May 3, 2011 Danielle Lowe

 Classroom teachers become the liaison among many groups of people: ◦ Administrators ◦ Parents ◦ Students ◦ Other teachers ◦ Community members

 Strong, organized strategies are a must  is the mode of choice but…  Paper-based communication forms remain a necessary component  Teachers can not assume that all the people that make up the classroom community have capabilities to communicate electronically

 Student Contact Information ◦ Create a database record for each student in class  Letters ◦ Using word processors can speed up the process  Newsletters ◦ Have students help create the newsletters using word processing and clip-art graphics  Official Correspondence ◦ Lend themselves to consistent and professional- looking records

 Productivity software can aid in planning activities by saving teachers’ time and making high quality, functional, final products (Bitter 382)  Hand written lessons can become messy, unorganized, and lengthy

 Word processing or spreadsheet software can make some of the headache of writing lesson plans much easier  Teachers can map out a generic weekly or daily schedule  No more messy hand written planning books  Planning for days when a substitute is going to be in becomes simplified  Monthly calendars can be created using software tools and easily readable without flipping page to page

 Online tools also allow teachers to post assignments to web-based calendars so students can view them from anywhere ◦ “Assign-A-Day” at http//assignaday.4teachers.org -Visually aided planning can also be done by use of technology -Using web-type graphical representations teachers can plan for various related curriculum areas -Drawing programs can help teachers map out whole thematic units or entire semester plans (see page 383) -Concept mapping software:

 Teachers can refer to a database of individual student concerns  Teachers can add to a main database of student information or create separate files of learning characteristics  Databases built on these premises can maximize planning and teaching time by helping manage all the students and their needs

 Use graphics programs to design a classroom floor plan  With certain graphics software a teacher can actually label and record the students names at the desks where they have sat and can assist the teacher when rearranging seats  Seating charts that are electronically available can also be helpful for substitute teachers to become familiar with students ◦ See page 385

 Budgeting Money ◦ Spreadsheets are best because they are made for budgeting money with organizing the columns and rows to calculate total amounts  Booking Classroom Guests ◦ Students can type the letters inviting the guests and databases can be used to keep the guests information  Generating Documents ◦ Word-processed documents are professional, neat, and customizable over scribbled down tests or quizzes

 Collegial Communication ◦ See page 389, Figure 16.5  Professional Associations ◦ See page 391, Figure 16.6  Educational Funding Opportunities ◦ See page 392, Figure 16.7  Professional Development ◦ See page 393, Figure 16.8

 Technology provides teachers with convenient access to remote professional resources, colleagues, and experts not readily accessible otherwise.  Professional education websites offer virtual communication areas wherein teachers can discuss educational trends, share innovations, and get advice for challenging situations at any time of the day or night