Week 8: Remind Messaging App

 

Remind is the most invaluable communication app out there for educators to use to stay in touch with students and parents. It has even evolved into a system much like Google Voice, where you can call parents and students from your personal cell phone and it will hide your phone number. 


Another great feature of this app is that translates to over seventy languages. This translation is a two-way street. You can translate your messages before you send them, or the recipient can translate them to their preferred language once they receive a message from you. I teach in a Title One District that has a 98% Latinx population, so this has become my go-to way to communicate with parents and students over phone calls. It also is a great way to keep documentation of the conversations you have had with the parents.



My students also love the accessibility they have to me through this app. They can reach me quickly. I will get a notification on both my phone and computer when they send me a message. I will say I teach high school, so my students prefer texting over email, so this is another reason they love this app, it is just like sending a text message. Students can also turn in work over Remind, which has helped out when our LMS has been down. 
Students can turn work in right on the app and you can respond with emojis!



I also like that I can create a class for my clubs that I sponsor. While the school creates the classes for the ones I teach, I can create specific ones for the National Art Honor Society and Gay-Straight Alliance, to keep students and parents informed of important information. 

Another wonderful feature is announcements. You can send out mass announcements to all of your classes, this includes parents and students, at the same time. You can also schedule these for a certain day and time to be sent, so you type it up and schedule it to be sent out later. YOu can also choose certain classes to send the message out to. So for a teacher like myself who has multiple types of classes, I can set it up to only send an announcement out to my Ceramics classes, or if it is something all my classes needs, I can click all classes. You can also see who received the message and how many read the message.


                                   Tutorials

Comments

  1. Karissa BachmanFebruary 23, 2021 at 8:40 PM

    Hi Tara,

    I have heard about this app but you have included some aspects that I did not know about! First, I love that Remind is compatible with so many different languages. As a teacher in a diverse district, that could be huge for more clear communication with me and some families. Second, the fact that you can see how many families received and saw your message could be so beneficial. I know my families are so busy, but when I send an email I have no idea if they have seen it or not. While I don't think this app would work with 3rd graders, I think it could be really helpful when working with families! Have students and families taken advantage of this tool and communicated more with you? Thanks for sharing!

    - Karissa Bachman (Week 8 Response)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tara ThompsonFebruary 24, 2021 at 4:46 AM

      Hi Karissa,
      Students and families love Remind App. It has especially come in clutch during emergencies, like the storm we just had were most people did not have power, or during Hurricanes. I was able to connect with my students and parents no problem. I too, love the feature where I can see how many people have received the message. I think this is such a great app, because it is so akin to texting.

      Delete
  2. Barbara AndersenFebruary 24, 2021 at 5:09 PM

    Hi Tara,
    I love this app!! Students are so overwhelmed with the amount of emails they are getting this is the perfect solution to that problem. I also invite parents to join and then I send daily messages reminding all of my students of their assignments.
    Thanks for sharing!
    ~Barbara (week 8)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tara ThompsonFebruary 24, 2021 at 5:24 PM

      Hi Barbara,
      It really is an amazing tool! I am not sure we would have made it through this school year with out it!

      Delete

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