One of the greatest arguments for implementing the Internet in schools is the ways it can promote a connection with the outside world. And of all the possibilities that this can entertain, none may be more vital than the home-school communication you can foster through a myriad of Web technologies available to educators today.

With so many two working parent families, it's often difficult to even get parents to come in for a face to face conference. But with the Internet you can offer communication with your parents on a number of levels 24 hours, 7 days a week. That's what this issue is all about - offering ideas and applications to facilitate effective, proactive home-school communication. Thanks to Jerry Blumengarten for offering a couple of worthy suggestions for our consideration. Enjoy!

• Blackboard - http://www.blackboard.com/
  Blackboard actually makes its money by offering distance learning services to corporations and universities, but it also offers free course space to classroom teachers. Simply go to the CourseSites box at the bottom of the main page and type in the name of the course you wish to create. You are then led through successive steps to set up your course and prepare a virtual classroom where your students and parents can come to work online and meet for dynamic instructional sessions from home.
• Building the Home-School Connection - http://www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,44-16631,00.html
  Dr. Jerome J. Schultz presents this highly practical article on the ins and outs of developing an effective home-school communication plan. His twelve tenets include two-way communication, realistic expectations, school related tasks, mutual respect, flexibility and giving feedback. Written towards the parent's point of view, the article gives constructive insight for educators trying to accommodate their students' parents.
• Bullwhip - http://www.fhs.net/FHSWeb.nsf/Home
  Billing itself as "the world's first free extranet", Bullwhip offers a suite of services that include a discussion board, class news postings, a class calendar, document sharing, online surveys, and a mailing list all free and easy to use. If you'd rather have access to more services and rid yourself on pesky banner ads, you can also subscribe to the Bullwhip pay service. There's plenty of information on the site if you're interested in learning more.
• Dear Parents -http://www.dearparents.com/
  Edmark puts together this nicely done questions and answers page for connected parents. Imagine creating a link from your school website to this quality web page that is perfect for families. Not only does each question have a thoughtful answer, but there is a hotlist of recommended online resources parents can use to delve deeper into the topic.
• eGroups - http://www.egroups.com/
  The same service yours truly uses to distribute this newsletter can be used to set up your own newsletter mailing list for your school! Simply create a group name, place it in an appropriate group category, and indicate the preferences you want for your list: will it be moderated? will the subscriber list be kept private or public? will you allow the chat function to be available? how about the database and calendar functions? It's entirely free and eGroups can host groups from the tens through the thousands. Imagine how inviting it will be for parents having the subscription box right on your school web page!
• LightSpan - http://www.lightspan.com/
  Lightspan offers a range of free services for teachers, students and parents, including the ability to create your own classroom web presence, parent support links, online flashcards, printable work sheets, a stock market simulation and an award maker program. There's also links to EduTest.com and the Global School House (a great resource for online projects).
• My Grade Book - http://www.mygradebook.com/
  My Grade Book allows you to record and average grades on a secure site using their Web-based software. Because it's Web-based, you can work on your grades from any connected location without having to lug around disks full of data or having to worry about updating your records on different versions of your electronic grade book. With the ability to assign passwords to students and parents, your families can access their student records any day of the week to keep on top of their child's academic performance.
• My School Online- http://www.myschoolonline.com/golocal/
  Seen services like Schoolnotes but wishing there was an easier interface which would allow teachers with little tech savvy to throw together their own class page in fifteen minutes? This may be just the site you are looking for! My School Online offers everything from the ability to post announcements to an electronic gradebook feature which can be accessed with a secure password from anywhere you and your students' families are connected! Step-by-step instructions with graphics to promote ease of understanding make this a great site for classroom teachers ready to have their own online presence.
• Parent Communication - http://teachervision.com/tv/connect/parentcomm/articles.html
  TeacherVision offers this collection of K-6 strategies form promoting communication in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. Written for parents, these are great tips you can share with your families directly on this website. Link directly from your website to provide these handy tips year round for parents and students.
• Parent Soup Message Boards - http://boards.parentsoup.com/messages/get/pspreschool24.html
  This discussion group is designed for parents of preschoolers and elementary students. Participants must register to promote group stability, and the discussion threads are archived to provide a rich cache of ideas and support for Moms and Dads interested in their children's education. Promoting this site to your students' parents allows you to offer a respected online resource without having to have all the answers yourself!
• SchoolCenter - http://www.schoolcenter.com/
  Here's a service that allows parents to keep up with what students are studying in your class with the ability to post a calendar, permission slips, your student handbook, e-mail links to staff, homework assignments and tests with integration from your district's central office all the way down to your classroom. There's even a yearbook feature for keeping your graduates connected. Yearly subscription fees are based on the size of your school or school district. Because it's a pay service there are no ads and it's entirely password protected. Check out the Human Click technology for synchronous answers to your questions too!
• Talking it Over - http://family.go.com/Features/family_1998_08/nwfm/nwfm88ten/
  Family.com offers this overview of the "ten commandments" of communication between parent and teacher. Jennifer Maienza offers the suggestions for parents, setting the tone for constructive conferences and teacher-parent collaboration throughout the school year. Topics include 'Use the Phone Wisely', 'Take Tales with a Grain of Salt', 'Don't Ambush' and 'Divorced Parents Are Still Parents'.
  

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