A Web Based Grant Proposal . . .

The Transformation . . .

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Home-School Communication is a necessary key to success in elementary aged students.  With this, the parent-teacher contact that is generally visible in schools takes place twice a year at conferences.  Compared to the lightning fast, 24 hour, 7 day/week communication the world is used to, this type of communication is outdated and needs to be revamped.  Email, notes home, and phone calls are great forms of communication, but they are generally used as a report to parents about behavior or academics.  I would like to have communication that relays our classroom news in an informative and personal way so parents can feel like they are as much a part of the classroom as their children.

That is why I want the children in my classroom to use technology as a tool to keep their parents informed about what is happening in our classroom.  Not only will the parents benefit by getting frequent updates, the students will also get time to organize ideas, write with a purpose, and edit drafts that will be read by many others besides just the teacher.  My goals for communication are:

  • Students will be able to write authentically online where their work will be read and commented on in a safe place (Ning).
  • Family members will feel welcome and like they are part of the classroom.
  • Students and families will have a place to get classroom resources (Math Family Letters, homework assignments, calendar of events, writing samples, view pictures, etc.).
  • Students will learn how to use technology to communicate safely.
  • Students will learn keyboarding, digital storytelling, and blogging as a form of communication.
  • Students will learn vocabulary by viewing online, use that vocabulary to communicate to me, their peers, and their parents, and publish a final work that will relay what they learn.
  • Students will use the Internet to research, use digital cameras to document activities, and use keyboarding to blog about current events in our classroom.  With this, we will focus on the process of writing, how to integrate critical and creative thinking strategies, learn social studies through current events, and gain empathy and perspective by writing to a diverse audience of readers while building reading, writing, and convention skills.