The technological advances in areas such as communication have made people a lot more accessible to each other. Distance is no longer an issue and people are not limited to making phone calls, writing letters or sending emails.
Communication is critical for the teacher and I want to firstly, focus on how technology influences communication between teachers and students and the students’ parents. Secondly, I will discuss how I would embrace technology to improve my communication with both students and their parents.
How technology influences communication between teachers and students and the students’ parents
Technology has not only transformed and modernized classrooms, but it has also opened up new ways teachers can use technology to help communicate with students and their parents (Cholakova, 2018) When teachers use technology to communicate to students it is usually focused around instructional material, assignments, feedback and help. Whereas, the advantages of technology in communicating with parents means teachers are accessible to the parents every day without the need for them to take time off work and travel to the school. Information about their child is more quickly available to them and they can more easily inform the teacher of concerns or relevant information about their child.
How technology can improve the teacher and student relationship
Adopting different platforms of communication technology in the classroom can improve the teacher and student relationship and the teacher’s overall effectiveness. Teachers become more accessible (almost available 24 hours a day) to interreact with their students rather than the “old-school” methods of communication such as scheduling lunchtime and/or afterschool help (Davis, 2017). With the use of technology students can send a text, email or social media message through Facebook, Instagram Twitter and/or WhatsApp at any time (How Technology Is Changing How Teachers Communicate with Students, 2017). Even as I am writing this I am currently in New Zealand and communicating with three students through Facebook messenger in the Philippines. Additionally, in any given classroom students are at different stages of learning as they learn at different rates. Teachers can use technology to help create a more personalized learning environment for all types of students (How Technology Is Changing How Teachers Communicate with Students, 2017). Teachers can also use platforms such as Google Docs, Google Slides or Office365 to oversee and communicate with groups of students as the students collaborate and work on a group project. Technology has unlimited potential to improve the relationships between the teachers and students “as the walls of the classrooms are no longer a barrier” (Cholakova, 2018).
How I would embrace technology to improve my communication with students and parents
It is important for me, to have significant and regular communication with both my students and their parents. (Merkley et al., 2006). To communicate with the parents, I would embrace technologies such as email, texts, and video chat applications like Skype, Facebook Messenger and Google Hangout as these applications are efficient forms of communication. Additionally, I would set up an online shared calendar so that parents can schedule meetings, conferences and create online homework schedules, homework logs and online grade books. “These digital tools allow parents to check on their student’s work and to gauge how well their student is doing in school” (Using Technology for Effective Parent-Teacher Communication, 2014). Parents can also use this type of technology to communicate to me if their child is sick or have other areas of concern. Likewise, I can report back to parents on student behaviour and academic progression in an efficient manner.
In regard to my students I would make use of Google Apps as they are free for students and easily accessible. Through the use of google classrooms, online meetings, chats and email I can contact students individually or in groups. The use of Google Slides and Google Docs allows me to keep up to date with their work and make comments. In addition to Google Apps I would also utilise social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Finally, I would setup a shared calendar with my students to communicate due dates, for example, for assignments and tests.
Summary
There is no doubt that communication using technology can improve the relationship the teacher has with students and parents. The teacher is more accessible to the student when the student has a query or concern. Advances in communication also allows parents to keep more up to date with their child or children’s academic progress and any problems or issues that are raised can be addressed more immediately.
References
Cholakova, L. (2018). How Does Technology Impact The Way Teachers Communicate with Students & Parents?https://fcuscoyotejournalism.com/834/archive/how-does-technology-impact-the-way-teachers-communicate-with-students-parents/
Davis, M., (2017). How Technology Improves Teacher Student Communication. https://www.macroconnect.net/technology-improves-teacher-student-communication-2/
How Technology Is Changing How Teachers Communicate with Students. (2017). Teachthought. Retrieved https://www.teachthought.com/technology/how-technology-is-changing-how-teachers-communicate-with-students/
Merkley, D. and Schmidt-Crawford, D. and Dirksen, C. and Fuhler, C. (2006). Enhancing parent-teacher communication using technology: A reading improvement clinic example.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228354609_Enhancing_parent-teacher_communication_using_technology_A_reading_improvement_clinic_example
Using Technology for Effective Parent-Teacher Communication. (2014). DigitalPromise. From https://digitalpromise.org/2014/09/17/using-technology-for-effective-parent-teacher-communication/