Today I had a parent call asking to send home
another copy of the lunch calendar which of course I agreed to do.
Wouldn't it just be easier to give her a web address to my classroom blog
and she could go online and check it out? Would also save a piece of
paper. Everyday I send home a preschool daily sheet which outlines what
the children did today at school - how great it would be to have this up online
and parents couldn't check into the classroom blog to obtain this information.
Better yet adding photos and work samples so parents could really see
what is happening in our classroom. My parents could see the L is for Lion craft we completed today instead of just reading about it on the daily sheet and trying to make sense of what this might be.
Again this would also save at least 17
pieces of paper a day.
What about making it an even bigger movement and
get the school involved. Those monthly newsletters that get sent home
that are equivalent to a mini novel. That's a lot of paper there and then
multiply that by the number of kids in the school. Say goodbye to another
tree.
The Meriwether
Lewis Elementary School in
Portland, OR has got the right idea. If you check out their school website you
instantly feel connected to the school. You are able to visually see and
then read about what is going on. There are links for the PTA, classroom
notes, teacher websites, and a student page. I feel like I am connected
to the school by checking out their website and I have never even been to this
school or heard of it before reading the book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and
Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.
While I am not sure my preschool students are ready to get blogging I feel confident in my blogging abilities and see the impact my blog can have on families and students to share information both about our classroom, research, ideas for home, etc. It just seems a much more streamlined and easier way to communicate information than what I am currently using in my classroom day to day.
Yes, a school calendar and other kinds of information should be on a blog or website that the parents of your children can easily get to. Not saying they need to write replies, but having the information at their fingertips would be most helpful. Of course, this depends on the community where the students live. If it is one where parents have ready access to computers or make steady use of mobile devices, an online teacher presence can be a godsend, especially given that paper copies can get lost. All the parent needs to do is remember how to get back to your blog or website.
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