Running Head: COMMUNICATION, INVOLVEMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY 1

Communication, Involvement, and Technology

Mark A. Rodriguez

Lamar University
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Abstract

Within our campuses we need to address the communication gap between teachers and

parents through an increase in parental involvement. It is in the parental involvement that we will

see a major impact on the academics of our students. With the growing number of at-risk

students on our campus, I predict that through effective strategies of communication will allow

for greater parental involvement and a decrease in our at-risk population which include different

factions of the cultural makeup. We must learn about our diverse cultures in our schools. In

learning about the families of our students, we can use this information to create an environment

that is welcoming to all the diverse cultures in our community populations. The attitude of our

campus culture is also important in creating a welcoming community in our school. We must

welcome family members with open arms and give the reassurance that we all have a voice in

the creation of our learning community. Parental involvement is not only measured by the

amount of time a parent spends at the school and its function, but rather by how they interact

with students at home. The goal is to push for communication among teachers and parents in an

environment that is welcoming and puts parents at ease. Once the communication gap is bridged

the success of our students begins to increase along with parental involvement. Furthermore,

integrating technology in education is important for the every learner in the community because

technology allows us an opportunity to make progress toward our learning goals.

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Communication, Involvement, and Technology

Bridging the gap between school and home is a difficult task that can be overcome

through strategies that strengthen our learning communities. As I have researched, in order for us

to create and sustain a successful learning community we need to fortify the relationships

between school, family, and community cultures. To do this we need to recognize the benefits of

parental involvement, create a welcoming atmosphere, and implement effective communication

strategies. In doing so, we eliminate a language barriers and alleviate any pressure imposed by

communication. Because communication is a vital part in the success of parental involvement,

we must use research based strategies to breakthrough any barrier it produces.

Literature Review

Step One: Communication and Involvement

Based on the statistics of our campus, we have a communication gap between school and

home. Our campus has 8.5% African American, 41.1% White, 49.6% Hispanic, 0.2% Native

American, 0.2 Asian/Pacific Islander. Out of these 67.2% are Economically Disadvantaged,

41.2% at Risk, 8.3% Limited English Proficient. The communication gap affects everyone and

negatively affects parental involvement. With the growing number of At-risk students,

communication is vital. We now need to actively interact with our parents. This allows parents to

know that communication is significant to the success of our partnership and to the success of

their child. Communication with our parents must be transparent and should not only express the

negative connotations but highlight the positive behaviors of their child. Nonetheless,

communication should always be a two way street in order to be effective.

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Based on the information by Aten, Mueller, New, and Peschang (1998), the improvement

of the school climate is improved through communication and parent participation. With the

implementation of strategies that increase family involvement, the learning community is more

successful. Also, based on the results of Markstrom (2011) active participation of parents is

important to the success of a student.

Nonetheless, based on the research conducted by Guo (2010) parent-teacher interactions

must go beyond cultural differences to communicate with the parents of our ESL students to

increase parental involvement. In a study by Bailey (2006), research shows that through

specified task and training can increase the parent involvement and increase communication

between school and the home. Furthermore, family involvement positively impacts the learning

of a child at the early childhood level. Specified participation with the head start aged students

benefits the learning community greatly (Hindman & Morrison, 2001). Also, according to Li and

Hung (2012), parent interaction at home was more effective than parental involvement at school.

As a result of these studies, parent/child interactions showed social competence and social

acceptance (McDarwell and Parke, 2009).

Communication is an area that is in need on our campus. Due to the population in our

district there are language barriers that make communication difficult. This need is impacting

student achievement because it is difficult to express goals for our students with a clear

explanation. This need can be addressed by parents and members of communities by providing

services such as interpreters and by providing information to parents in a way that is easier to

understand. This, in turn, affects parental involvement. Though we have an overwhelming

response to annual events parental involvement is very sparse. There is a great impact on student

achievement because learning is confined to school hours and the lack of parent participation for
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each student is a result of a misinterpretation of information. This need can be addressed through

trainings for parents and curriculum nights so parents are aware of how to aid their student at

home.

In researching this topic we can find ways to bridge the gap between school and home.

This difficult task can be overcome through strategies that strengthen our learning communities.

In order for us to create and sustain a successful learning community we need to fortify the

relationships between school, family, and community cultures. To do this we need to recognize

the benefits of parental involvement, create a welcoming atmosphere, and implement effective

communication strategies. In doing so, we eliminate a language barriers and alleviate any

pressure imposed by communication. The contact we have with parents should be personalized

and expressed in the everyday language of our families so it is not misunderstood. Because

communication is a vital part in the success of parental involvement, we must use research based

strategies to breakthrough any barrier it produces.

Step Two: Technology

While sifting through the abundant literature available on implementing eportfolios in the

classroom it kept coming to mind as to how I could create a paradigm shift from the traditional

structure of education. As Simon Sinek (2009) simply puts we must know our purpose and work

from the inside out. Why are we doing this? How can eportfolios effectively engage students so

that they may become lifelong learners? After listening to a talk by Seth Godin, he states that the

internet connects us all. This is further supported by the Meeker 2015 Trend summary which

states that connectivity is up dramatically to 84% percent of the population and up to 64% are

connected via smartphones. Because there is large percentage of connectivity for our students the
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interactions between the student and their portfolio outside of the classroom is justifiable. As

according to Jennifer Nichols (2013), digital portfolios have the ability to revolutionize the way

student learn, while encouraging independence, responsibility, and reflection, (p. 2). Through

the increased accessibility outside of the classroom, the learning environment is extended beyond

the confines of the school building.

In reviewing the key findings of the 2015 Student and Faculty Technology Research Studies we see that

technology is part of the lives of our students and each individual involved show a high level of interest in

using mobile devices. While technology is used at very high levels the evidence in the ECAR shows that

technologies are not achieving their full potential, (ECAR, 2015). In order for our students, colleagues,

and stakeholders to buy into the idea of success of an eportfolio we need to utilize technology as a tool to

ask, explore, and apply.

Conclusion

The development of digital portfolios in the classroom benefits students and enhance their learning

experience in many ways. The benefits with eportfolios begin with the ability for students, parents, and

teachers to see the growth and progress over the course of the academic school year. When every patron

involved in the students education is aware of the childs growth, the mastery of our learning goals

become more manageable and not so overwhelming. . If there is a digression in the students learning we

are able to hone in on the issue and adjust our strategies so students continue to grow in their learning.

Eportfolios also allow students to engage is self-reflection and become active participants in collaborative

learning and feedback. The development of an eportfolio is defined by Helen Barrett (Brown, 2011) by

five steps:

1. Selection

2. Collection
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3. Reflection

4. Direction

5. Connection

What progressive education has defined is that the processes of learning must be student-centered that

allows for application, collaboration, self-reliance, and goes against the status quo of the traditional

system. Students will ask, explore, and apply knowledge through precise focused education, (Godin,

2013) that will measure experience. Implementing eportfolios in the learning environment create

opportunities for students to connect their learning with real world applications and present it to a

particular audience such as teachers, colleagues, and future employers. Essentially, this is the experience

to be measured.

For example, the uses of eportfolios create better opportunities for full spectrum learning, (Batson,

2009, p. 1) which includes authentic, experimental, and evidence based learning. The integration of

technology also allows the learning community to extend beyond our classroom. Technology is the

gateway for students and their learning to go global. To further support the shift to deeper learning

approaches, the NMC Horizon Report: 2015 agreed that a long term trend is to engage students and drive

innovation through project and challenge-based learning, (p. 1). This allows students to own their

learning and supports both the assessment of learning and the assessment for learning (Barrett, 2006).

Students become self-reliant and aware of their learning experiences and take control of it.
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References

Aten, Angela; Mueller, Deborah; New, Diane; Peschang, Teresa (1998). Parent involvement: improving

school climate and strengthening relationships among the parent community. Retrieved from

ERIC database. (ED422093)

Bailey, Lora Battle (2006). Interactive homework: a tool for fostering parent-child Interactions and

improving learning outcomes for at-risk young children. Early Childhood Education Journal,

34(2). 155-167.

Barrett, H. (2006). Using electronic portfolios for classroom assessment. Connected Newsletter. 13(2).

4-6.

Batson, T. (2009, May 20). Why ePortfolio is the tool of the time and who is enaaeebling it. [ePortfolio].

Retrieved from https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/05/20/Why-ePorfolios-is-the-Tool-

of-the-Time-and-Who-is-Ennaaaeebling-it.aspx?sc_lang=en&p=1

Brown, M. (2011). Electronic portfolios in the K-12 classroom. Retrieved from

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml.

Consortium for School Networking (2015). The NMC horizon report: 2015 K-12 edition. Retrieved

from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf.

Guo, Yan (2010). Meetings without Dialogue: A study of ESL parent-teacher interactions at

secondary school parents' nights. School Community Journal, 20(1). 121-140.

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Goding, S. (2013, October 16). Stop stealing dreams. [Video file] Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc.

Hindman, Annemarie H.; Morrison, Frederick J. (2011). Family involvement and educator outreach in

head start: nature, extent, and contributions to early literacy skills. Elementary School Journal,

111(3). 359-386.

Li, C.; Hung, C. (2012). The interactive effects of perceived parental involvement and personality

on teacher satisfaction. Journal of Educational Administration, 50(4). 501-518.

Markstrom, A. (2011). To involve parents in the assessment of the child in parent-teacher conferences: a

case study. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(6).465-474.

McDowell, D.; Parke, R. (2009). Parental correlates of children's peer relations: an empirical test of a

tripartite model. Developmental Psychology, 45(1). 224-235.

Meeker, M. (May, 2015). Internet trends 2015code conference. Retrieved

from http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends.

Nichols, J. (2013). 5 reasons to use digital portfolios in your classroom. Retrieved from

http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/technology/5-reasons-to-use-digital-

porfolios-in-your-classroom/.

Roberts, M.; Kaiser, A. (2013). Assessing the effects of a parent-implemented language intervention for

children with language impairments using empirical benchmarks: a pilot study. Journal of

Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 55(6). 1655-1670.

Sinek, S. (2009, September 28). Start with why-how great leaders inspire action. [Video file] Retrieved

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