Smart schools embrace new technology to provide more efficient means of communication with their stakeholders. Parents and teachers are more likely to use different social media platforms, websites, and mobile apps to reach out to each other. Official school notification systems are also widely available and in use to facilitate faster and more accurate communication.
However, not all systems are created equally. Some systems are limited to traditional forms of communication, while others may have an abundance of features that don’t get utilized to their full potential. It’s always recommended that you assess and evaluate if your school is providing the best tools and resources for open communication.
Do You Have a Multifunctional School Notification System?
We have apps for everything these days, but ask yourself this: have you made full use of the apps you’ve downloaded over the years? Chances are, you have apps sitting on your phone that you’ve never even opened after downloading because you found better apps that do more.
The same can be said of school notification apps. Settling for a system that doesn’t do everything you need it to is a waste of resources. What’s more, it can get in the way of communicating well with parents and students. As such, school administrators have to be smart about choosing the resources they should invest in. As buyers, you want the biggest bang for your buck and a school notification system is no exception.
Schools have to consider a wide variety of situations that need fast and efficient notifications. Some events that may require mass communication from home to school include:
- Inclement weather
- School or after school activity cancellations
- Change of dismissal times
- School events in need of volunteers
- Dangerous situations involving intruders or weapons on campus
Do You Have a Secure Two-Way Messaging System for Teachers and Parents?
Voice and text messaging features in next generation notification systems are secure forms of communication that school stakeholders can utilize for such a situation. These tools are designed to disseminate information to a large number of people, and the messages delivered through text and voice messaging could be structured in a way that won’t cause the recipients to panic.
From here, the school can answer individual concerns and assure parents that their children are safe. In the next few days, the school can send out emails and newsletters that detail how they are changing their safety policies to prevent such events from happening again.
Can You Use Your Notification System for Setting PTA Meetings?
There are actual notification systems that include a special feature for PTA meetings. Using such an app, teachers can simply mark their available times for one-on-one meetings with parents and the parents can “book” a slot that will be integrated in their calendar. A push notification will be delivered on the parent’s smartphone before the event as a reminder.
This feature is especially important for busy and career-driven parents who just need to be reminded of school activities like parent-teacher meetings.
Can Parents Use Your School Notification System to Monitor Their Children’s Progress?
Any parent who cares about their child’s education would want to know how they could help them achieve their educational goals. To encourage parent involvement, the school can use its notification system to alert parents that new content has been posted on the teacher or class pages. These pages typically have a copy of the lessons the students are studying for the week, homework assignments, or forms that need to be signed by their parents. Parents, on the other hand, only need to subscribe to these pages in order to see what their kids are doing at school for the day.
Is Your Notification System Integrated with Social Media?
Social media is where everyone converges, and a school notification system that has social media integration can reach a wider audience. Your school has a better chance of reaching everyone in the community if its notification system has the capability to post on social media platforms as well as send out text messages and set news pop-ups on the school website.
Is Your Notification System User-Friendly?
If you need to go through a thick manual just to understand how your school notification system works, then the system you are using is probably not user-friendly. To encourage parents and teachers to use your school’s notification system, you have to ensure that the system has an intuitive interface that can be used competently by everyone, even folks who aren’t too tech-savvy.
Teachers and parents need technology that they already know how to interact with. A school notification system is not the venue to experiment with high-tech UX or user experience concepts.