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Every teacher who has attempted to integrate technology into the classroom knows that getting parents on board can sometimes be a challenge. It's not uncommon for the parent of a struggling child to be on the phone with you asking questions like: "Why do you need to use technology to teach math/social studies/English/biology?" or "This is an AP history class  - not computer science!" Your efforts to engage students and develop important 21st century skills can become the scapegoat explanation for problems that have nothing to do with tech. So, how do we as educators get these parents into our corner? Here are some strategies I've used successfully to gain parent buy-in.

"PowerMyLearning.com is an acclaimed free online platform for K-12 students, teachers, and parents, developed by the national nonprofit organization, CFY. CFY has unique expertise in selecting the most effective digital learning activities available on the web and making them easily accessible and usable in one trusted place. This expertise comes from more than a decade of experience working directly with more than 50,000 students, along with their teachers and parents, in more than 100 schools across the country. A free account grants access to a world of smart and engaging resources… * 1,000+ thoroughly vetted academic games, interactive simulations, and videos * Easy-to-find activities tagged by subject, grade, and Common Core Standards * "Playlist" feature to sequence activities and individualize learning by student or class * Lesson plans to incorporate activities into instruction * Detailed reports for teachers, parents, and students * Badges and Playpoints to reward student usage * Flexible platform that can be used in school, after-school, at home, or anywhere in between With PowerMyLearning, students and parents can discover fun and stimulating activities to reinforce classroom learning and spark new areas of interest. Teachers can take advantage of the free instructional resources and use this tool to help meet the specific learning needs of their students. "

ConnectSafely is for parents, teens, educators, advocates - everyone engaged in and interested in the impact of the social Web. The user-driven, all-media, multi-platform phase of the Web has begun, we all have much to learn about it, and this is the central space - linked to from social networks across the Web - for learning about safety on Web 2.0 together. Our forum is also designed to give teens and parents a voice in the public discussion about youth online safety begun back in the '90s. In addition, the site has tips for teens and parents, as well as other resources for safe blogging and social networking.

This is a link to the site for The Center for Schools and Communities. I am linking this site to our district web site. the video "Protecting Kids Online" has some really good information for parents to be aware of and think about with regard to their child's use of the Internet. In addition, the video has kids sharing real life situations that they found themselves in with regard to the Internet. If you have trouble getting parents to come to you, maybe you would be interested and taking this to the community like we are. We are posting questions that came with the copy of the video. If you would like to see the video user's guide that goes with the video, let me know and I can sent it to you.

I am going to be putting this link with this video onto our district web page. It provides lots of good tips for parents and students and also has kids talking about real internet issues they have encountererd.

free parent/teacher conference scheduling system

This soccer coaching game is a good one to use with young players when you would like to stop the parents interfering from the sidelines during a match. It uses role reversal ideas to show pushy parents how shouting instructions to their children can be distracting and unhelpful. Kids love it!

Great Source iwrite is a collection of writing resources and support for educators, students in grades 5-12, and parents. For Educators - Quick access to powerful writing lessons and assessments For Students - Step-by-step support for completing writing assignments For Parents - Tips for helping your child become a better writer, thinker, and learner

SAFE-Net, a Cyber Safety Awareness program of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, focuses on raising the awareness of students, parents, and educators about cyber threats, measures of protection, and cyber ethics. Through this website, it provides materials to teach teachers, parents and students about cyber security issues. All materials can be downloaded free of charge. However, you will need to create a SAFE-Net account in order to access them. When you are logged in and agree to the Terms of Use, you will be given access to the materials.

Message your class! A safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents. FREE. Usual text messaging rates apply, so let your subscribers know that you are not responsible for their text messaging plans or any overages before you invite them to sign up to receive your alerts.

A web-based site developed for the tweener set. Features a spot for teachers to have their own class pages and even includes lesson plans. The animated look draws kids in, and the site has all the social networking gadgets of the larger sites, but the teacher areas are open only to whomever the teacher allows in-other teachers, students, and parents. This site gets contributed content from its corporate sponsors, which include PBS and Disney.

Parent notification and permission forms for wiki use in school.

Yoursphere is a unique social network for kids and teens that puts safety first. Kids love yoursphere because it's private and activity-oriented. Parents love Yoursphere because it's built upon a rock-solid foundation of "safety first".

Easy way for teachers to manage parent volunteer groups for events, etc. Great, efficient system for teachers.

How can you, the soccer coach, reduce the pressure of parental expectation on your young players? And can you avoid the trap of putting too much pressure on them yourself? These soccer coaching tips are designed to help.

Schedule parent-teacher conferences online

Schedule parent-teacher conferences online

Some i-SAFE resources for parents.

Our Mission NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement. With resources such as videos, games, activity cards, and presentations, NetSmartz entertains while it educates. Our Goals     Educate children on how to recognize potential Internet risks     Engage children and adults in a two-way conversation about on- and offline risks     Empower children to help prevent themselves from being exploited and to report victimization to a trusted adult

This site is for kids, parents, and teachers. By creating a secure online account, students can create a personalized reading list of fiction or nonfiction books by grade level, genre, topic, and level of difficulty. There are quizzes students can take to earn points for prizes. This is a great reading incentive site.