Connecting with Parents Using Technology

I've recently learned about a free app called Celly through my EDUC 675 course on technology.  Celly is a great way to connect to others, but with a level of privacy that regular text messaging or messaging on social networks does not allow.  By signing up with Celly, the curator can invite members to join in their 'cell' for different purposes.  A college professor might include their students into a network to send reminders of assignment due dates.  A high school teacher could have their classes use Celly to promote classroom discussion in a non-threatening way.  An elementary teacher could use Celly to send quick reminders to parents about library book due-dates or upcoming school events such as PTO meetings.

What sets Celly apart from text messaging and social  network messaging? It's completely private.  The curator sends a link to whomever they would like to have in their network (cell).  As a kindergarten teacher, I would send a link to the parents of my students at the beginning of the year (along with information about Celly), and they can use their phone or computer to join the cell.  All they need to do is come up with a username.  In my case, I would suggest that my participants use their child's name, so that if they have a question, I can easily answer it.  It does take out the anonymity piece, however, my purpose really would just be for sending reminders, not holding any sort of discussions. Chances are, I can easily find their cell phone number in their contact information, but with Celly, I don't have to give my number out and it's much more efficient than emailing, especially quick reminders.

**I am not sure who sent the celly message shown above, but thank you to whomever it was! I switched phones after the original celly from our instructor so I was unable to screenshot an example.**

Using Celly would be advantageous in my classroom to reach out to parents in a quick and easy way.  A simple message telling about something fun that happened in school would be a great way to establish a positive connection between home and school.  I can imagine myself getting a Celly message from my son's teacher as a starting point for discussion about his day.

I love using hashtags and I could incorporate a hashtag of the day by using Celly.  Something like...
#monstersqueeze --Parents would ask their child about Monster Squeeze- a very fun math game :)
#counselorvisit --Parents would ask what the counselor talked about
#MrsWishyWashy -- Parents would ask who Mrs. Wishy Washy is - a popular character I use when teaching character traits
I wouldn't expect any responses from my parents, but using hashtags through Celly could start some conversations at home!

And of course, sending reminders about our upcoming library book due date or a PTO meeting would be easy to do.  Most parents have their phones with text messaging readily available so this eliminates a step for both the network and myself trying to connect through email.

For more information as to how you can use Celly in your classroom, check out their website.
https://cel.ly/solutions/education

ISTE-S
2. Communication and collaboration
    b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and fomats
5. Digital citizenship
    a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
    b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supporst collaboration, learning, and productivity
6. Technology operations and concepts
    a. Understand and use technology systems

ISTE-T
3. Model digital age work and learning
    b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
    c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats
4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
    c. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information

Sources
Celly https://cel.ly/about

ISTE standards- students. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-students

ISTE standards- teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-teachers