ParentalEngagement

=** Welcome to the Parental Engagement in the 21st Century - Leveraging web 2.0 tools to engage parenst in non-traditional ways Wiki **=


 * Category:** **Kicking it Up a Notch**
 * Presentation Title:** **“****Parental Engagement in the 21st Century - Leveraging web 2.0 tools to engage parents in non-traditional ways****” (20:10)** **__2 CATNIP HOURS__**
 * Webpage**: http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=340
 * Presentation Description:** New ways of looking at relationships with parents will help parents support their children, their child’s teacher and their child’s school. The next generation of parents are and will continue to be computer literate. Electronic communications will be one of the ways that schools and teachers effectively communicate with families in the 21st century. By engaging parents using new mediums, schools can help develop a broad base of parental knowledge regarding social media tools. parents that are more informed and have a better understanding of social media technologies will be better prepared to help their children successes and excel in the information age.
 * Presenters:** **Lorna Costantini****,** St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada & **Matt Montagne** Palo Alto, California, USA

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 * Essential Questions and Summary.** (Please follow this format.)

1. Your name: Danielle Robb Session Title: Parental Engagement in the 21st Century Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century? Response: Parental involvement in schools can look like a lot of things in the 21st century. It can be non existant due to lack of time from working parents, or schools can provide ways in which parents can be involved in the school without having to leave the comforts of the chair in front of their computer either at work or at home. Parents can view their child's grades online, email teachers, and view school webpages in almost any school. Schools now need to look toward helping parents guide their children in order to be safe on the internet. Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life. Response: I really liked the idea of the online discussion board for parents and the interactive chat room that the school used in order for students on the D.C. trip to connect with their parents. I have never seen either of those put into action at a school I worked at or attended (or I didn't know about them). I also like the idea of recording speakers and putting them on a webpage for parents to listen to at their own convience. As much as I think that parents want to be involved in their child's school life I know that there are a lot of parents out there who work ridiculous hours that don't allow them to do this. I think that schools need to find more ways of connecting with parents...many of these ways were deomonstrated in the video clip but I think that more schools need to put these ideas into action. Essential Question 3What can : parents and other stake holders in the school community do in order to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms? Response: Parents and other stake holders need to be more knowledgable when it comes to social networking websites. Every school I have ever worked at or attended (with the exception of universities) has blocked myspace, facebook, and even you tube. I think that a better solution would be to teach kids to make more responsible choices rather than assuming that these places are only used for inappropriate matters. Parents would be more able to guide their children if they knew what these websites do. I think a great idea was pointed out in the video where they said that parents should create their own facebook accounts in order to understand fully what their kids were doing online. most kids don't have facebook or myspace to get boyfriends and girlfriends or get in trouble. Most kids honestly want to connect with their friends and talk about the latest episode of the Hills or Hannah Montana! I think too many adults only associate these social networking sites with dangerous activity.

Summary: Making ways for parents to be involved in their child's school life through technology is a great idea. I loved the idea of having a discussion board for the parents to go to. Not only can parents meet other parents but they can also ask and get questions answered. I think it would be important to have a school employee monitor these discussion boards to clear up any misunderstandings or just to make sure that the parents are being appropriate. Another benefit is that when parents are more informed, they tend to be happier. Parents are the biggest advocates that schools have. Schools don't necessary advertise themselves to the public but parents do talk to other parents. Keeping parents informed and involved is so very important and it is easier to do with the use of the technology that was used in this video clip.

2. Your name: **Rob Lazarus** Session Title: Parental Engagement in the 21st Century Essential Question 1: (type the question)What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century?

Response: Although parents have the ability to look on line for student grades, they also have the ability to view classroom websites,yet there can be so much more. Parents can actually be able to view live webcams of class field trips or special events. Since parents work and do not necessarily have the time to be a school volunteer, why not have them be involved in the classroom by having live feeds to where they can view and participate in the activities and give on the spot feedback?

Parents should be a positive mentor for the students' social networking and information gathering. For parents ,resources and training should be available for them to be better able to use the tools that the students already are using. A social networking site can be established and maintained such as Parents as Partners, that will allow non-traditional means for parents to provide information and feedback, that they may not otherwise be able to provide.

Essential Question 2: (type the question)What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life.

Response: I really like the idea of live feeds for class field trips. The example of the live feed from Washington D.C. is a great example of the technology that can used to better help parents connect with school life. Why not do those same type of live feeds( and then be placed on a webpage) for other type of events that parents may not be able to be present for, including science fairs and rocket launches. Why not have live webcam feeds that can be placed on webpages for assemblies and music concerts, as well? Guest speakers or a great lesson should also be considered.

Essential Question 3:(type the question): What can parents and other stake holders in the school community do in order to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms?

As stated before, parents, as well as school staff, should be given the opportunitiy to have training on what the students are using as social networking and information gathering tools. The video gave a suggestion to parents to actually participate in a social network, such as Parents as Partners or other networking sites, to be able to be a positive role model for mentoring social networking. The video also states that parents, as well as teachers, should stop with stating the negatives of social networking. To be able to be more positive and be a motivator, knowledge is the key. By allowing the parents to gain the knowledge of what the students are using in the social networking and information gathering skills, through training and resources, the parent can be a partner and more involved in their student's school experience.

Summary: Parents (as well as some teachers), have lived in a different era when it comes to social networking and information gathering on the web. For many parents, they were living in a time when there were no such things as computers in a classroom. The students in a classroom today, have the tools that their parents never had, and because of this, to a certain extent, the students have better computer networking and information gathering skills than than previous generations. For that reason, parents need to develop the skills to keep up, not only with the technology, but what and how their students are learning in the classroom environment. According to the video, student of today through social networking, solve problems, create software, meet others, post content and participate in social discussions. It is also stated that the students are now posting more outside of the school day than during. For these key points, parents should be in a suppotive and positive role in teaching responsibility and citizenship. To do this, parents should be given the opportunities to have resources and training. They should be able to be a partner with their child's classroom or school, through the use of live classroom feeds and websites that help promote communication between parents and the classroom and school environments. Parents need to feel confident about the tools used in the classroom and schools. What better way to feel confident than by learning about the networking skills and being a participant in web and blog discussions that can be a powerful learning piece to education.

Your name: Keri Hargrave Session Title: Parental Engagement in the 21st Century

Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century? Response: There are more options for parental involvement in the 21st century. For example, parents can physically come into the classroom to help the teacher/students and/or meet for conferences. But they can also be involved in the classroom without physically being there. Teachers and parents can communicate through the teacher’s website, e-mail, or even virtually through a webcam. Parents can create materials, like a homeroom parent would in person, but through word processing and send it over the internet. In addition, if a class had a wiki, parents could contribute to the wiki to involve themselves in their students learning.

Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life. Response: Some digital social platforms are school websites, class websites, parent/teacher blogs, discussion rooms/chat rooms, Facebook (possibly), and Parents as Partners. These are just a few named in the video. There are many more websites where parents can become part of a bigger community to express and inquire about their passions and concerns about their children and education. There are different interest sites, so it depends on what your motivation is to be part of that community. For example, if your child is in an immersion program, you may find a site geared at parents of kids learning two languages.

Essential Question 3: What can parents and other stake holders in the school community do in order to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms? Response: The main thing that parents/stake holders need to do is be educated in digital social networking. The more knowledgeable they are, the better mentors they will be. The also need to stop the “negative” stereotypes of computers/internet based learning, and promote it. Their perspective needs to be with the 21st century – that this is how kids are learning these days. If we had more of this attitude, the curriculum would be more aligned to use the social networks more and both (the curriculum and the networks) would be more powerful.

Summary: This video showed how parents can be involved in their child’s education through technology. It also explained that parents have had a negative perspective on digital social networks, by calling them “unsafe.” The creators want parents and teachers to know that it is safe, and it is a wonderful way to meet others, solve problems, participate in discussions/conversations with people all over the world. It is a powerful tool for social interaction and collaboration. There a tons of resources out there that parents can use/go to. Instead of being afraid or claim it’s “unsafe,” parents, who guide their children in everything else, should educate themselves so that they can guide their children in using technology in the 21st century.

4. Your name:Alec Fick Session Title: **“****Parental Engagement in the 21st Century** Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century? Response: Parents can now access their child's school through the internet. This allows parents who may not have been involved in the school at all a different forum they may find more suitable for their personality or busy life styles. Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life? Response: There are many platforms on the web that provide parents access to their child's life at school. Key techniques could be developing a Facebook, just so that those not familiar with the virtual world can get a foothold in this budding technology. Moreover, parents can visit their child's school's web page, access their kid's teacher's own web pages, join online discussion groups, participate in parent/teacher blogs, and get involved in Parents as Partners. Essential Question 3: What can parents and other stake holders in the school community do in order to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms? Response: Parents need to stop portraying the internet in a negative way and realize for themselves that sexual predators are not as big a concern as the media has them believe. Once parents see the web as the creative tool for their child's education that it can be, parents can stop being "internet police officer" and start taking on the role of mentor. Summary: This presentation makes it very clear that parents need to take a more active role in their kid's computer usage. Just as parents teach the proper use of watching DVD's and playing video games, they need to mentor them on internet socialization skills. I have used the internet for several years to keep in touch with my students and their parents, and they have access to my grades throughout the year. Parents take full advantage of this tool and often communicate with me via e-mail.

5. Your name: **Kathy Coon** Session Title: Parental Engagement in the 21st Century - Leveraging web 2.0 tools to engage parents in nontraditional ways” Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century? Response: Parents have the ability to check grades online, email teachers and administrators, and view web pages. They can also physically visit their child’s classroom and see what goes on and then have a meaningful discussion with the child and/or teacher. Some parents would like to be more involved but aren’t due to work schedules or other circumstances. Technology gives schools a way to include them.

Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life? Response: The video suggested using NING, blogs and school/class web and wiki pages to give parents a place to connect and comment online. There are many websites and online discussion forums that are resources for parents as well. Teachers could post videos of great lessons, post pictures of student work, share footage of musical performances, assemblies and field trips to a class or school website and invite parents to share comments.

Essential Question 3: What can parents and other stakeholders in the school community do in order to better guide and mentor youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms? Response: Adults need to be familiar with the technology so we can model appropriate uses and behaviors for the students. Parents need to learn about the social networks and digital tools so they can teach their children in the home how to be responsible users. District administrators can encourage teachers to use these digital tools and provide the necessary equipment to support them.

Summary: This video shows that there are many ways parents can be involved in their child’s education through the use of technology. Many parents have a negative view of the internet and social networking sites because all they hear about is the negative uses of those sites. Some are still learning how to use technology and appear uninvolved because of this. The video suggested that schools should take the lead by encouraging the use of technology and teaching parents how to use the internet and other digital resources to enhance their child's learning.

6. MSD 38: K12 Online Conference CATNIP Classes Summer 2009 - MSD 38: "Parental Engagement in the 21st Century-Leveraging Web 2.0 tools to engage parents in non-traditional ways" ELYSIA LEVY Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century? You can use this idea for parent conferences, how cool would that be to be able to talk to parents that might not be able to come in. I would love to use this although not many of my parents even have computers at home or simply do not know how to use the internet correctly. My parents can currently see grades online and I have yet to hear of one of my parent’s using this tool. I have had some parents however email me instead of calling or writing a note. Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider so parents are better able to connect to school life? I love the idea of a class message board that all needs to check and maybe add to. This would be great for parents who do not look in backpacks or might have a conflicting schedule so they might not see their child. I also need to set up my classroom website as a start to a technology based room. Even setting up a social network around homework assistance could be a great asset to all. Essential Question 3: What can parents and other stakeholders in the community do to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platform? Parents in our district would be more involved if parents had trainings. I have noticed though that some parents just will not participate in school activities. Students need to help parents buy into the technology era. This will also help parents who have never been taught how to use the computer and internet students can teach the parents and parents can also see what their student is doing. In summary I love how they broadcasted the DC trip. Every year the 4th grade takes a trip to Sea World. How neat would it be for parents who are unable to come see what their child is doing and what an experience it is? What a great learning experience for all the kids who did not get to go also. This would be is really a great idea I also would like to make it a goal this quarter to get my class website up, functioning, and that I am actually using it.

7. Your name: **Kathy McKee** Session Title: Parental Engagement in the 21st Century Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century?

Response: During Middle School years parent involvement typically starts a slow and steady decline. As a parent I feel a major reason for this disconnect is communication. Students are not as reliable in relaying information to parents during their middle school years. Even parents of the more responsible students start to back off and become less involved. As technology advances you would think the gap would close and I am sure it has to some extent. Giving parents access to multiple venues to increase involvement and participation is huge. The extent of technological involvement today includes viewing a teachers website, if they have one, communicating with the teacher via voicemail or email, and viewing online gradebooks. Urban schools face challenges in addition to parents work schedules and other committments limit their level of involvement including parents not having access to technology, inexperience with the technology, and language barriers. More types of involvement offered through technology gives greater opportunity of parent involvement. Who would have thought the President of the United States would engage in virtual townhalls? Networking sites such as "Parents as Partners" allows for non-traditional venues that allow for parents get more involved and to gain/provide information and feedback not available otherwise.

Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life.

Response: Communication and education are key to utilization of available technology and parent buy-in. The ability for parents to communicate with their students using live feeds while on fieldtrips is amazing. How often are parents not able to participate or attend events with their children for a variety of reasons. Scottsdale City Cable in conjunction with the Scottsdale School district used to video tape spelling bees, concerts, plays, etc. and play they duing the subsequent month. Web Feeds, WIKI's, Voicethread, Teacher websites, video conferencing and live feeds for PTO meetings, SITE Council, Board Meetings would most likely increase parent involvement and input.

Essential Question 3: What can parents and other stake holders in the school community do in order to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms?

Keeping school staff updated on new technology and venues students are using for social networking would be a starting poing. Using video streaming to inform parents and keep them abreast of what students have access to at school and what to look for as a parent when students are using this technology at home. Educating parents on new technology and teaching them how to use it and become familiar with it. Through use of and modeling safe use of social networking in the classroom students could pick up safe practices and possibly use it for education purposes at home.

Summary: Technological advances have let to an incredible variety of social networking environments for students to become engaged in. We've come a long way from the private telephone line. It is important for educators and parents to become familiar with and learn how to use this technology to have an understanding of safety concerns. Again, with this increased knowledge and involvement we could see students utilizing social neworking sites for education purposes on their own time because they want to and not because they are assigned to do it. Resources and training are a critical factor. 8.

Bobbi Holcomb Session Title: “Parental Engagement in the 21st Century - Leveraging web 2.0 tools to engage parents in non-traditional ways” Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century? Response: The parents may not be present at the physical school site, but they can be very aware of the day-to-day goings-on in the classroom and at the school by utilizing web-based tools. An idea for this awareness and online involvement is a teacher posting webcasts of fieldtrips or important class events, so parents who are unable to be there in person during the day can watch as the events are happening or later in the day or week. Ideas for whole school involvement include recording PATS meetings or streaming them live, and posting them on our school website so parents can listen at their leisure- rather than just reading the minutes of the meeting. Another idea is to record someone reading the Simis Scoop and post it on the school website so parents can listen to the Scoop- since readership is down and the emailing campaign didn’t work because nobody read it.

Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life? Response: Besides the school-wide ideas listed above, there are some tools I as a teacher can use in my own room. Utilizing my Teacherweb website effectively as a communication tool by keeping it relevant and up-to-date is the first step. Teacherweb also has the ability to send mass texts and emails to parents, which can be used to send reminders and information out quickly and efficiently. My webpage also links to a wiki, which can be used to involve parents and encourage collaboration on classroom activities, volunteering schedules, planning class parties, etc. For parents who are unable to attend parent teacher conferences in person, I can use skype with webcams to have a virtual conference. Plus, as a school-wide idea, we could stream the annual music performances online so far-away relatives of the students can watch, even if they can’t be there in person.

Essential Question 3: What can parents and other stake holders in the school community do in order to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms? Response: The members of the school community can, and needs to, try online social networking for themselves. It is the only way to reduce the fear of the unknown. The webcast provided the site Parents As Partners for parents to try as they navigate this new territory, in an effort to find a place where social networking, as it relates to a school community, is valued. But, honestly, I think that teachers will most likely have to be the ones to initiate that kind of online exploration for the parents. I know that the more I become comfortable with web 2.0 tools, the more I want to utilize them and teach the parents about them. If I make the effort to learn more about the tools, I’m hoping that my level of comfort will affect the parents I interact with and their willingness to explore will grow.

Summary: People fear the unknown. When parents have been exposed only to the idea that the internet is full of predators and is a dangerous place for their children, and they, themselves have not had any experiences with the online environment to make them feel differently, they will most likely remain unaware of the potential of the internet as a tool for their children. Parents’ limited engagement in the online environment is the actual danger though, because their children are growing up in an online world, largely unsupervised. If teachers embrace the use of technology and the practice of open communication and even opportunities for parent use, they can help bridge the gap between parental involvement online and student use.

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9.  Name: Erin Campbell Session Title: “Parental Engagement in the 21st Century - Leveraging web 2.0 tools to engage parents in non-traditional ways” Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century? Response: Parental involvement can look very different in the 21st century. There are many parents who are busy with their jobs, traveling, etc. and are not able to attend all of the meetings, shows, conferences, etc. that a school has. Recording these important events and posting them online in a forum where feedback is allowed or streaming them live would allow parents who are unable to attend still be very involved in the school community. Parent involvement could also be increased if a teacher routinely updates a webpage or posts on a daily blog. This would allow parents to know what is going on daily in school and would also prevent missing important information that might only be sent home in a flyer to parents.

Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life? Response: Using a teacher website is a great way to relay information to parents. Not only does updating a personal teacher website help parents be in the loop of what is happening in class, but also having a school website that is updated regularly will allow parents to be informed of any important information. Another way for parents to connect with school life would be to have a skype session between students and parents. If students in an older grade go on a class trip or are doing a very interactive assignment/study in the classroom, students and parents could skype about the experience that the students are having. This allows the parents to be very involved in what their children are learning at the time.

Essential Question 3: What can parents and other stake holders in the school community do in order to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms? Response: The members of the school community should be sure to try all of the social networking sites available. If a parent knows how and why these sites are used they would be able to model the appropriate behavior on these sites. If parents and other stake holders in the school community become familiar with the sites they would be able to hold workshops about safety guidelines and how to use the sites. Other than social networking sites I think that it would be a good idea for schools to hold workshops for parents/stake holders to instruct them on any new technology platforms that their child might be using. This would allow parents to understand how the technology is being used with the students and it would also allow students to go to their parents for assistance if needed. Lastly, parents and other stake holders need to be sure to use technology in appropriate ways. Students learn the most by seeing behaviors modeled and if they see the right way to use technology at home it will help them navigate their way through social networks and technology.

Summary: Technology continues to change and progress rapidly each day. Parents play an intricate part in their child's education and this is no exception when it comes to technology. Schools and parents need to work together in order to help children navigate through all of the social networking and new technology that the children are being exposed to. Technology is also a great way to allow parents to be more involved with the school community, teacher and classroom. Having different avenues that allow parents to stay up to date without having to come into the school is crucial. This allows parents who are working, busy, etc. to still feel that they are an important stake holder in the school community and that they are connected with their child's learning.

10. ====** Name: Ashley Guggisberg Session Title: “Parental Engagement in the 21st Century - Leveraging web 2.0 tools to engage parents in non-traditional ways” Essential Question 1: What can parental involvement in schools look like in the 21st century? Response: ** Parental involvement in schools in the 21st century can look very different than it typically has in the past. For very busy parents it is no longer necessary for them to be physically present at the school. This is possible because of the ability to record and post online things such as plays, performances, meetings, and perhaps presentations. This could keep parents informed and involved even if it is difficult for them to get to school. This would also work for other things like field trips, class trips, and other events. They could be recorded and then posted online for parents to view. There are other simple ways to keep parents involved as well. I really like the idea of setting up a class blog. This allows students to reflect on their learning and it allows parents to see what they are learning. Things such as class websites are great tools as well to convey information to parents that may not be able to frequent schools or informational meetings. ==== ====** Essential Question 2: What are some key techniques and platforms to consider adopting so parents are better able to connect with school life? Response: ** There are endless key techniques and platforms that could be considered for parents to stay better connected. First, I love the idea of starting to video tape music performances and other presentations that happen at school. I think this would be wonderful for parents to view online in case they are not able to make it to the actual event. I also think this idea could be used with things like our school’s PATS meetings. This could keep parents involved and informed even if they can’t actually be here. Also, as a teacher, I could do a better job of keeping my website very current and posting things to keep parents involved in what we are doing each week. In addition, I really would like to start a class blog. I think this would be a great experience for the kids and it would allow the parents to stay informed and involved in what our class is currently working on and learning. ==== ====** Essential Question 3: What can parents and other stake holders in the school community do in order to better mentor and guide youth as they make use of social networks and other powerful digital learning platforms? **==== ====** Response: ** Parents and other stake holders in the school community can do many things to guide children while they use social networks and other technologies. I think the most important thing they can do is to try all of these networks out themselves first. Part of the reason they are worried and fearful about them is because they don’t know or understand how they work. If the adults try them out as well, they will better understand how to keep children safe and to guide them while using these features. The adults will become more comfortable with these social networks and varied technologies that children are using today. I think that it would be very beneficial for schools to hold presentations or workshops for parents to inform them of these current networks and technologies and explain how and why they are being used. This would also help parents and other adults better understand how to show children the appropriate ways to utilize these things. ==== ==== ** Summary: ** There are endless ways to keep parents involved in school and what their child is learning. Parents are cautious and nervous about using current technologies and social networks simply because they are new and unknown to them. But the first step is providing them with an understanding and then offering many different ways for parents to become involved. Schools need to take a larger role in informing and educating parents about these new and current technologies so that they can better understand them. And schools need to take part in supporting and encouraging the use of the endless opportunities to reach out to parents and get them involved. ====

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