Digital Learning

Texting in education

A recent report has found that there was widespread use of the humble text message as a tool for bullying. In particular, a third of secondary school children have been sent messages containing sexual content - called 'sexts'...

Technology is changing the way young people communicate with each other. A recent report released by anti-bullying charity, Beatbullying, found that there was widespread use of the humble text message as a tool for bullying. In particular, a third of secondary school children have been sent messages containing sexual content. These sex texts, or ‘sexts’, often contained images of a sexual nature involving both boys and girls – usually of youngsters exposing themselves.

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      string(5662) "This month’s FeaturesPhil Neal explains how unprecedented developments intechnology are changing the way we communicate and leadingto a not so slow death of the traditional printer.The Printer is DeadMany of us can identify with theexperience of a parent who has hadto fish a letter out of a child’s schoolbag (often covered in somethingunidentified and sticky) – only tofind that the information it containsis already out of date.And if you are a teacher, it is quite likely youhave been at the other end – racing aroundto collect thin strips of paper in various statesof wear that hold important authorisations orother instructions from parents that need tobe actioned.Up until just a few years ago, thiswas how every school in the countrycommunicated with their parents.However, things are changing rapidlyand communications in schools are evolving.Paperless communication methods arereplacing the traditional methods, meaning thehumble printer is being used a little less oftenthese days. And there is good reason for it.The reasons for changeAlmost everyone has a mobile phone thesedays, many of us bank online and some receivetheir bills via email. Parents are increasinglyexpecting schools to use the same methods thatother organisations use to communicate withthem.Schools too have realised what a timeconsuming exercise managing paper copies ofeach communication with parents can be. Andthe not inconsiderable cost of paper and inkalso helps to explain why schools are switching http://www.teachingtimes.comThis month’s Featuresto electronic options for home-schoolcommunications.Image is another factor. Asmore and more schools go it alonewith the academies programme,professional and ongoingcommunications with parents arebecoming a necessity. It shows aschool values parents and the partthey play in their child’s education,as well as assuring them that theirchild is being schooled by a teamthat knows how they wish to becommunicated with.Paper-free communicationsAs a result of these developments,we are moving along a continuumwhere electronic communications– web, texts and email – are quicklyreplacing paper forms.Fast forward 10 years and it islikely schools will only communicatewith parents via electronic means.Paper communications will be seenas too wasteful to be considered.Many schools have alreadytaken the leap and introduced someform of electronic communication,whether that is texting parents toalert them of an absent child or aschool closure, or replacing theschool newsletter with an email orweb version.For June Walter, the schoolbusiness manager at The PrioryPrimary School in Sandwell,the switch has cut the school’sadministration and ensuredparents get the information thatthey need. “We use SIMS InTouchto SMS and email parents. Forattendance issues, it means thatwe do not have to make individualcalls home and then record thereasons for absence on children’srecords as any replies received areautomatically stored on the pupils’records.“For more general messagesrelating to early finishes or cakesales and the like, the time savedin producing letters home for eachchild can really mount up.  It alsosolves the problem of ‘I didn’t geta letter, my child did not bringone home,’ which is a frequentoccurrence in this school.”Hassle free reportingOther schools have extended electroniccommunications further to include morecomplex communications, reportingbeing one of them.Printing paper reports can eatup thousands of sheets of paperand a staggering number of printercartridges in a big school.Some schools have switchedto electronic versions of reportsto avoid this – sending parentsan email with a PDF of the reportattached or publishing the reportvia an online parent portal.  Not asingle sheet of paper is used andpublishing the report securely onlineenables parents and pupils to goback to previous reports and gaugeprogress over time.The Grammar School at Leeds,an independent school, is usingSIMS Learning Gateway in this way,publishing pupil reports and othercommunications like exam resultsonline: “Online reporting is alreadysaving our senior school around£10,000 each year in materialsalone,” says Eric Medway, thedeputy head of systems.This type of communication isalso encouraging many schools tocommunicate with parents morefrequently, which can have animpact on improving the home-school relationship as Viv Northall,the headteacher at Tudor CourtPrimary School explains: “We thinkit is going to have a real impact onour relationships with parents as itis impossible to talk to every parentevery day, but [the technology] willget us as close to that ideal as wecan probably get.”Texting informationSchools can also considermore sophisticated uses of thetechnologies that they are fairlyfamiliar with. Texting, for example,is well established in many schoolsas a method of communicatingwith parents for simple messages.Text has the advantage over emailand web in that it is very difficultto ignore.  The text arrives straightinto the pocket or bag of the personthat you want to speak to and is http://www.teachingtimes.comThis month’s Featuresinvariably opened straight away.However, texting is often used toimpart information that is importantbut is of a one-off nature. Thedelayed return from a school tripor a child who has not turned upto school are the classic examples.While these messages are veryuseful, and in some cases vital,they do not necessarily take fulladvantage of the medium as atool for engaging parents in theirchild’s education and reducingadministration time. Texting could be"
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Digital Learning

The Printer is Dead

6 Dec 2012

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Leadership Briefing 9.11(107)"
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Leadership

Examining The Effects Of Texting, Twitter, And Message Content On Student Learning

11 Jun 2015

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      string(5433) "over the humble text and email within, not only the education sector, but business communications as a whole.The benefit of a notification system means that parents can open the message and be taken directly to the related information in the app itself before taking any action required, without having to find it online for themselves. This will save parents time and lead to better, faster reactions from messages. Apps also allow users to sync any key dates to the calendar on their phone, which can later be set as reminders. As well as notifying parents of any action they may be required to take, notifications can be sent to serve as simple reminders or prompts. When compared with the limitations and expense of traditional texts, notifications make for a more efficient way for schools to communicate with their parents and other audiences. Apps can encapsulate all the information found on a school’s website, update users on latest news from around the school and communicate information just as a text message would, but in a more streamlined fashion.Making children safer?In the past, it was commonplace for schools to implement a ‘pyramid’ telephone system of communication in case of emergency. This involved certain parents being assigned with a group of people to call and the message being passed on through word of mouth. This is an easy and relatively cheap solution; however, it could potentially be unreliable in comparison to other methods of communication. One parent might miss the call, for example, and, therefore, can’t pass the message on. Another risk is that, like a game of Chinese whispers, messages might get altered, resulting in inaccurate information being relayed to people and causing unnecessary panic. Also, without the ability to track the progress of communication, there is no record as to whether certain parents have been reached or not. Many schools have now progressed onto electronic methods of communication, preferring to send blanket texts out at once, knowing that everyone will be reached simultaneously with the same message. Text and email communication channels work well because parents are quickly sent information in a way that is easy for them to receive.According to recent research undertaken by Nokia, Smartphone users check their phones an average of 150 times during a waking day of 16 hours. People are simply glued to their phones in the modern age. There is a certain unspoken expectation that people are continually contactable, and, for parents, being able to be reached in an emergency only accentuates this need. One of the additional benefits of web-based communication systems is that more than one parent or guardian can register, so both will receive school messages via their computer or Smartphone. This increases the chances of acknowledgement and/or a reaction, as both contacts will be alerted.Keeping parents in touchThis of course does not mean schools should scrap their current text/email message system altogether; these may sometimes be the more appropriate means of communication. However, schools do need to look at the benefit of apps and notifications for communication that is taking place on a day-to-day basis, as, fundamentally, it is communication that acts as the foundation for parental engagement within their child’s school education.However a school chooses to approach communications, one thing has emerged as a very clear trend over recent years: the quicker and more instant that communication can be, the better. Internet-based communications brought about a huge leap in schools’ ability to communicate more easily and frequently, meaning that, in an instant, a school can communicate photos, news bulletins and updates to thousands of those in their audience, outstripping anything the simple text message can achieve. Of course, it is possible to argue that, in many instances, an email could do just as well. However, emails are usually long, and require time for them to be written, proofed and adapted to specific individuals. Then, once they are sent, you are relying on parents to check their email frequently enough to get the message, and, with many parents juggling multiple email accounts, emails from schools can often be drowned out. This is especially true if schools are only sending generic messages. Notifications through apps cut all of this out. Communication doesn’t have to be one way; there are apps available whereby parents can book appointments, request meetings and provide feedback, all within the capacity of the application. Parents will feel more connected to the school and be given the opportunity for far more active involvement in their child’s education.  Throughout time, the one thing that has remained constant is that both parents and schools are partners in the education of children. Technology is developing constantly and at a rapid rate, with the potential to be of great benefit to schools and parents alike. It is important, therefore, for home-school communication to reflect the changing times and give parents the best possible opportunity to get involved with their children’s school life.   Geoff Jones is Marketing Director at ParentMail, the UK’s leading school-to-home communications service used by more than 6,000 schools. For more information, visit www.parentmail.co.uk. "
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Leadership

Is it time to review your parent communications strategy?

26 Sep 2017

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      string(5633) "toenable the linking of  evidence andresources to assessment, the other tofacilitate assessment at Key Stage 4– 5 alongside GCSEs, BTECs andGNVQs.Both new features enhance thevalue of  the assessment process. Theevidence and resource elements aretailored to be accessible to parents andhelp schools establish, and continuea dialogue with parents about theirchild’s progress and attainment. Theflexibility of  the solution enablesteachers to personalise pupils’ learningexperience according to their progressand encourages a more collaborativeapproach to education. The evidenceand resourcing feature offers teachersmore detailed assessments withoutincreasing their workload.As schools are encouraged toexercise greater autonomy overtheir curriculum the latest additionsto Classroom Monitor offer bothschools and individual teacher thegreatest flexibility possible. As changesto assessment requirements areimplemented, Classroom Monitorschools will be well-placed to adaptand hit the ground running meaningteachers are able to spend less timeon paperwork and more time in theclassroom.Prime Principle www.classroommonitor.co.uk.Stand SW114Learnalot educational portalLearnalot is a new educationalportal, due to launch at BETT 2011,which helps increase motivation andenjoyment of  maths for pupils.The portal includes a numberof  mathematical activities that usecase study problems delivered viahigh-quality resources to engage andchallenge its users.The portal is designed by teachersand developed by software industryexperts, and the presentation ofour resources has more in commonwith video games than text books.It has been developed to encouragereasoning and problem solving skillsby presenting the learner with real-lifechallenges. Each resource containsthree activities that each take up to anhour to complete, providing the pupilwith a thorough yet diverse learningexperience. Progress throughout theresource is automatically saved, sopupils can pick up at home where theyleft off  at school.All resources cover most KS3attainment targets and aim toencourage pupils to achieve a higher-level performance by encouragingthem to work towards levels 5 and 6. www.learnalot.co.uk/Stand SW80http://www.teachingtimes.comBETT Showcase 2011Parental Engagement MadeEasy with SIMS InTouchSIMS from Capita will beshowcasing a new tool that allowsschools to take parental engagementto the next level.SIMS InTouch is the first ofa new generation of  texting andemailing tools that removes theneed for teachers to waste theirvaluable time creating messages forparents.SIMS InTouch can send outinformation as part of  the normalwork processes that happenregularly in school. This meansthat when a teacher uses SIMS toaward a child achievement pointsfor doing well in a test, for example,they are presented with the parentsor carers associated with thatchild and can choose to send theinformation home via text or emailusing a simple template designed bythe school.Likewise, when the end-of-yearreports are published, a text oremail can be sent to parents to saythese are available online.SIMS InTouch allows schoolsto text or email staff  and pupils aswell as parents. www.sims.co.ukStand D20Daydream EducationDaydream Education, theeducational wall chart specialist,is unveiling its new interactive andVLE content packs for English andICT.Developed with the aid ofconsultant teachers and industryspecialists, the user-friendlycontent packs contain a wealthof  curriculum-based content andengaging interactive activitieswhich cater for pupils of  alllearning styles and abilities.Compatible with PC andMac computers, projectors,whiteboards, slates and allmajor VLE/Learning Platforms,the content packs are easilyimplemented into existing lessonplans and enable both teacher andpupil to interact with powerfuland engaging resources in theclassroom and at home through theschool VLE.Also at the show are Daydream’scolourful and informative PocketPosters that help pupils withrevision, homework and class work.Visit Daydream Education onstand L10 to receive free softwareand exclusive BETT offers. www.daydreameducation.co.ukStand L10Rising Stars assessment andrevision materialsRising Stars UK Ltd is one of  theUK’s thriving independent educationalpublishers, specialising in assessmentand revision materials which are usedin over 8000 primary schools.New resources on show at BETTinclude Switched on ICT, a primaryyears scheme which breathes life intoall areas of  the curriculum throughthe creative use of  technology; i-Progress, an online mathematicsresource that has already transformedassessment and raised attainment inmany school and Graphic Universe anexciting new programme of  eBooks,interactive activities and ‘make yourown’ software which brings myths andlegends alive.Also on show, i-Stars.co.uk – a uniqueeBooks web service which includes a wealthof  eBooks from a range of  publishers(including Hachette, Barrington Stoke andEvans as well as Rising Stars own successfulhi-lo eBooks for reluctant readers). www.risingstars-uk.comStand B25Crick Software helps primaryschools teach languagesFollowing the release of  theirinnovative language learning series,Clicker French, Crick Software will belaunching their latest MFL resource,Clicker Spanish, at BETT 2011.The series has been designed to getprimary school children of  all abilitiesunderstanding, speaking, reading andwriting in Spanish. As with ClickerFrench, Clicker Spanish also containsextensive teacher support that enablesstaff  to confidently lead language http://www.teachingtimes.comBETT Showcase 2011lessons with"
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Digital Learning

BETT 2011

24 Nov 2010