Overview
Cultivating Community: Helping Parents Understand the Power of Technology for Learning
In our technology-rich schools, we are often focused on ensuring that we have the right tools so that teachers and students can use technology effectively in the classroom. We spend plenty of professional development time and funds on training teachers to transform learning for their students. On top of all that, in many of our schools, we employ coaches to help teachers continue to develop their skills with technology. However, many schools still struggle to help parents understand why students (and teachers) are spending so much time with technology.
Developing a parent education program, specifically around technology and learning, can help build a sense of community within the school, support teachers and schools in their efforts to transform learning, and create a network of positive and engaged parents who will advocate for the school’s technology goals. This session will highlight key elements of parent education programs I have developed and facilitated over the past 8 years at International School Bangkok, Yokohama International School and NIST International School, as well as the positive outcomes of those programs for all three school communities.
Presentation
Resources
- Kim’s Parenting in a Digital World Flipboard magazine – full of awesome resources to start a conversation with parents
- Kim’s Parenting in a Digital World blogpost about Parent Tech Coffee Mornings at NIST
- Eduro Learning’s Parenting in the Digital Age online course & ebook