tried Vista Print online) with your basic classroom contact info (including
your website information and email) and affix a small peel and stick magnet to the
back.
Good communication is a key to success in education and beyond. Teachers, students, and parents will all benefit from a classroom that starts the year with communication tools designed and used from day one. Teachers with questions on how to get started should contact their technology coach or contact me at lptechinspired@gmail.com
