Using Instant Messaging in Class
In Advanced Earth Science, I will use REMIND to help my students keep track of upcoming due dates, tests, projects, and field trips. I will also use it to communicate important information to parents/ guardians about their child's progress. This year in my goal setting, I indicated that communication with parents would be an avenue on which I would work. I want to share my student's successes and strengths with their parents/ guardians in order to nuture those strengths and behaviors. I am a firm believer in the power of highlighting a student's strengths in order to build a foundation of trust and goodwill.
A tool like REMIND is nicer than email because it can be used quicker and more informally than email. Email can be necessary in the case of documentation but REMIND can help in building an easier and more accessible communication pathway.
REMIND is targeted at a certain group, the members of my class. I can tailor the messaging to be inclusive and stress group successes as well as individual ones. It can help serve as a reward system for the class and be an informal reward for good work and to influence future behaviors. A sense of community can develop from being included in group shout-outs and fulfill individual needs for recognition. Groups can share in feelings of pride and shared accomplishments for a job well-done.
REMIND accommodates those parents/ guardians without a cell phone by having a phone number attached and an email so that they can get regular email messages.
I am definitely going to use REMIND in my teaching because I have been looking for a way to easily communicate with parents and students alike about topics. I want the students to learn to manage their own schedules and having a digital reminder system can aid in that effort. Additionally, it will help me send quick notes to parents with a nice comment about their student. I would like to build rapport with parents before problems start.
A tool like REMIND is nicer than email because it can be used quicker and more informally than email. Email can be necessary in the case of documentation but REMIND can help in building an easier and more accessible communication pathway.
REMIND is targeted at a certain group, the members of my class. I can tailor the messaging to be inclusive and stress group successes as well as individual ones. It can help serve as a reward system for the class and be an informal reward for good work and to influence future behaviors. A sense of community can develop from being included in group shout-outs and fulfill individual needs for recognition. Groups can share in feelings of pride and shared accomplishments for a job well-done.
REMIND accommodates those parents/ guardians without a cell phone by having a phone number attached and an email so that they can get regular email messages.
I am definitely going to use REMIND in my teaching because I have been looking for a way to easily communicate with parents and students alike about topics. I want the students to learn to manage their own schedules and having a digital reminder system can aid in that effort. Additionally, it will help me send quick notes to parents with a nice comment about their student. I would like to build rapport with parents before problems start.
Using REMIND
Target population: 9th graders enrolled in Advanced Earth Science.
I learned that with REMIND the students will have to accept being enrolled in the classroom as well as their parents. As with this exercise, a timely set-up of the contact list is important in order to create announcements when needed. |