Are you the go-to person for getting the word out to others on your campus or district? Let’s consider that you may be responsible if you have any of the following roles: district technology director or coordinator, human resources director, superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, or classroom teacher. Yes, that’s right. Almost everyone is responsible for ensuring positive, engaging communications with parents and community. In this blog entry, we’ll explore some services and communication apps that make it easy to get the word out.
“Our district app is attached to our website. The admin office is the one who updates the website and app, and I get alerts when needed announcements are made through the app. We have a district Twitter and Facebook for official communication to the community.”
App #1 – Mobile App for Parents
Looking for a mobile app that parents and students can load on their smartphones to keep up to date? Several school districts rely on a large company to create their app. These school apps provide a wealth of information, including school news (which could be an RSS feed from your organization blog or content management system) and important notifications (e.g. hurricane alerts). School communications apps make it easy for parents to access grades, cafeteria menus, and campus event schedules. Let’s take a quick look at two well-known app providers.
Blackboardis one such school app provider. For those relying on Blackboard for services, a mobile school app may be available from Blackboard at an additional cost. From their website:
A beautiful mobile app can help bring your community together with the latest news, schedules, and school information personalized for every parent. The Blackboard Mobile Communications App, formally ParentLink, integrates with all the school tools you need—from websites, social media, and mass notifications—for a more streamlined communication experience.
Schoolwayserves as cost effective alternative. From their website:
与开放论坛（如发短信，Facebook或Twitter）不同，班路为您的学校提供了最佳的方式，以告知和提醒您所选择内容的学校社区。从日常信息到重要的警报，通道可以安全，安全地覆盖。学校控制内容，父母选择他们希望收到的内容。从课堂更新到体育安排，午餐菜单，分数和活动更新，课程提供……您的老师，教练，俱乐部和管理人员可以独立管理自己的内容。然后，父母和学生可以选择他们想要收到的内容。该应用程序还通过您所在地区学校的颜色和徽标进行定制。
如果该地区有Jostens的年鉴合同，则免费提供班路。如果没有，单个学校可以期望支付约500美元。学区可能支付1500美元（这些是球场数字）。
“For parents/students, we have been using Twitter, Remind 101, and Facebook. For teacher/admin communication, we have been using GroupMe.”
提供父母访问的其他学校移动应用程序包括学校使者,campussuite， 和Como(formerlyJudson ISD的最初努力中出现了Conduit Mobile）。
响应迅速的网页设计降低了学校应用的成本采用
购买学校移动应用程序的一种低成本替代方法涉及使用响应式Web设计。这是一种以这种方式定义的方法：
响应式Web Design（RWD）是一种用于Web设计的方法，它使网页在各种设备，窗口或屏幕尺寸上都很好地呈现。（资源：维基百科)
It’s not an app, but rather a mobile-friendly website.推特Lite, for example, isn’t an app. It was designed to provide access to twitter on mobile devices that lack an app store, are in low bandwidth situations, and require fast loading content. Going “lite” on for school mobile can save you money.
就易于使用的lite网站而言，请看一下“New Google Sites。” You can embed RSS feeds for updates from blogs or content management systems (a.k.a. website tools like Blackboard, edlio, etc).
应用＃2 - 提醒
Appropriate for classrooms, campuses, and group communications, Remind.com offers a simple solution. Used in seventy percent of U.S. schools, Remind has become synonymous with school communications.Teachers校长依靠提醒，因为它使共享信息变得容易且安全。尽管老师可以从免费帐户开始，但是school plans are available。With safety in mind, Remind earned theIkeepsafe Coppa安全港密封。
I appreciate the short Remind texts about a lesson that was taught so that I can initiate a conversation about a specific moment from the school day. They’ve helped to change the conversation with my child at home from ‘Eh, my day was fine’ to one where they share details—and at times, excitement—about what they learned. – Gwen Pescatore, mom of three and PTO president, PA
提醒非常容易为通信设置。实际上，每天，我都会收到一个更新，提醒我让我保持最新状态。
App #3 – Class Dojo
课堂上的另一个最爱，班级Dojo吸引了追随者。它主要是专为小学生设计的，可促进整个上学期间对学生行为的监测。更重要的是，父母也可以看到他们的孩子在应用程序中的表现。许多教育者和父母都喜欢Dojo。这是一个很好的工具，可以帮助学生在整天/周中监视自己的行为。但是，请确保首先获得从学区使用此工具的批准。
App #4 – Miscellaneous Communication Apps
有各种各样的应用程序可以促进团队成员之间的通信。其中包括免费的对讲机应用Voxer和Zello和类似的集体消息应用程序GroupMe和电报。每个人都有自己的优势。例如，如果您需要能够依靠文本和音频选项的密码组，则Voxer，Zello和Telegram将满足您的需求。Zello的好处是，它不需要用户与他人共享其手机号码。所有应用程序都通过Web以及您选择的移动设备列出了工作。
使用了所有这些，我目前的最爱是Zello, afavorite formany其他也是。如果对他们有用，它应该对您有用。
Create Your Unified Communications Plan
While Twitter hashtags can unify a campus, and a school district Facebook page is a requirement today, these three apps can facilitate communication in an academic setting. Whether you are using an industrial strength mobile app or relying on a coordinated text messaging app like Remind, parent communication has never been easier. Develop a social media plan that relies on simple tools to get information to the people who most need it.
Note:该帖子于2018年2月28日更新，以包括其他学校移动应用程序。