Friday, June 8, 2012

Remind101


Since I’ve entered the blogging community, what I’ve discovered I really love about blogging is that each post is like my own online notebook or diary of teaching information that I want to remember and apply. So while I do enjoy using my blog to share my lessons and ideas with others, sometimes it’s just as useful as an electronic future planner!

On that note – similar to my enthusiastic share of Voki, I’d like to share another amazing technology tool I’ve found! I’d like to eventually implement it in my classroom, so my hope is, if I write about it, I won’t forget to use it!

It’s called: Remind101

What It Is:
A website that provides a safe way for teachers to text message students and parents!

How It Works:
1.     Teachers sign up via email
2.     Add your class (you can add up to 10) – and a unique code is generated
3.     Students/parents then send a text to that code to “subscribe”
4.     From here, anytime the teacher sends a message – all subscribed will receive it


Why It’s Amazing:
1.     Remind101 is currently FREE!
2.     Students are identified by name, so no teacher ever sees a student’s number and no student sees a teacher’s number
3.     It works with any phone – not just a smartphone
4.     You can schedule messages to be sent later at different times
5.     You can view your Account Page where you can:
·      Review your history to see when your messages were sent and who they were sent to
·      View the students/parents who are signed up for the notifications

Additional Information:
·      Remind101 is currently in “beta” meaning it is new and still in the testing stage. There are actual testimonials and use cases on the website proving Remind101 is in use.
·      Standard messaging rates apply

How I Would Use It:
1.     To send reminders about homework, projects, or upcoming tests and quizzes
2.     To send reminders/confirmations for parent conference times
3.     To inform students of the work they missed when they were absent
4.     To remind students of school activity days (i.e.: spirit day, pajama day, etc).
5.     To report Daily Behavior Contract ratings with parents 
6.     To remind students/parents what Schedule Rotation Day we are on after a break from school

I am really hoping it is as wonderful as it sounds! I am always interested in new ways to communicate with parents and students, so it doesn’t hurt to try! Particularly for my population of students, this would be fantastic for the families who do not have access to a computer at home to receive email contact from teachers!

Here’s to hoping we find success with Remind101!

For more information on Remind101, click here and here!



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