Appy Tuesday: Voxer

I have to admit when I first downloaded voxer and started to use it with just my family, I wasn't impressed. I thought why do I need this if I want to send them a short message I will just text them. I left the app sitting on my iPhone for a year unused and unloved. Over the summer I joined a professional learning experience "PTcamp" and was reintroduced to "The Vox" man oh man did I quickly start to realize all the potential this once misunderstood app held for me in the classroom and beyond.

What is it...

Voxer is a walkie - talkie like app on steroids. You can hear audio messages right as people speak or wait and get caught up on your messages later.  As well as voice messages you can send text, images, or even share your current location. Groups can be formed to organize those amazing PLN discussions you have going on.

How to use it...

I have started incorporating it right into my classrooms. Parents love it, they can quickly ask a question if they aren't sure what their child is supposed to be working on, or if they just want to check in on their son or daughter. Students have really started to get the hang of being able to ask any question they have pretty much anytime of day. I can listen to their questions and respond in the car hands free, no need to try to email them or text a message. Those quick questions that students think of when they are in homeroom. Honestly I was a little nervous as I initially rolled out "the vox" to my students and parents I was afraid they might abuse it and I would be getting voice messages at all hours of the day and night asking silly random things. While I do get messages throughout the entire day, they have never once abused it, and thanks to the voxer I can listen and respond to their questions when it's convenient for me (my 30 minute ride to work and home everyday).

Outside of the classroom I have found Voxer to be an irreplaceable tool for connecting with other educators. Through my voxer groups I have connected with educators as far across the globe as Australia. We can discuss everything from our differences in our classrooms to our differences in our culture. I have connected more with other educators outside my district in my 6 months of really using voxer than in my six years of prior teaching.

How to get started...

Download Voxer, have your students and parents download it as well (I created a short tutorial for my parents that is included on my class homepage) share your voxer handle with them and get started "voxing"!

Interested in connecting with me on voxer? You can contact me at cnidli834

Beyond the Bake Sale: Week 2 Wrap Up

As I am FINALLY finishing the fourth chapter of Beyond the Bake Sale (give me a break, it was a holiday weekend), I am again realizing that while I truly felt I had the best interest of my students always at the forefront of my mind I was leaving out a critical part of their education. Without making their family an integral part of my daily teaching I am leaving behind some of these students whom I claim to love so dearly.

I want to reflect on the four core beliefs the authors state in Beyond the Bake Sale, and examine them through my own classroom

Core Belief #1: All parents have dreams for their children and want what is best for them.

I know how I feel about my own children, I would do anything for them. I want them to be and do all the things that I never could. I hope that one day they grow up to be The President, or a doctor, or anything they want to be. I can't believe it never occurred to me that my students parents could and do feel the same. I look forward to tapping into those goals and dreams, through a video assignment where the students interview their parents at the beginning of the year.  Students will ask them what their dreams are for their student and what steps need to take place to achieve those dreams.

Core Belief #2: All parents have the capacity to support their students learning. 

So many times I have thought of myself as the expert in educating a child. What I have forgotten is that my students first and most important teachers are their parents. I want to empower those parents to continue to take part in their education. I hope to implement a family night where parents can come enjoy a meal with their students teachers and learn how they can promote what is being taught at school at home. As well as how the school will support them. Through social media I hope to keep parents in the loop about what is happening at school. I want them to have conversation starters that will lead to discussion around the dinner table regarding school, rather than the age old; "What did you do at school today", "Nothing" conversation. I feel one tool that will be easy to implement that we are not currently doing is a parent survey about how they would like to be involved as well as how they wish to be informed. By giving parents options we are letting them know that we value their opinion and want them to be a part of our team. 

Core Belief #3: Parents and school staff should be equal partners. 

This might be the hardest of the three core beliefs for me. While I know that parents are a vital part of their child's education, giving up some of that control is very difficult for me.  Also I have always felt as if I would be bothering parents if I invited them into my classroom, or sought their experiences and input on different topics. This is an area I really have to work on. I want to be partners with my students parents, not only because I believe it will lead to academic gains but also to lead to emotional gains. How much more influence can two caring loving parties have over a student than individuals pulling at opposite ends.

Core Belief #4: The responsibility for building partnerships between school and home rests primarily with school staff, especially school leaders. 

I know as a parent myself I feel intimidated by my son's school I don't want them to think I am a helicopter parent who just wants to control what they do. Rather I want them to understand that I want to be their partner. "Reaching out to parents is easier for educators than "reaching in" to teachers and other staff is for parents" The quote from Beyond the Bake Sale really hit home for me. It is so much easier for teachers and administrators to extend that welcome than it is for parents to assert themselves into the school. The very first goal I am planning on setting for myself is to get out and greet the parents. Welcome them in the morning and at pick up in the afternoon. I also want to start sending out invitations for parents to come in and see what's happening or choose to volunteer in our class.

Beyond the BakeSale: Week 1 Wrap Up

As educators we jump through nearly every hoop to attempt to give our students the best education we can deliver. We use the latest technology, follow the latest research, incorporate the hottest trends, and even spend too much of our own money to ensure our students have what they need to be successful. But what if we have missed one of the cheapest, easiest to find, and most invested opportunities there is to increase student achievement.

FAMILIES

In the book "Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family/School Partnerships" authors .... lay out a rubric that details the four different types of parent/school partnerships and challenge us to aim for the highest level

After carefully analyzing the rubric (I even printed it out just so I could blow it up on larger paper :) I fell that my school district currently falls in between an Open Door School and a Come if We Call School, leaning more towards Open Door.

In the supporting advocacy category we firmly fall in the Open Door School category. Our principal is available to meet with parents, progress reports go home, and parent teacher conferences are held twice a year. The other bullets that I checked off in the Open Door School were our friendly office staff and the fact that all our teachers will explain test results if asked.

Unfortunately I felt that we still have a few of the Come if We Call school attributes. Our better educated parents are definitely more involved. Schools will call home when there is a problem with a student, and our families typically just visit the school on report card pick up day. Our PTA seems to be a small selective group with little to no input from teachers.

So what can we do... Let's open the gates!

In the next school year I want to push an initiative to get a Family Resource Center in our school.  A place where families feel welcome to get involved in their child's education, get information on relevant topics, and provide learning opportunities. I hope that our families start to feel like they are just along for the ride in their child's educational journey, but they are helping to drive to boat.

I also want to incorporate families in learning activities. I have already planned my opening project for the year where students interview their family about what their goals are for them for the school year. What they hope they will achieve and what they dream they will become. My goal is that this introductory project will be a first in many family activities that connect with what we are learning in the classroom.

By working together we can achieve more!

Beyond the BakeSale: Guide to Family/School Partnership - Week #1

Well to say I'm excited would be an understatement. Even after just reading through the first chapter of Beyond the BakeSale I know this is going to be a revolutionary book for me.

I signed up for "PTcamp after a year of struggling with communication with my own child's school. After feeling left out of some critical information regarding his academic progress I asked myself if I was including my students parents in their education as much as I wanted to be included in his. Was I making their education a true partnership or taking it on as my sole responsibility?

To be honest I always assumed that my students parents didn't want to know or really didn't care. I am ashamed to say the number of times I have thought to myself "Why am I the only person accountable for these students education, their parents need to be involved," but I wasn't going out and making that happen. The authors of Beyond the BakeSale hit me like a ton of bricks "When families are engaged in positive ways, rather than labeled as problems, schools can be transformed from places where only certain students prosper to ones where all children do well" I want everyone of my students to do more than well I want them to EXCEL in whatever they choose! Why haven't I worked harder to reach out to the other people in their lives who want that as well!!! Can't wait to hear more about tools to do that!

Another key point in this introductory chapter that excited me was the concept that by bridging the gap between school and home we can show our students that we are united. I have always known in the back of my mind that if I could get the parents on my side when it comes to understanding my goals and expectations I would have an easier job getting buy in from the kids. I was just always so unsure how to go about it. Another reason why this book is hitting home for me.

Finally as I was reading through these first few pages I was hit with the realization that we as teachers have to be involved with the planning and execution of these parent/teacher events. It can't be something that the administration does just to check off another box (can you say PTL meetings that no teachers attend).

It was difficult for me not to read ahead but I really want to give each and every chapter it's due diligence. I am anxiously awaiting the feedback and thoughts from the others in the virtual book club on this chapter.  Follow us on twitter at #PTcamp