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Introducing Our Partner: Educators of America

kid looks at a computer

iClass CMS has partnered with Educators of America to support their mission of connecting educators with technology to increase student achievement. 

 

Educators of America works with schools around the world – from New York to New Delhi – to provide teachers with technology and tools for success. In addition to supplying schools with the latest digital technology, Educators of America also hosts professional development and enrichment seminars for teachers. Classroom technology is constantly evolving, and it is important for teachers to stay up to date with the latest innovations.

 

kid looks at a computer

 

Edtech is a powerful resource for increasing student success. Studies show that the use of digital tools in the classroom increases student engagement, collaboration, and problem-solving. We are proud to support Educators of America in making a positive impact in schools in the US and around the world.

 

The USA seen from space at night

 

iClass provides attractive and easy-to-use websites to schools that increase enrollment, improve communication, and meet accessibility standards. Learn more about our partnership here.

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iClassCMS to Exhibit at ISTE 2018 in Chicago

ISTE 2018

iClassCMS, the number 1 website and mobile app solution for schools, is delighted to announce we will be exhibiting at ISTE 2018 in Chicago, US, from June 24 – 27.

The iClass exhibition will be held in partnership with the Educators of America, an education charity based in Buffalo, New York, that is dedicated to connecting educators with the very best technology solutions and training needed to help students increase achievement every day.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference and Expo is the world’s leading annual educational technology conference and attracts more than 16,000 attendees and industry representatives from across the globe.

iClassCMS will be exhibiting at booth 989 and we are more than happy to provide attendees with a full live demonstration of the iClassCMS website and mobile app solutions.

To arrange a viewing during ISTE 2018 please visit this page and add your name, email address, school and preferred date and time for the viewing to the contact form.

The iClassCMS platform is in full compliance with the standards as set in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

For more information about our ADA compliance, click here.

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iClassCMS Refresher Course: Wednesday, 2nd of May

Platform

iClassCMS is hosting an  online refresher course for iClassCMS users at 3pm – 3.45pm on Wednesday, 2nd of May.

This online refresher course is completely free for iClassCMS users to participate in and covers all the basics from adding content to using the app plus tips on how to get the most out of the iClassCMS platform.

To get involved, simply email info@iclasscms.com with the subject ‘iClass Refresher’ and confirm your participation.

We’re sending out a reminder email next week, so please keep an eye out for it if you’d like to get involved.

iClassCMS is the most complete Content Management System for schools, providing your school with a best in class website and a fully integrated mobile app for parents.

The platform simplifies all of the processes involved in running a website and all actions can be completed in less than 60 seconds.

Thank you for your time and we hope you’re able to partake in the iClassCMS refresher course.

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The Importance of Parent-Teacher Communication

Header FAQs

One of the most important elements of a child’s educational journey is clear and regular communication between parents and teachers.

It’s vital for good communication to exist between both parties in order to guarantee that a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development is progressing naturally and without any issues.

Similarly, a parent’s involvement in their child’s education can greatly benefit the child, resulting in happy and curious kids who look forward to the challenges of school.

Parent involvement also helps to keep kids on track and make sure they’re reaching their full potential in all areas, from homework to exams, afterschool hobbies and more.

Regular communication between teachers and parents encourages parents to take an active role in their children’s studies, so it’s a good idea to start off on the right foot and make parents feel welcome in bringing any concerns they may have to your attention.

Parent-teacher meetings are obviously a great opportunity to discuss student performance and improvement, but they typically only take place a few times during the school year.

This can be detrimental to the student, particularly if they’re having difficulty in certain areas as problems may go unreported and become more of an issue as time goes by.

While many schools now offer a variety of methods for parent-teacher communication including by phone or email, only the iClass platform provides a completely free-to-use mobile app for parent-teacher communication.

It simplifies the entire communication process and ensures parents and teachers can get in touch with one another when needed.

The iClass Mobile App also allows for the dynamic publishing of news and events, both of which will help parents feel that they are fully informed of all related school activity.

Get in touch with us today to request a live iClassCMS demo or brochure.

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Tips: Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for Schools

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When used correctly, social media can be an extremely effective tool for promoting schools and generating interest among parents.

It can also be used to update students, parents and teachers about school news and facilitate communication between parents and teachers.

Keep in mind the following when setting up a social media profile for your school and you will soon be enjoying the benefits that come with this type of promotion tool.

Do:

  • Consider your audience: there are a few different social media platforms but schools generally only need a Facebook and Twitter account, as these are the services chiefly used by students, parents and teachers.
  • Assign roles: it’s a good idea to assign one or two teachers or staff members to overseeing the school’s social media profiles, as daily activity is recommended for maintaining a positive image.
  • Implement routines: the person in charge of the school’s social media profiles should implement a daily routine consisting of reviewing comments and replying where needed, as this will ensure a consistent and respectable image.
  • Post pictures: post pictures of the school, sporting events, student activities and anything else that could help reinforce a positive image of the school.

Don’t:

  • Give students control: avoid allowing any student direct access to the school’s social media profiles, as this can understandably lead to issues down the line, but encourage them to interact via their own profiles.
  • Post inappropriate content: this may seem obvious but it does unfortunately occur from time to time, which is why it is so important to assign a teacher or member or staff with control of the profile.
  • Respond directly to posted issues: avoid responding directly to serious issues posted on the school’s social media profiles and instead acknowledge the comment and inform the user they will be contacted through traditional avenues (phone, letter etc.) to discuss the issue.

Click here to sign up to the iClass Owl Newsletter.

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iClass Owl Newsletter Issue 1 is Now Live!

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The first issue of iClass Owl, our brand new newsletter focused on educational technology (EdTech) and its impact on Irish schools, is now live!

iClass Owl is a free monthly publication that aims to keep teachers, administrators and educators up-to-date with the very latest happenings in the world of EdTech and how these new technologies will transform classrooms.

iClass Owl Issue 1 covers the latest school tech news, reviews the biggest EdTech trends you can expect to see making ground in 2018 and features a detailed look at STEM Workshop, CoderDojo.

Click here to sign up to the iClass Owl Newsletter.

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iClassCMS Partners with FCSSPA for Launch of First Parent Module for School Website and Mobile App Platform

St Mary's College

iClassCMS, Ireland’s leading school website and app developer, in partnership with the FCSSPA yesterday launched an update to its school website and mobile app platform allowing parents direct access to a school’s website.

The update also permits Parent Associations to publish relevant news directly to all parents of enrolled students via the iClass app. As a result, iClass now fully engages all key participants in schools: teachers, students and parents.

The iClass Fully Integrated Mobile App for Parents facilitates free communication between schools and parents, allowing schools to pass on the latest school news and important information about events directly to parents’ smartphones completely free of charge.

Speaking about the launch of the Parent Module for the iClass platform, Mr Paul Beddy, President of the Federation of Catholic Secondary Schools Parent Associations said:

‘We welcome the development of a Parent Module for School Websites by iClassCMS.  This module will facilitate greater communication between parents and allow Parent Associations to share events, fundraising and parent association business to the wider parent community.’

Frank O’Grady, Managing Director of iClassCMS, spoke of the benefits of the module for schools:

‘We are delighted to partner with the Federation of Catholic Secondary Schools Parent Associations on our new Parent Module for iClass. This allows schools using the iClass Website and Mobile App solution to give access to the school website to members of the School’s Parent Association. They can contribute content and set up a dedicated Parent Assoc News Channel on the School App allowing all parents keep up to date with all that is happening.’

For more information, please visit www.iclasscms.com or contact 01-6918833.

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Top 5 Characteristics of a Good School Website

St Leo's College Prospectus

Building an online presence is as imperative for schools as it is for businesses. A website can have a tremendous impact when it comes to your school’s image, parent awareness, and the representation of your school mission. The following list contains the top 5 characteristics that constitute a good school website.

1. Visual Appearance

The website’s appearance is the first thing that grabs the attention of visitors. When creating a website for schools, the design needs to highlight the uniqueness of the school’s personality and include a logo, colour scheme, imagery and other attributes that impact the overall perception of the school brand. The presentable and uniformed look will make a positive first impression and will keep visitors interested in engaging with the content.  Finding a balance between mediocrity and complicatedness is a key.

2. Simplicity

Complicated and hard to navigate websites turn off visitors (perspective parents) which may result in an increased bounce rate. By removing all unnecessary elements and keeping the layout clean, the readers will have a better experience in consuming website information. Keep backend and frontend designs streamlined.

3. Informational Content

The ultimate goal of your school site is to provide a platform where students and parents can find information regarding events, recent news, extracurricular activities, school directory and other important activities. Is the content of your school website stale? Does your school have a blog? If not, then it is time to start one.  Frequently updated relevant content keeps the website alive and is engaging for teachers, students and parents.

4. Responsiveness

Web pages should be accessible from any device whether on a desktop, tablet or smartphone, and provide a user-friendly experience. If the website is not responsive, visitors will have to spend more time waiting for the page to load and will eventually leave the site. It is imperative that your school community has access to news and updates from any device. Responsiveness is also one of the important factors in Google’s search results algorithm.

5. Content Management System

Content Management Systems are a necessary tool for schools to publish or edit content and to post updates easily and instantaneously. Is your school website outdated, irrelevant and in need of a makeover? Update your school’s website and take it to the next level with the customisable website platform iClassCMS, which requires zero coding knowledge to utilize it. Its dynamic interface consists of a publishing platform for teachers and students in addition to an events module and mobile application for parents.

Feel free to contact us to request a live demo – info@iclasscms.com

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A One Stop Content Management Solution for Schools

St Mary's College

Have you heard about iClassCMS, the best in class website and mobile app solution for schools?

This comprehensive content platform is designed to answer the needs of teachers, students and parents, allowing for the quick and simple creation and distribution of relevant school information.

It consists of a custom built website, publishing platform and an app, and provides schools with an engaging yet easy-to-use responsive website and administrative hub for managing all content.

Teachers can edit and publish content with ease and set up and manage events using the efficient content and event management system.

The unique and empowering student publishing option allows students to publish and share content on the teacher moderated module.

A fully integrated mobile app for parents allows for two-way communication between parents and teachers and keeps parents informed of the latest news and events through dynamic publishing.

iClassCMS features six key components covering all aspects of content management for schools:

  1. A vibrant and user-friendly website
  2. A dedicated publishing module for teachers
  3. A student publishing option, moderated by teachers
  4. A mobile app with messaging and other functions for parents
  5. An event management, registration and payment module for events
  6. An administrative hub for moderating all content and user access

iClassCMS helps schools fully take advantage of the benefits of digital communications, enabling greater efficiency in information management and encouraging stronger relations between teachers, students and parents.

iClassCMS is currently being rolled out in a number of schools and organisations throughout the UK and Ireland.

For further information, please contact us at info@iclasscms.com

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