REMIND101! Parent/Student Communication Without Exchanging Phone Numbers!

Remind101 is the best! It's free! There's an app for it and the customer support is excellent!
What is Remind101? It's a safe way for teachers to text message students and parents without giving out your phone number or requiring theirs! And that is the beauty of Remind101!



 I began using Remind101 this year, and just like ClassDojo, I used it the entire school year.  I will use it again next year.  The process for setting it up is very simple, and sending out messages is a breeze.
I know teachers who have used it with their students, especially higher ed. I didn't, but since my school is incorporating BYOD, I will get parent permission to include my students.

Here's how it works. You set up a FREE account and name your class, or classes. Invite subscribers.You have the option of sending messages using email and text message, only email, or only text messages. Whomever you invite gets a phone number/ special code which will allow them to receive your messages.(See tutorial video above)

I sent messages to my parents about events, tests, and notices sent home.  We had an emergency closing and I was able to send messages to parents with one message.  A Twitter colleague used theirs to send out vocabulary lists every week. You can even schedule your messages to be sent out at a later time.

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No one has your phone number, and you do not have theirs! It is web based, as you can see in the picture above. 2011-2012, I had about 50% of my parents signed up. I plan to have parents take out their phones at Open House and subscribe this year.

This is something the entire school should take advantage of! Looking forward to next year with Remind101 and all the new things I find to do with it!
Update-July 19, 2013- Remind101 has updated their site and made it easier to create more than one class, invite students and parents, and there is a widget that you can embed on your sites or blogs!