Open Forum

I need an app to exchange text messages, rehearsals times, and other info with my actors and parents. I tried Remind 101 but it doesn't allow students to respond back. What else works really well? Thanks!!

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Arden Thomas
Sequoyah High School
Pasadena CA
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Remind does allow student responses. They also are allowed to initiate questions to the group leader.

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Toni Thomas
English Teacher, Theatre Director
West Branch MI
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I know this may be too late but try Marco Polo.  It's a video chat app.

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Valerie Scott
Drama Teacher/Director
Perimeter School
Johns Creek, Ga
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-11-2020 07:51
From: Toni Thomas
Subject: your favorite app for communicating with students?

Remind does allow student responses. They also are allowed to initiate questions to the group leader.

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Toni Thomas
English Teacher, Theatre Director
West Branch MI
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------Original Message------

I need an app to exchange text messages, rehearsals times, and other info with my actors and parents. I tried Remind 101 but it doesn't allow students to respond back. What else works really well? Thanks!!

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Arden Thomas
Sequoyah High School
Pasadena CA
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Remind does allow students to respond back to you individually, and if you create a smaller group, they can respond to each other, as well. I've been using Remind for 3 years now and it is my primary communication tool with students and parents. What I like is that you can set it up to receive text notifications of messages, so I reach more students than I would if they had to open and check the app all the time. The best feature for me is the fact that I currently have 10 separate classes set up so that I'm not (always) spamming everyone with messages that don't apply to them. For example, I have an alumni group which receives messages about upcoming shows, updates about scholarships that are available only to students enrolled in college, and invitations to events. My "announcements" group is parents and students who are not in our current production, but who still wish to remain in our program. Then I have individual groups for each class period, for my production cast, my production crew, and my production parents. I have, but rarely message individually, a group for my Thespians, too. They're all in other groups, but if there is something like a change to a meeting location or updates about a fundraiser they're doing, I use that group exclusively.

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Jodi Disario
Director of Theatre Arts
Willow Glen High School
San Jose, CA
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I use Remind for large groups (like our musical cast/crew/parents) and GroupMe for smaller casts, Drama Club Officers, and anything where I find it easier for everyone to see the text replies. I have had people recommend the Band app to use - it has a calendar, you can upload videos for rehearsal aids, and stay in easy contact with your group. I haven't tried it yet, though. 


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Kate Lindsay
Salina KS
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Hi,
We have been using What's app. It is free and everyone who is a part of the group can respond and see all of the messages. The person who is the creator of the group is the only one who can add people so people can not get on randomly. I like and it had worked for us. 
Cathy

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Cathy Archer
Rutland VT
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------Original Message------

I need an app to exchange text messages, rehearsals times, and other info with my actors and parents. I tried Remind 101 but it doesn't allow students to respond back. What else works really well? Thanks!!

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Arden Thomas
Sequoyah High School
Pasadena CA
------------------------------

------Original Message------

I use Slack. It's generally used in corporate settings and is very organized (and free at the size we are likely to ever use it) 

It allows private messaging between you and students
You can divide up communication into channels, for example I have a tech heads channel, an improv channel, a channel for our musical, and more.
There is also automatically a random channel which the students have been pretty actively using to communicate during these corona times (it helps me know that some of them are doing ok in an informal way that I appreciate) 
It is also searchable! very easily. so there is no excuse for the kid who can't find the email with the rehearsal schedule. 
It's also very similar to discord which a lot of the kids use for gaming stuff so there is for some easy adaptation and they can show others how to use it.

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Joseph Gels
Theatre Teacher
Boston Latin School
Boston MA
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Hey there,
I just wanted to let you know that I use Remind for all my classes (Theater and English), and it 100% allows students to text back.  I communicate with all my students and parents that way during the regular school year, and even more so now with the school closings.  There are limitations with the free version (limited in the characters I can send in a message), but I find that it really does work well for what I need like messages, docs, links, and photos.  Hopefully, you find what you're looking for!

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Michele Zofchak
Teacher/Drama Club Sponsor
Tavernier FL
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-13-2020 07:49
From: Joseph Gels
Subject: your favorite app for communicating with students?

I use Slack. It's generally used in corporate settings and is very organized (and free at the size we are likely to ever use it)

It allows private messaging between you and students
You can divide up communication into channels, for example I have a tech heads channel, an improv channel, a channel for our musical, and more.
There is also automatically a random channel which the students have been pretty actively using to communicate during these corona times (it helps me know that some of them are doing ok in an informal way that I appreciate)
It is also searchable! very easily. so there is no excuse for the kid who can't find the email with the rehearsal schedule.
It's also very similar to discord which a lot of the kids use for gaming stuff so there is for some easy adaptation and they can show others how to use it.

------------------------------
Joseph Gels
Theatre Teacher
Boston Latin School
Boston MA
------------------------------

------Original Message------

I use Slack. It's generally used in corporate settings and is very organized (and free at the size we are likely to ever use it) 

It allows private messaging between you and students
You can divide up communication into channels, for example I have a tech heads channel, an improv channel, a channel for our musical, and more.
There is also automatically a random channel which the students have been pretty actively using to communicate during these corona times (it helps me know that some of them are doing ok in an informal way that I appreciate) 
It is also searchable! very easily. so there is no excuse for the kid who can't find the email with the rehearsal schedule. 
It's also very similar to discord which a lot of the kids use for gaming stuff so there is for some easy adaptation and they can show others how to use it.

------------------------------
Joseph Gels
Theatre Teacher
Boston Latin School
Boston MA
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