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Chasatie Strickler
Instructional Technology
June 21, 2015
Randal Yard

Communication Plan
In the classroom, communicating with the parents and the students is critical to ensure the
success of the students. In the realm of education, communication is easily done with the
advancements of technology. As a teacher, communications with others in the educational
community will allow for collaboration and the use of the most up-to-date resources,
technologies, and advancements to provide the most advanced education to the students.
Communication in the classroom is critical to ensure that students are learning, utilizing the most
up to date technologies, and allows for student and teacher interaction in a way that will ensure
the success of all students. The incorporation of a classroom website, such as
http://myawesomeaces.weebly.com/, allows for one to easily maintain communications and keep
students and parents up-to-date in regards to classroom activities. The following essay is going to
address how one can easily stay in communication with those in the educational community
(teachers, parents, and students), how technology can be utilized in the classroom setting, and
how one will address internet and safety issues with their students.
As a teacher, creating a rapport with other districts, educators, and professional
organizations allows for one to gain the ability to collaborate and utilize the most effective
technologies and techniques available when teaching. In order to develop relationships with
others in the educational community, one must maintain communicative relationships that will
benefit the students. This can be done through the use of a classroom website or a wiki blog that

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is supportive of a professional development community that will enhance early-career teachers
teaching practices and content and pedagogical knowledge (Kim, Miller, Herbert, Pedersen, &
Loving, 2012). The development of a partnership with other districts in which collaborative
relationships are utilized will advance the success of the students, as well as support professional
development. The creation of a classroom website, wiki, or blog with links to outside sources that
will help students achieve in all areas of their studies will be beneficial and provide easy access for
parents and students to stay up-to-date with upcoming assignments, homework help, and learning
growth. When teachers set the foundation of communication with the parents, they will be more
apt to take an active involvement in their childs learning. According to Olmstead (2013),
classroom websites, blogs, or wikis with links to educational websites and easy access to a
teachers email address provides parents with the resources they need to be actively involved in
their childs education at home. Parental involvement in a childs education ensures student
success.
In the classroom, technology can provide easy access to allow for communication between
the teacher and students. The use of a classroom website, Remind 101, and/or student websites
will allow for easy communications between teacher and students that will provide
announcements of upcoming assignments, pending events, as well as a way to post
accomplishments and successes of the students. The students can contact the teacher through
classroom websites, as well as access helpful links for homework and additional reading and math
resources. Remind 101 can be beneficial as it provides easy reminders via text message to the
parents and students regarding homework, important dates, and/or changes or new developments
(Bobbitt, Inman, & Bertrand, 2013). The creation of student websites are helpful for the students
as it allows for them to communicate with one another , create their own blog, post
accomplishments, and words of encouragement to other classmates. This proves beneficial as it

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allows students the ability to communicate with teachers in which they can display their works,
complete group projects (easy access to peers email), post drafts to their websites for peers to
review, and ask questions in which their peers may be able to help with (Beatty, 2013).
In the classroom, internet security and safety are critical to ensure that the students are
maintaining internet etiquette and safety regarding their own identity. As a teacher, one must
ensure that certain types of websites are prohibited and that students understand that what they
put on the internet or send to others is out of their hands once it is sent. Signing an etiquette
contract with the students and going over internet safety rules weekly will be a beneficial reminder
for the students to maintain a safe and secure identity on the internet. According to Gunter &
Gunter (2015, p. 84), students must ensure that they are treating others as they would like to be
treated, writing appropriately, no cyber-bullying, maintaining personal safety, and avoid opening
files and/or websites that may be deemed as having a virus or being inappropriate. As a teacher,
ensuring that students do not give out personal information on the internet is imperative to having
an effective classroom engagement with the use of technology. Through collaborative websites
and interactive teaching between the teachers and districts, the students will be given the most upto-date advancements of technologies and resources, so limited access to inappropriate websites is
imperative to student safety. Expressing the use of technology to the students is one of ease, as
they are exposed to technology daily, but the incorporation of internet safety and etiquette must
be of utmost importance in the classroom.
In conclusion, the use of technology creates an effective means of communicating with
parents, students, and others in the educational community; as well as providing students with the
most up to date resources and services to create an enhanced learning environment that will
promote and encourage students learning. Ensuring that students understand the importance of
maintaining internet safety and security should be of utmost importance in the classroom.

References

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Beatty, M. (2013). Integrating google blogs into the k-6 language arts classroom to promote
interactive learning communities. Honolulu, HA. Retrieved on June 20, 2015 from
http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/27119/Beatty.pdf.
Bobbitt, R., Inman, R., & Bertrand, E. (2013). Using remind 101 as a classroom: Communication
tool. NACTA Journal, 57(4), 77-78.
Gunter, G. & Gunter, R. (2015). Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology in a
changing world (8th ed.). Boston, MA. Cengage Learning.
Kim, H., Miller, H., Herbert, B., Pedersen, S., & Loving, C. (2012). Using a wiki in a scientistteacher professional learning community: Impact on teacher perception changes. Journal
of Science Education & Technology, 21(4), 440. doi:10.1007/s10956-011-9336-x.
Olmstead, C. (2013). Using technology to increase parent involvement in schools. Techtrends:
Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 57(6), 28-37. doi:10.1007/s11528013-0699-0.