Parent Conferences? There's an App for that!

It's nearing the end of yet another month of school!  Can you believe it?  Each year it goes by faster and faster!  The first Parent/Teacher Conference Day is right around the corner and I wanted to share an amazing app that I've been using this year.  In anticipation of Parent Conferences, I've been playing around with this app and collecting data!  The app is FreshGrade and it's amazing! (and FREE!)

I am able to build a digital portfolio for each student right from my phone! I confer with my students about their writing and take a picture to add to their portfolio.  I record my readers to capture their fluency and expression.  I have pictures from recess showing social connections on the playground.  It's quick, easy and authentic! I haven't shared this with my parents yet because I wanted to make sure I liked it well enough!  Results are in and I LOVE IT!

The real beauty of this app is that once parents have created an account, they have access to their child's portfolio and can make comments on student work!  This is working especially well for the upper grade teachers at my school.  Students are able to post work and receive teacher and parent input immediately.  

When I meet with parents at conferences, I plan to have them create their account right then and walk them through their child's digital portfolio.  This will guarantee participation!  I plan on using this as a communication tool between teacher and parents for the remainder of the year! 

Here is an example of one video added to one of my little firstie's portfolio:

I encourage you to check it out and see if it works for you!