Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Text messages for teachers

I found this really cool website and I can't wait to try it out.  It's called remind101 and it's designed for teachers to have a way to text students without using a phone number.  You set up an account and receive a number-- it seems to me like the way radio stations do promos ("Text WIN to 4567"). You give that number to students and they can text a message to it to subscribe.  There's also an email link if they don't want texts.

Our district has some pretty strict rules regarding texting and emailing students so I'll probably need to be sure I clear it with the admin people.  As long as I keep the messages professional and don't send any after 10 pm, I think I should be okay using the site.

Every student I talk to would rather get a text than an email.  I have to send emails to my IB students about their extended essay papers and it's about the only contact I have with them since I don't see them on a regular basis in a class.  I am going to use this website next year though when I start over again with our juniors.  I can continue on with our ManageBac site to send emails but supplement it with this one.  Then the kids will have NO excuse for not remembering a paper due date!

What kind of success have you had with texting students? Do your students like receiving text reminders?  Or do they think it's "lame" to get texts from a teacher?

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