WebedtecH

Mobile technology is growing by leaps and bounds in the U.S. and as such we’re finally catching up with the rest of the world in SMS or “texting.” The question is can educational technology apply this effectively for parents, faculty, and students?

Closing the loop

The frenetic nature of families causes them to be in many places at once.  Sports practice, school, work, extracurricular activities, they all take their toll on the “together-time” that many of us grew up with.  Texting gives schools the opportunity to reach out to families, students, and staff in a more convenient manner for most.  Information can be broadcast to a number of people easily through SMS services.  Groups can be selectively notified of events and news based on groups.  In aggregation it would appear that SMS services have many of the strengths of email with a faster delivery time and fewer issues.  However there are a number of things that must be taken into consideration before approaching a texting solution.

Dollars and sense

In most cases, SMS messages still charge the receiver as well as the sender of the message.  This can be an issue and not something you want to overlook.  If you send out 10 messages in a month you could be charging each recipient $1.00 based on  their phone service.  Making text messaging a service people can opt-in to is a much better idea than making it mandatory.  If you do make it optional, it cannot be your primary mode of contact.  It must be considered part of your overall communications plan.

Brevity is not always best

SMS messages by design are short and to the point.  When communicating something simple such as a school closing due to weather you may be fine.  Sharing something more involved or requiring greater explanation is not a good use of SMS.  Information can be misunderstood leading to issues, rumor, and innuendo.  Recommendation:  if you have something important to share and you use SMS, tell them to go to your web site for details and post the information there.

Rain, snow, dark of night

Not unlike email you have no way of knowing whether someone received your message unless you ask them.  Some systems do offer delivery confirmation but that is only if they are on the same carrier network as the receiver.   Establishing SMS as a early notification and reminder of notices  you have placed in other locations is a much more effective use because you are training your audience if all else fails to go to the source of the information.

The use of text messaging by schools isn’t nearly as controversial as text messaging by students but if you’re planning on implementing this type of a solution you need to take a much closer look at your mobile technology acceptable use plans and make sure they aren’t in conflict with your strategy.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS