Texting in the News

Open the links below to review current news stories about texting in schools.

Why Parent’s Shouldn’t Fear Student-Teacher Texting
According to this Time Magazine article, the easy back-and-forth between teachers and students can create important bonds, especially for young people who are in need of extra help. “Teachers are the first to spot trouble for kids who are at risk—kids with mental health issues, sexuality issues, problems at home,” says Danah Boyd, whose book, It’s Complicated is an anti-alarmist polemic that examines the social lives of networked teens. “These are kids who need more positive adult relationships, not less.”
http://time.com/2896901/teacher-student-texting/

Texting, the New Anti-Bullying Technology
This Huffington Post feature describes how schools are starting to take advantage of texting technology – – and the frequency of teen usage – to assist with information dissemination about issues of safety and security. Tip Txt, developed by Blackboard for use in K-12 schools, allows kids to text reports of bullying or questions about reporting it, the information is screened and handled by school officials. Perhaps the largest school district in the country to sign on is the Boston Public Schools. According to Jodie Elgee, director of the BPS’s Counseling and Intervention Center, “We wanted to meet students where they were. We felt that using texting was a way to both cut down on our response time to reported bullying incidents and also to empower kids.” Elgee believes that enabling students to text their concerns will prove to increase reporting from the students the school district is directly tasked with helping.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-dobrow/texting-the-new-antibully_b_3909018.html

How Teachers & Parents Work Together for Student Success
In this National Education Association feature article, teachers describe their texting experiences. Susan TerLouw, a high school special education teacher, takes a proactive approach to fostering collaboration with her students’ parents. “I have found texting to be an amazing way to get connected with parents,” says the. “After not having calls returned, I tried texting and got immediate responses.” Texting allows this teacher to update parents on their child’s progress before waiting for an issue to arise. She says the constant flow of contact with parents has done wonders for her own parent-teacher relationships. “I have been able to move past it to actual conversations, face-to-face meetings, and a trusting relationship.”
http://neatoday.org/2014/01/03/how-teachers-and-parents-work-together-for-student-success/

Texting is Used to Keep Students on College Track
This Education Week article explores how communities in West Virginia and Minnesota are using texting alert students about deadlines for financial aid, registration, and student orientation, among other matters. According researcher Benjamin L. Castleman of the University of Virginia, “There are a lot of tasks that need to be completed that are complex. Texting prompts students to think about these tasks rather than put them off.” Mr. Castleman and others involved with texting initiatives caution that this strategy should not be seen as a replacement for high school counselors and college support staff, but rather as another valuable tool.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/05/14/31texting_ep.h33.html?qs=texting

Texting with Teachers Keeps Students in Class
An online piece on The Journal, a technology website for educators, highlights how one Canadian school has put texting to work. Tyler Campbell piloted the program with his 10^th grade English class of more than 20 students. “Just my first quarter alone, I sent and received thousands of texts,” Campbell said. “It got to be overwhelming at first, but you kind of get the hang of it.” While much of the deluge was back-and-forth banter on tardiness, homework, or grade anxiety, Campbell also began using the constant communiqués as a means to engage students in learning. He began texting a daily journal topic every morning and encouraged students to think about it before they came to class. According to the school, in its short existence the program has already seen success. The retention rate in the pilot English classes now hovers around 83 percent, compared with an average rate of 25 percent in non-pilot classes. Attendance in the pilot classes is between 5 and 10 percent higher than average, and the number of credits the school is awarding to students in those classes is 30 percent higher.
http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/04/10/texting-and-cell-phones-keeps-students-in-class.aspx

Why Text: What Other Schools are Experiencing

When making the decision to implement texting protocol at your school, it can be helpful to see what is happening at schools nationwide.

Federal Way Public Schools
By implementing daily attendance notification at both middle and secondary levels, the Federal Way Public Schools district in Washington experienced a 70 percent reduction in unexcused absences.
Click here to read more.
http://www.blackboard.com/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=c3c4df73-3bdb-4dd2-ac3b-df3ffdbb3972

Boston Public School District: Texting and Bullying Prevention
Boston Public Schools mplemented Blackboard Connect TipTxt as part of its bullying prevention effort. Students and families can report bullying, mental health issues and crime. It is viewed as an easy, confidential way to speak up before it’s too late.
Click here to read more.
(http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Connect/Products/TipTxt.aspx)

More Case Studies from Blackboard Connect
Click here for more case students from Blackboard Connect.
http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Connect/Client-Stories/Case-Studies.aspx