
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53081883/imdb.0.jpg)
Users set up a separate channel for each project or topic they’ll discuss and can share and comment on files. Then the teacher appreciation committee can finalize plans and use the app to share a file with the details.Īlthough it’s known as a workplace communication tool, some parent group boards have begun using Slack to stay in touch. Users might start a group chat to brainstorm ideas for teacher appreciation. The app includes group texting and group chat. Several leaders have said their groups use BAND, which has a group calendar feature that simplifies planning. You can also share photos and website links, which comes in handy when making decisions about event decorations or activities. Up to 10 people can join a video chat, making this a useful tool if a committee chair wants to show members auction donations without toting them to a meeting, for example.

If everyone in the group has a Gmail address, Google Hangouts can be used for messaging and video chats.
Shared message board apps free#
Promote your parent group! 8 ways to educate your school community GET FREE TIPS (Messenger used to be part of Facebook, but it’s now a standalone app.) “It takes away time having to sit through a long meeting or waiting weeks for an answer,” she says. Messages are frequently sent through Messenger when the PTO is planning an upcoming event, notes treasurer Dawn Custer. PTO officers at Indian Hollow Elementary in Winchester, Va., use Messenger because it’s easily accessed both by officers with Facebook accounts and by one board member who doesn’t use Facebook. If you create a private Facebook group, remind people joining the group to sign up to receive notifications so it’s easier to find messages when others post. This lets the officers share ideas and photos taken while shopping and for others to see and comment on them, for example. Members of our closed PTO and PTA Leaders & Volunteers Facebook group report using a private Facebook group for their own officers to conduct board business. Plus, as text messaging has become more mainstream with parents receiving messages from school administrators, baseball coaches, and dance instructors, email can sometimes seem old-fashioned and less immediate. Why messaging apps? In schools where some families don’t have Internet access, most parents can still get text messages and use apps on their mobile phones. Apps like Messenger, Remind, and GroupMe haven’t replaced group emails and flyers, but they have become another way to communicate with parents. More parent group leaders are using messaging apps to stay in touch with each other and with their school communities.
