Gerald Vanderpool

http://leapintoknowledge.weebly.com
EDU-225
2/14/2016

Introduction (4-6 sentences)

Technology has given the world many new ways to communicate. What would take days
before now happens in the matter of moments. Students, parents, and schools need to keep up to
date on new technology and the proper usage of it. These new devices, applications, and
programs can expand the knowledge that teachers are trying to give to their students and show
them that every part of the world is changing, not just their own country. By using technology
we can help to eliminate stereo-typing based upon old knowledge found in books. The ways of
communicating in this essay are: Remind 101, Dropbox, Facebook, and Skype.
Technology to Enhance Communication
Remind 101:
Remind101 is a tremendous app/website that enables teachers to send out email and text
message reminders to parents and students. Privacy is key with Remind101 as the system
functions without Teachers ever seeing Student/Parent phone numbers and without
Students/Parents ever seeing the Teachers phone number. Once the teacher creates the class on
Remind101, students and parents simply text the group number to enroll. They will immediately
start receiving reminder texts when the teacher sends them out. The teacher can manage up to 10

classes and can easily schedule messages to be dispatched in the future, a set and forget
feature. (Herb, 2013)
This is a good program to help keep students on task. It is set up to help remind them of what
they need to do in class and at what time it is to be done. It also involves the parents so that they
too can know what is going on in the classroom.
Dropbox:
A fantastically simple way to share files, Dropbox means you can instantly send assignments
and essays from anywhere in the world to a single common place where they can be accessed by
students and teachers alike. (Bates, 2014)
Students are forgetful and teachers know this that is the reason why this is such a good
program. It gives the students a new way to submit their assignments so that the teacher can
access them whenever they need to. This will also help students when they are away from class
due to sickness or vacations.
Facebook:
With Facebook you can allow students to pose questions about homework and get other
students' or the teachers responses. Students can even share their thoughts on an assignment and
collaborate on a project. (Power, 2010)
Most people of the world have a Facebook account; why not use it to help students.
Information can be given about anything the teacher wants, not to mention that the students now
have a way to communicate with the teacher if they have a problem on an assignment. Facebook
also involves parents into the teaching of their children and gives them a voice that might not be

heard in other circumstances. It can also be used as a way to communicate with other classrooms
in other areas of the world.
Skype:
Skype with an expert, Face to face meetings with other classrooms, Skype into the classroom
when you are away, Skype show and tell (have a parent/grandparent a day Skype in and share
something), Attend meetings via Skype when you cant be there physically, Skype with an author
of a book youve read as a class, Skype around the world to introduce culture and habitat, Skype
to enhance professional development, and After hours tutoring or Parent-Teacher conferences.
(Wilhelmus, 2013)
These are just so of the things that can be done with this tool. Skype gives us a great
advantage of seeing what is actually happening at the time through live video compared to other
resources. This will allow students to actually see what other classrooms are like in different
parts of the world and compare those classrooms with their own.
Communication Internet Security and Safety
Internet safety is one thing that all teachers, parents, and students should be very careful
to use. One can never be too safe in this area. A good source to use to help students, parents,
and teachers how to use the Internet safely is: netsmartz.org. (DeFranco, 2011)
Keeping everyone safe on the Internet should be top priority. Most people do not realize the
crimes that happen online. The FBI has actually placed cybercrimes as there number three
priority. (fbi.gov, 2010) A good way to stop security problems before they even start is to have a
safety plan. It should include: An Internet safety policy with clear rules, a student contract, and

consequences for failure to comply, Filters, A school-wide Internet safety curriculum, and an
inclusive approach to policy development (a committee made up of teachers, parents,
administrators, and students). (Melgosa, 2013)
These are only a few things that can be done to ensure safety of our students. There are many
more that can be added to classrooms to help such as room organization, close monitoring, short
time usage, etc.
Technology is a great tool to help us experience the world around us and keep in touch with
everybody everywhere, but it is still just a tool. We cannot expect it to know what is right,
wrong, or in-between. It does not think for itself and has no emotion. We need to remember
what the Internet actually is. All of these tools mentioned are great to help teachers give
information needed to students and children, but these tools cannot replace the teachers.
Everybody needs to realize that the Internet can be unsafe and protection needs to be used to
keep everyone safe.

References
Herb, Jeff 2013 3 digital communication tools for the classroom
http://instructionaltechtalk.com/3-digital-communication-tools-for-your-classroom/
Bates, Laura 2014 10 Great Tools for Student-Teacher Communication
http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/10/03/tools-student-teacher-communication/
Power, Megan 2010 Tech-Savvy Ways to Connect the Classroom and the Home
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2010/09/parent-teacher-studentcommunication-going-beyond-paper-newsletters-and-emails
Wilhelmus, Timothy 2013 Communication Tools to Connect Your Classroom to the World: Skype
http://evscicats.com/blog/communication-tools-to-connect-your-classroom-to-the-worldskype/
DeFranco, Joanna 2011 Teaching Internet Security, Safety in Our Classrooms
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?sid=754cf829-66d8-4bb39857-

d501290556d4@sessionmgr4005&vid=3&hid=4103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdm
Umc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==#AN=EJ925444&db=eric
Melgosa, Annette and Scott, Rudy 2013 School Internet Safety More Than 'Block It to Stop It
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2b4eb2b1b354-4660-b161-33287577ad67@sessionmgr4002&vid=3&hid=4103