Screenshot from the YouTube clip I sent to parents of my

homeroom if I didn't see them at PT Conferences. 

Hi everyone. I know, it's been a while.

You look great by the way! Working out? Doing some running? Just chasing the kids around?

Anyway, I thought I'd update my blog because I had a little time, and I kind of want to brag. Let's start at the beginning (always a good place to start).

I have a homeroom class that some might call challenging. Unfortunately, it's also difficult to contact parents - whether by phone, email, text, conferences, whatever way. Well, at least, it's very difficult to tell if the right people are getting my messages if I leave them.

"I'm going to be honest here: I'm not a huge fan of making parent phone calls..."

After a recent tech conference, I knew that there would be tons of ideas flowing. And it just so happened that conferences were the next week. I'm going to be honest here: I'm not a huge fan of making parent phone calls because I'm not exactly the bearer of good news a lot of the time.

Enter the idea. Okay, I know. It's taken me five paragraphs to get to the point where the title is finally brought up. It's been a while since I've blogged. 

MediaCore Capture from the Chrome Store.

During a summer session that another awesome teacher (Kayla) and I presented Google Tools for the Classroom, we thought of the idea to recreate the session so district employees could watch it on their own time. We used the aforementioned MediaCore Capture to do just this. And since the app was already on my browser, what better way to try something new than to use what I already know in a different way.

So, I recorded myself looking at grades and talking about attendance, while allowing the parent to see the grade book for themselves. I limited myself to two minutes max. I know this isn't a new idea. And it only allows for one-way communication. But it seems to have done the job.

Questions? I know there are a few.

How easy is it? Once MediaCore Capture (or whatever app you want to use) is downloaded, recording the video is generally just the push of a button.

How did you send it to them? What I did was downloaded the file, and uploaded it to YouTube as an Unlisted video (keeping the privacy to those who have the link). I then either emailed it or sent it via text message through my Google Voice number (so I can just copy and paste the link). Now there was a little back-work here to get preferred contact methods and up-to-date phone numbers, but I would have done that anyway.

How do you know if they watched? Easy! Just know that I watched it (sometimes twice) and look at the times viewed. Also, all but three of my parents either sent a text back or an email saying how much they appreciated the video! The most verification of communication I've received in the two years I've had this homeroom group.

I don't have that much time. How much time did it take? Because I limited myself to two minutes max (most were about 90 seconds), I think I spent about two plan periods to do this (about the same amount of time of calling each kid and either leaving a message or making contact).

So, for me, it was worth it. I think it's something I can definitely do once a month. If a kid needs more attention, I can use the other methods as well, but I know that sometimes parents just want to see who is helping their kids as much as getting a text or email.

I know because I do for my two little girls.

What do you think? Post questions or your own methods for parent communication in the comments section below!

~Rob

This post was written throughout the school day - as time permitted - and at the beginning of our trimester conference that started at 4pm. 

A little background: I feel the relationship between a teacher and student is the premier goal and vital in the success to the student's growth. With that, it doesn't mean a teacher has to be the friend, but there has to be a mutual respect and understanding in order to facilitate that learning process.

Hopefully, I'm able to get my students to push themselves in a way that has nothing to do with pure journalism, but as a learner in general because of the relationship I've built as a teacher. The negative connotation that "management" seems to bring is that I should make kids do what I want, make them learn, if they don't then I need to manage them by modifying behavior.

A good foundation keeps a building standing longer.

Side note (again, often in this blog): right at this very moment, one of my foreign exchange students is using Face-Time to talk with her dad about school and classes in general. 

Guten tag Herr Thron!

It's through our relationship that I know talking to her dad means more to her at this moment than helping to edit the yearbook page for corrections (get this: English spelling and punctuation). It's been three weeks since she's talked to him (let alone Face-Time).

This is where the old term "Classroom Management" may come into question. Isn't that a distraction to the classroom? Yes and no. This particular class is an elective, yearbook. Because of this, students are working at different places and times. I often refer to my journalism classes not as "regular school" but jobs. Students have something specific to do; it's all (attention: buzzwords coming) authentic and differentiated. So the opportunity arose, and my yearbook students took a photo of my student and her father on Face-Time to go into the yearbook (opportunity seized): photo titled, "Reconnecting."

She is very happy to "see" her father.

As educators, we know that Abraham Maslow (1968) suggested that in order for students to become productive learners, they must have their basic needs met first (the hierarchy of learning) through five steps leading to self-actualization. *If you didn't know that, you will. I'd say my student's 20 minutes with her father counts in the "Belonging" category.

In 2007, as I was getting my Post-Baccalaureate teaching certification, one of my tasks was to write a 10-page paper. *I truly despise requiring a superficial number of pages for papers I assign. So I don't assign number of pages, we just use the rubric to makes sure content requirements are fulfilled. I suggested that, "to build a relationship is to build trust and confidence while pushing the student to become more successful than they may think possible." *Yes, it's weird citing my own paper. Also, After re-reading the whole paper, I was very naive  I have learned more in the past year of being a teacher than I ever did going through pedagogy classes.

If we get to know our students, as more than just test scores or seating charts, we can then know how to push them to get their best. And don't forget, it's not just you knowing them - it's getting the students to know you. My students in particular, are very adept to technology. As a 1:1 school, I don't take a lot of time to teach the tool any more, and that is a great benefit because that allows me more time to get to know my students, and vice versa.

Today was also one of my favorite lessons for my Introduction to Journalism students, a personal profile story about me. I'm not (completely) narcissistic, but this task allows me to assess information gathering from students, and I know the background information they find without needing to double check it. And, for the most part, I know if kids are misquoting their source.

But in reality, it gives the students a chance to ask me any question they want, find personal information on me (through my wife's blog or this one), and see photos of me when I was their age. I'm not afraid or ashamed of anything that's online of me (I leave a relatively good digital footprint). And it's the first step of the kids seeing that I am more than just a teacher. It's the first step of building a relationship. Now that I've been teaching for five years, and I've had my kids throughout Intro and into the advanced classes, I'm able to connect with them, and they with me.

My students are more able to connect technologically as well, and I believe this is why we need to change the term classroom management to classroom relationships. Students can contact me through school-based accounts via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and school email. In fact, when I'm at home sick (i.e. yesterday), I'm still able to give tasks, answer questions, and help with different aspects of the classroom as if I haven't left (although, I don't always prefer it).

It's important to be able to connect enough to have a student walk in to conferences, after being away from high school for four years, and tell you how good he's doing with his new job at a theater and how he remembers your class in particular because you were "so hard because you made me do work." This literally just happened (I feel very lucky as I'm writing this post to have all of these things just happen).

Oh, and apparently I am currently the profile photo for four of my senior's twitter pages. The narcissist in me is okay with that.