In Collaboration with Klassly

Over the past year, we have learned a lot about the importance of communication. Being able to connect not only with our students and our colleagues, but also to be able to provide essential information to families is critical. We need to have a reliable way to communicate last minute changes in schedules or inform about events happening in our communities. Being able to provide all this information and manage it within one space is essential. While many educators and schools may have been using a variety of tools, we’ve learned that it’s really important to streamline these communications to provide more consistent and reliable information in one space. Leveraging a platform where all stakeholders can interact, and access information and have support is key to avoiding the overwhelm that can come with the use of multiple tools.

Klassly is the parent-teacher communication app that can be used on any electronic device. It is easy to navigate Klassly and find the information you need when you need it because of the platform design. Klassboard is a dashboard for school leaders that is available as a web app. Klassly offers a centralized space for the exchange of information and for carrying out the essential daily tasks that educators and administrators need. There is greater consistency in communication between home and school which promotes more family engagement in the school experience.

For classroom teachers and families, The Klassly App, enhances the possibilities for more frequent communication about important issues including student attendance, upcoming events and the student learning experience and makes it easier to create a strong support system for students where families and teachers work together with ease.

For school leaders, Klassboard provides school administrators, principals, district leaders or any school leader with access to relevant data such as student attendance and the reach and deliverability of messages sent to parents. With Klassboard, school principals or superintendents can easily communicate with teachers and families which promotes smooth school-family communication. Klassboard facilitates the access and management, organization and guidance of the school community with a simple and free tool.

As we have all experienced this school year, being able to communicate in real-time and share resources is critical. With Klassboard, multimedia messages can easily be sent to the entire school community instantly, which helps to foster a strong and vital partnership between school, families and educators. Messages can include audio and video, documents, polls and essential information about school events. Leaders can broadcast messages as posts on the timeline of each Klassly class or as a push notification that appears on the mobile device of all school parents and family members who have the klassly app. It’s the most efficient option for real-time communications.

Klassboard makes it easy to communicate directly with teachers and families. It is easier to manage the communication that is being sent out to the school community and access centralized attendance reports. Principals can attach each teacher’s Klassly classes and then manage all communications within one place. Using Multicast, messages can be distributed to all parents of students. Quickly broadcast messages to all Klassly classes instantly, or send to a specific class or students’ families. In addition to scheduling messages, an SMS can be sent in the event of any emergencies, and notifications are received to inform administrators that the messages have been received by parents. You can schedule the time at which messages will appear on teachers’ and families’ apps, request they sign your message to prove they took note of it, or even allow a private reply that only you as the Klassboard manager will see.

Members can comment and react if this is allowed in their Klassly class on the message that appears in the timeline.

On their personal dashboard gathering all their classes, administrators can check the reports and look at the statistics related to student attendance, absences or late arrivals to school. The dashboard makes it easy to collect valuable information about the impact of your messages

Klassroom complies with GDPR and FERPA. All information is private and never transferred to any third parties. It is easy to get started; you simply go to Klassboard.com and create an account. Once you enter your school information you can then add the classes of your school for each of the teachers and link them to their Klassly timeline with their secret passcode (the class key) and then, manage the school all within one space.

When it comes to communication tools, choosing something comprehensive is essential to providing consistent and reliable information to families. We need to streamline the overwhelm that comes with the use of multiple apps and tools that are being used and instead, leverage all of the capabilities that can easily be done using one tool, Klassroom.

With Klassly, teachers have the power of a messaging app, calendar, event planner and more all within one safe and user-friendly platform.

With Klassboard, schools can better support parents, families and student learning. Having a district-wide communication platform establishes consistency and enables teachers and parents to communicate through messaging instantly, privately, and as often as needed.

About the Author:

Rachelle Dene is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE Certified Educator and serves as the past president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. She was recently named one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021.

She is the author of five books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World and her newest book “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us” is now available. All books available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, or directly from Rachelle.

Follow Rachelle on Twitter @Rdene915 and on Instagram @Rdene915. Rachelle has a podcast, ThriveinEDU available at https://anchor.fm/rdene915

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