While looking through my iPhone, looking at all the apps that I wanted to download, I was racking my brain for something great to write about with this being the last blog and I remembered and article I came across while doing research for my survival guide that had such an interesting idea attached to it. There is a school in Missouri that is using technology to connect schools to home by the use of a smart phone. The Rockwood School created an app for the iPhone and other phones that support the use of apps that will allow parents to have up to date information about current events and principal blogs (Weinrich, 2011). The app referred to as eBackpack allows parents to access everything related to their child's school and district with the simple push of a button instead of having to navigate through the website and hope to find the answer. I felt like this idea was genius! Not only are we finding ways to improve our student’s education through the use of technology but we are finding was to use technology with the parents as well. Imagine this situation; you are confused as to the time of your child's performance at school. Instead of calling the school to find out, you can check the app where all the important dates and times are posted right on the first page. No more navigating to find the proper page and hope the times are correct. By using an app, principals can send right to the minute information to the parents and be able to stay connected throughout the day and not monthly as many do. In order to best implement the use of eBackpack, the district provided courses to show the teachers how to use what was of interest to them and the simplicity of keeping it up to date. The feedback from parents has been positive, "Parents have commented that they prefer the timely information provided by the eBackpack, as opposed to the monthly information presented to them through newsletters." (Weinrich, 2011) There are going to be drawbacks with the implementation of new technology such as the availability of smartphones, cost of the app, and making sure teachers and principals hold up their end and keep the information current. Imagine if all schools had this type of access and the more involved parents could be with their child’s education. The best way to service kids is to involve the parents in the process. If the parents know exactly when their child's tests will be and other important dates, and have the ability to check this information as frequently as they wish, they can begin to assist their students in preparing for success. Ebackpack provides pictures, videos, and pdf files that teachers post on their sites along with other media to help with assignments and fundraisers. Teachers can create fun and interactive videos to go accompany their assignments to explain to parents exactly how they can help their child. Ebackpack is also being used in classrooms for students to keep track of their learning. This allows the students to see what they need to do and give them the independence to do just that. Check out the video below of how eBackpack can be used in the classroom. The uses of technology are endless and it is exciting to see what is coming next.
21stCenturyNB (Director). (2010). 21st Century Education Series: My EBackpack [Youtube].
Weinrich, K. (2011, November/December). District- created app improves the home-school connection. eSchool News, 14(10), 66-68. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/current-issue/
The information in your article is very interesting but it looks like what you wrote about and the YouTube video you posted are on two different types of "ebackpack" programs. The one you wrote about is very exciting! So many people have smart phones that having a school or district app would be awesome. I would love to see the functionality of their app and how they are able to make it easier to use than the school's website. Also, it would be interesting to see how much time is required to update the information on the app. I would think the task would have to be relegated to only one or two people because otherwise you would risk having all the information wiped out or a system crash if multiple people tried to edit at once.
ReplyDeleteYour video is actually on an "ebackpack" program created at Riverview Middle School in which students in two classes were each given a school-issued iPod Touch to use in class ("My ebackpack"). I think this is an even more exciting idea than the app mentioned above. The iPods are so much less expensive than laptops, even with the cases that were shown in the video and they can do almost as much. It would be a much more economical idea than issuing every student a laptop. Schools could even make deals with wireless Internet providers so that parents could sign up for wifi access at a discounted rate. I can see so many possibilities with this idea!!
References:
My ebackpack. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://e-backpack.wikispaces.com/
I think this is a great idea. I can see how it could add to the positive communication between the school and home, and help cut down on missed appointments. We are using the gradebook to send some messages along with the automated phone bank, but this is a much better idea.
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