Using Technology for Communication Strategies Between School and Home

My latest from The Family Center on Technology and Disability discussion thread. I am moderating there all month - there are some great things being shared there, so come join the discussion!

"One of the things I hear from parents is that they work with a team on a new strategy and then get weary of not hearing what is going on with the implementation, what is expected, assignments that need to be done, etc. They feel like the accountability piece is missing. Below is an idea that might help in bridging that communication gap.I don't know how "Techie" many of you are, but did you know that if you have a teacher that maintains a classroom blog that can be subscribed to, you can set it up as an RSS feed where the daily class assignments and general directions and notices could be picked up on a Google homepage that can be set up to be your Internet browser homepage?
If you have a good two-way relationship with a parent ( or parent with a teacher), you can set up a free blog on blogger and send assignments and class announcements etc. or general info from home.You can't put personal comments and notes on student issues on the blog, because of privacy issues, but you might want to transfer general assignment information and notes that are posted on a blog so that they automatically appear as a feed on your Google homepage.
You can create a blog by setting up a gmail account at http://www.gmail.com/, then use the info from it to set up the blog at http://www.blogger.com/. You can set up the home page with iGoogle and then add the address of a blog you want to keep up on onto your home page by going to "add stuff".
If you want to skip the feed and subscription and just be able to communicate personally and privately, you can set up a Blogger blog and close it so it is open by invitation and password only. Instead of having the latest info on your desktop each time it is updated, you go to the blog address and read the latest post in private.
Whichever way you choose, I think for those that want to implement technology to its' fullest, this is a great way to be posted and communicate. There are all kinds of "widgets" that do cool things to enhance your home page and your blog. All take a little effort, but the experienced gained is priceless.
You can find a printable tutorial on how to set up a blog on blogger at http://www.nolimits2learning.com/ in the training section . "

All the best to you!
Lon



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