Classroom Communication

I am hoping to be a 7th-grade English teacher in the near future. Therefore, it will be my responsibility to utilize some technological tool to stay in touch with my students and their parents. I will either create a classroom website or blog that will keep students and parents updated with the class material and what is expected of each student in order to be successful in my class. For example, I will include weekly recaps of what went on in the classroom so parents are more aware of what their child is learning. I will also upload homework assignments, quizzes/tests, and any other upcoming events onto a calendar so students always know what is expected of them. By doing this, my students will not be able to complain if they forgot to write down a due date in class because it will always be available to them online. I want to include a gradebook in relation to each student so students and parents can keep up on how the student is doing in my class. Also, since some students are unreliable in passing on information to their parents, having a website or blog allows parents to always feel involved and informed. In order to help my professional development, I will display various ways that one can communicate with me, such as by providing my e-mail address and/or telephone number. That way both students and parents can provide me with feedback with how they think the class is going and what I am doing well and what I need to improve on in my teaching.