Ideas and resources for parent conferences

These reviewed resources offer information so share with parents at conferences or suggested activities to share at conference time. Read "In the Classroom" ideas to display and other creative approaches for parent conferences. Parents will appreciate your sharing of educator-reviewed resources at conferences and on your TeachersFirst public page so you can work as a team in support of their child's learning.
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The Time Now - Shane Buck
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): calculators (40), calendars (47), moon (72), space (223), sun (69), time (142), time zones (9), weather (201)
In the Classroom
Bookmark (or save in your favorites) The Time Now on your classroom computers for students to use throughout the year. Find out the local time and temperature in countries as you study them and compare their local time to yours. Include time/date conversions for online conferences you will hold with parents who are deployed or traveling in different time zones. Share meeting dates/times for Skype sessions using the time conversions, so everyone is "on time." Find a partner classroom located in a different time zone and use The Time Now to compare local times throughout the day. Then create a collaborative class book with your partner class to contrast and compare what is happening in one area of the world compared to your partner. Use a tool like Book Creator, reviewed here, to create collaborative books including images, videos, and audio recordings.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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kudoswall - Nikhil Vootkur and Jag Vootkur
Grades
K to 12tag(s): assessment (113), classroom management (159), portfolios (32)
In the Classroom
Record classroom activities and student learning with photos or written anecdotes. Show students how to create a portfolio, then document their learning and make comments in their portfolio. Share portfolios with parents, not just at conference time, but anytime the student portfolio is updated to keep parents in the loop.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sticky Notes: Just Popped Up! - Ukiv
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): brainstorming (23), note taking (40), organizational skills (125)
In the Classroom
Make notes for conferences, lab materials, books needed, or even parent conferences on any web page. Add sticky notes to any webpage or PDF shared with students on your interactive whiteboard to remind them of necessary information or as a list of important items to watch for when viewing a page. Create a list of vocabulary words from any website as you view it together. Share this extension for students to use on their device for note-taking.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Easyblog - easyblog.org
Grades
K to 6tag(s): portfolios (32), writing (365)
In the Classroom
Use Easyblog for student portfolios in any subject. This site works especially well with younger students due to the visual design of the site and ease of using video to share information. Share images with recordings about science experiments. Create portfolios (with permission) to share younger students' work with parents and students during conferences. Use this tool to show finished projects or to show changes in a project from start to finish. Make a work prototype site and upload examples of exemplary work to share with students to set expectations for completed products before beginning a project. Create a link to this tool on your class website for students to share projects and information. (Get parent permission before posting students' work!) Have students take ownership of their own portfolios to show progress and products across the school year.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be shared by URL
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Casa Notes - 4Teachers
Grades
K to 5tag(s): communication (10), field trips (13), homework (42), parents (57)
In the Classroom
Use Casa Notes to communicate quickly and easily from your classroom to parents. Print up several thank-you notes in advance, then add names as needed. Use the homework template to fill in missed work for absentee students, or to send home as a weekly notice to parents. Share with students to create notes to thank classroom speakers and helpers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mic Note - Treebeard Bros.
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Have students practice spelling words orally, record speeches, practice reading fluency, and much more using Mic Note. After recording, allow students to listen to the playback and reflect upon the quality of their work. Do before and after recordings of students to share with parents during conferences to demonstrate reading progress. Have students record weekly summaries for what has happened in your class to share on your class website or blog. Record weekly or daily homework assignments and share as a voice recording on your website. Save file space by replacing old files with new ones. Mic Note would be an excellent resource for recording and sharing more complicated directions for projects and assignments (adding you voice intonation and cues!). Your weaker readers and ESL/ELL students may do better with a combination of written AND auditory directions. Provide the link on your class website for students to use at home for additional practice in spelling, reading, practicing reports, and more. Share this site with parents at Back to School Night. Have students write and record audio book reviews others can play on iPads or iTouches in the school library. If you have gifted students in your classroom, this tool is simple enough for even the youngest to be able to record audio mini-dramas portraying a historic figure or event, poetry readings, and more. Be sure to show them how to NAME and download the files to the local computer! Anything they can say out loud can become a creative project recording. Don't forget about recording musical performances or practices.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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bulb - Bulb, Inc.
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): multimedia (62), portfolios (32), writing (365)
In the Classroom
Use bulb for student portfolios in any subject. Set up an account with your teacher name, email, password, and some basic information. Once your account is set up, create a group, to invite students to join the group, type in their bulb username, email address or their Google account name. Share how to get around bulb on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector to get students started. Anyone you invite can publish to the group. However, students will also have their own account and can keep pages private. Science teachers could have students write up their lab reports in a portfolio, and history teachers could set up portfolios for student report writing. Have teens and older students upload work throughout the year to create their own "me-portfolios." Create portfolios (with permission) to share younger students' work with parents and students during conferences. Use this tool to show finished projects or to show changes in a project from start to finish. Make a work prototype site and upload examples of exemplary work to share with students to set expectations for completed products before beginning a project. Create a link to this tool on your class website for students to share projects and information. (Get parent permission before posting students' work!) Have students take ownership of their own portfolios to show progress and products across several years. Have older students build portfolios to share as part of career and college preparation. Art teachers will want to share this as a portfolio option for their students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Forms - Google
Grades
K to 12tag(s): polls and surveys (55), spreadsheets (22)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the flexibility of Google Forms to create surveys for parents and students at the beginning of the year to learn about student interests, create parent volunteer lists, and much more. Create sign in and sign out sheets for classroom library materials including books and digital equipment. Use Google Forms to set up and collaborate on lesson plans, include check boxes to standards, materials needed, and covered content. Google Forms is perfect to use for assessment purposes - create online quizzes and exit tickets. Have students use Google Forms to prepare and submit reading logs, brainstorm and collaborate with fellow students, create choose your own adventure stories, or schedule reading and writing conference times. Use Google Forms to set up and share rubrics for any project, have students complete the rubric and turn in with any completed assignment. The uses for Google Forms are as unlimited as your imagination; this is a must-have tool for all classrooms!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OurStickys - Fabrizio Parrella
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): brainstorming (23), note taking (40), organizational skills (125)
In the Classroom
Make notes for conferences, lab materials, books needed, or even parent conferences on any web page. Add sticky notes to any webpage or PDF shared with students on your interactive whiteboard to remind them of important information or as a list of important items to watch for when viewing a page. Create a list of vocabulary words from any website as you view it together. Share this extension for students to use on their personal device for note-taking.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WeLearned.It - eduClipper
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (159), portfolios (32)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of WeLearned.It's features in your 1:1 classroom for project-based learning assignments. Motivate students through feedback provided on this site in the form of badges, video or audio recordings, or text. Encourage students to support classmates through providing feedback to peers on the site. Science teachers could have students write up their lab reports, take photos of their labs and label them in a portfolio. History teachers could set up portfolios for student report writing or digital storytelling projects. WeLearned.It is a perfect tool to use during parent conferences.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mahara - New Zealand's Tertiary Education Commission
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): assessment (113), classroom management (159), portfolios (32)
In the Classroom
Record classroom activities and student learning with photos or videos. Show students how to create a portfolio, then document their learning and make comments in their portfolio. Share portfolios with parents, not just at conference time, but any time the student portfolio is updated to keep parents in the loop.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ClassTag - Vlada Lotkina and Jason Olim
Grades
K to 12tag(s): chat (51), classroom management (159), communication (10), DAT device agnostic tool (180), parent conferences (23), parents (57)
In the Classroom
Create a free account to use for all your classes, and even your extracurricular activities. Use this tool to send homework, project, and supply reminders. Remind parents of upcoming events, practices, or items students need to bring to class or practice. Remind parents of big tests, report cards, field trips, deadlines, back to school night, sneaker days, conferences, and more. Set up a faculty reminder group within your school for emergency closures and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Updwn - Nathan Bashaw & Connor Montgomery
Grades
K to 12tag(s): polls and surveys (55), quizzes (105)
In the Classroom
Use Updwn for quick feedback in your 1:1 classroom. Ask students to choose from book options for independent reading, type of class project, provide a short response for an exit ticket, or choose the correct answer to a math problem. Allow students to create polls for use with presentations. Create a quick Updwn poll for use during back-to-school night or parent conferences; have parents vote on suggested field trips or preferred communication methods. Create a link to a survey on your class website to ask a question of the day. Updwn is perfect for use in virtually any situation requiring quick and simple feedback.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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FreshGrade - Lane Merrifield and Steve Wandler
Grades
K to 12tag(s): assessment (113), classroom management (159), multimedia (62), portfolios (32)
In the Classroom
Use FreshGrade to manage and organize any classroom. Maintain a classroom calendar so students can easily find due dates and deadlines for homework and projects. Share information with parents to keep them up to date. Even if your school or district already has a learning management system for tracking grades, use FreshGrade for the student portfolios and easy parent inclusion. Record classroom activities and student learning with photos or videos using your mobile device. Show students how to document their learning and make comments in their portfolio. Share portfolios with parents, not just at conference time, but any time the student portfolio is updated to keep parents in the loop. Share student accounts with other teachers they may have.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Splash - Ben Hindman and Brett Boskoff
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (159), organizational skills (125), parent conferences (23)
In the Classroom
The possibilities for using Splash seem endless. Use this for planning parties, bringing in materials for projects, and any other activity that requires coordination. If you have limited technology availability, this is a great way for teachers or students to sign up for time slots to use laptops, iPads, cameras, or a podcast recording station. Go paperless with signups! Organize your parent/teacher conferences. Plan student research of class projects using this resource. Help students build organizational skills by having them "plan" a mythical (or actual) event such as a museum opening for their Famous Americans exhibit. Use this tool for any middle or high school club, career day, or sports team to organize their own events. Share with your school's parent organization to help them plan the next school event.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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LivingTree - livingtree.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (159), DAT device agnostic tool (180), organizational skills (125)
In the Classroom
Use LivingTree to manage and organize any classroom. Maintain a classroom calendar, with automatic reminders, so students can easily find due dates and deadlines for homework and projects. Share information with parents to keep them up to date. Use the discussion feature as a resource for keeping students involved over long holidays or on a snow day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zoom - Eric Yuan
Grades
K to 12tag(s): chat (51), DAT device agnostic tool (180), parent conferences (23), video (278)
In the Classroom
Use Zoom to set up virtual parent/teacher conferences with participants located anywhere in the world. This is especially useful when multiple teachers are involved or when parents may not reside in the same location. Share your screen as needed to provide information on assessments and student work. Connect whole classrooms across the country for book clubs. Collaborate with experts such as authors and scientists with classrooms of children. Create connected learning experiences with other students, especially those in older grades. Connect world language classes to classes in other countries. Teachers can hold "office hours" for homework help and asking questions. Create a collaborative space for homework help before or after school or on snow days. Students can meet whenever help is needed or teachers can create a session that can be accessed on any device easily by those who need it. Consider using a tool such as Remind, reviewed here, to alert parents and students when your sessions are open. Use Zoom for group work - no more excuses about not being able to meet for cooperative learning projects! Buildings can collaborate and share professional development with others in their own district and beyond!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Flock - Cookies Riva FZC
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): chat (51), microblogging (40), polls and surveys (55)
In the Classroom
Teachers can use the chat feature to communicate with parents or students. Collaborate with other educators on lesson plans and activities. Create groups of students during group projects for collaboration. Attach the directions to the chat and monitor the conversation by including yourself in the group and promoting good digital citizenship. Use the poll feature to check for understanding or use the chat as an exit ticket.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Do Your Homework Arizona - Stand for Children Arizona
Grades
K to 8tag(s): commoncore (99), parent conferences (23), parents (57)
In the Classroom
Although created for Arizona parents, all content is aligned to Common Core Standards. Share a link to the site on your class webpage for parents to access on their own. Share information from the site during parent conferences or Meet the Teacher Events to help parents understand standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Woot Math - Woot Math Inc
Grades
4 to 8In the Classroom
Woot Math is perfect for use as a classroom center that adapts to individual student needs and skills. Create your account and demonstrate to students on your interactive whiteboard or projector how to log on and use this site. Be sure to share a link on your class web page for use at home. Share Woot Math with parents during Meet the Teacher Night or during student conferences as a resource for practicing fractions and decimals at home. Although the site is for pre-algebra students, lessons provide excellent practice for any student needing additional help with decimals and fractions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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