Family Communication with Technology :-)

Welcome!!

Website, Blog, Facebook or Pinterest page, etc...
what is or will be your go-to destination?

Options:

• Blogger   www.blogger.com  Free.  Create a site with current posts as the feature but also static side bars and secondary pages for easy info access.  Enables you to add dynamic, changing content that updates itself through widgets.  This means there will always be something to new to see with out having to do anything extra!  Update via computer or handheld device. 
• Wordpress  https://wordpress.com/  Free. Create a website or blog.  
• Google Classroom  https://classroom.google.com Free. As of now you must be affiliated with a Google Education School to use this service.  Check with your administrator.  You have a site where it is very easy to share with students, or in our case families.  https://primacyone.wordpress.com/
• Google Sites  https://www.google.com/sites/overview.html  Free. Create a nice looking, public, consistent website.  Great for creating a portfolio of work for the class. 
• Facebook www.facebook.com  Free.  Everybody's on it right? Best for creating a main information page and for sharing public announcements. 
• Pinterest  www.pinterest.com  Free.  I find this best for sharing your inspirations for projects and theme materials.  I could see using it in many ways beyond that. 

Tips:

• Carefully consider your domain name.  Make sure it is easy and matches your business/program/school name.  Consistency will help folks to find you.  
  
                                       **Think of it as creating a brand.**
• You may want one public page and something that is private so families can see their children's work and creations. 
• Pick the platform the makes the most sense to you and is easiest for you to work with.  If it isn't easy, you won't use it no matter how great it looks.
• Check with families to be sure it is working for them.  Many of these platforms allow you to track pages views.  This is surprisingly rewarding!!  
• Create a group email list!  Available for Gmail, Yahoo, or any service you use.  

Specific sites to share specific stuff!!

• Class Dojo- www.classdojo.com A Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports site.  Free.  Complete customization of goals.  The kids love it.  Takes attendance. Works on computer or handheld device for the teacher.  Parents can access with a share code.  You can set it up to automatically send a report home each week.  Excellent data collection and analysis.  Give individual or group points for positive behaviors.  Private. 
• YouTube- www.youtube.com Free.  A great way to share the songs, rhymes or stories you are focusing on.  Also share the children in the classroom, performing or working. Can be set to be completely private to program families. 
• Twitter- Try one tweet from one student per day! You can do it.  See some examples: https://twitter.com/doverprek  Also great to re-tweet interesting early childhood posts or topics of interest to parents. Go ahead and add NAEYC or the VT AOE, they should add you back!!
• Instagram-  Best to share pictures with a caption.  ex: Student work or a block building.  How to set post to private, click here 
• Goodreads- www.goodreads.com  Create book lists to share with families. 

Suggest using STARS incentive funds to purchase a handheld device for the classroom.  All of this work will help you with you TS Gold data collection too!
Create consistent accounts for the classroom that can be used by most staff members on that device.  This way everyone can help with the content.  
You can also log on and edit via the cloud later. I spent many a Friday night working on my blog!  Sad, but everybody (parents, siblings, grandparents, colleagues) loved it. 

Basic helpful sites for tech questions:

commonsensemedia.org

http://vita-learn.org/  Vermont Information Technology Association for Learning

Example of an internet release: http://www.state.nj.us/education/techno/idconsent/form.pdf