Remind (formerly Remind 101) has recently made some FANTASTIC updates to their already amazing program.
Remind Chat allows teachers and students to initiate safe, two-way text based conversations that are DOCUMENTED without showing either party’s phone number.
Remind Chat is wonderful for so many reasons, but the ability to communicate quickly and efficiently with students while I AM ABSENT from the classroom is by far the most amazing feature.
This year has been unique in that I have had to be out of my classroom much more than usual.
My oldest daughter started Pre-Kindergarten…I had to take the morning off to take her to her classroom, and also to recover from the fact that my first baby started school!!
I had an emergency root canal, which didn’t go well, and I had to miss half a day.
I got sick…more severe than my typical back to school cold.
I attended a conference.
My youngest daughter was sick and needed her mommy time.
Needless to say, it’s been quite crazy. However, without Remind Chat it is safe to say that my classroom, content, and communication with my students would have gone down the tubes.
My students know that I will respond to email as quickly as possible, especially when I’m out of the classroom. They’ve quickly figured out, though, that I’ll respond much quicker if they start a Remind Chat with me.
Many issues have been averted because of Remind Chat. Questions about the day’s activities, projects, due dates, group members, and once in a while…a reminder to ME to post the day’s task list on Google Classroom.
Teachers never forget things, right? 😉
I have also been able to communicate directly with students who haven’t completed activities, who are struggling, or who are knocking activities out of the park. It has seriously been fantastic!
Teachers can set “office hours” during which students can expect a quick response, and can also limit who can initiate conversations in Remind Chat. If you are uncomfortable with students beginning a conversation, simply turn off that feature.
Remind has really tapped into a huge need in the classroom. Remind Chat allows teachers and students to communicate even outside the four walls of the classroom in a safe, secure, and efficient manner.
Give it a try! It’s free!
Thanks for reading 🙂
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