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Communication Tools

Araceli Ortega

Department of Advanced Studies, Azusa Pacific University

EDUC 546: Digital Communications

Professor Kristi Hernandez

February 13, 2021

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Communication Tools

As educators, it is imperative to find the best tool to communicate and reach out to

parents as things to be conveyed to them. Staying in communication with our students and their

parents is essential if we want to see our students succeed. There are many programs and

applications out there that will allow this to happen.

Seesaw is a program that I had never heard about until now. After doing research about

this program, I believe that Seesaw would be greatly beneficial to educators, students, and

parents. According to Edwards (2020), Seesaw is a program that gives teachers, students, and

parents the opportunity to complete and share their classroom work. This program is not just a

tool that students use for one year; the program can be used for multiple years. Edwards (2020)

states that students have access to their Seesaw account throughout their educational career. I

found this to be valuable because this means that every teacher the student has will have access

to the previous work completed by the student. Teachers have the chance to see the progress that

their students have made throughout the years. Morris (2019) also provides the idea this program

has a built-in translation tool. A parent can set the language settings to their preferred language.

This means that if a teacher were to send them a message in English, the program would translate

to the parents in the preferred language setting allowing all parents to receive the same

information. This is extremely beneficial for families that need that extra support in

communicating with their child’s teacher.

If I were to use Seesaw in my own classroom, there are many tools within it that I would

use. The first would be the ability to provide feedback to the students work. By providing

feedback, students and parents can see the areas of strength and where improvement may be

needed. Seesaw is great for a communication method, as there may be times where a teacher will
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not have the opportunity to speak to each student and parent individually about the student’s

progress daily. I would also take advantage of the translation tool. Although, I can speak both

Spanish and English, there are many other languages I cannot speak. I would use the translation

tool on Seesaw to communicate with parents/guardians in regard to the student’s academic

progress and growth. Opening a blog would also be a tool that I would use within Seesaw. In this

blog, I would allow students to type about anything they would like, whether it be something

they are interested in, questions about assignments, or even providing feedback to their peers.

Communication does not only need to be between teachers and students or teachers and parents,

but it should also be between student to student.

Social media is a huge part of today’s society. There are many different social media sites

that both parents and student are using. As teachers, we can use these sites to develop both

communication and engagement within our classroom. A site that can be used is Instagram.

Williams (2018) states that one of the important concepts when wanting to start an Instagram for

a school or classroom is to develop a plan. This plan should include knowing what the Instagram

page will contain. Instagram is a platform that allows people to post images or videos, as well as

captions, quotes or any words that can be related to the images. Using social media can be tricky,

especially in a school setting. Before making an account for my class, I would send out

permission slips that must be signed by the parents, in which parents would be made aware of

what can be found on the Instagram page. If I were to use Instagram in my own class, I would

post images of upcoming assignments so that students and parents could have a look at what is

coming up. Lynch (2018) stated that it would be helpful to post upcoming assignments or

reminders for students and parents to see so that the student will not fall behind. Therefore,
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using this social media page would assist parents and students be aware of what needs to be

completed which is a great communication tool as well.

It is vital that educators stay in contact with their students and parents throughout the

academic school year. Parents and students must have the opportunity to reach out to the teacher

to ask for help, ask questions, or get clarification. Technology and social media are big in today’s

world and incorporating certain sites can assist in having a positive and successful

communication with parents. As educators we must find different programs and apps that will

allow us to communicate with our students and parents so that we can see our students succeed.
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References

Edwards, Luke, (2020, October 27). What is Seesaw for Schools and How Does It Work for

Teachers and Students. Tech and Learning.

https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/what-is-seesaw-for-schools-and-how-does-it-

work-for-teachers-and-students

Lynch, Matthew. (2018, April 17). How to Use Instagram in the Classroom. The Tech Advocate.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/use-instagram-classroom/

Morris, Kathleen. (2019, March 26). Should I Use Seesaw? Or A WordPress Blog in the

Classroom? WordPress.

https://www.kathleenamorris.com/2019/03/26/seesaw/

William, Steve. (2018, August 1). How to Use Instagram for Schools. Campus Suite.

https://www.campussuite.com/blog/how-to-use-instagram-for-schools