Intro+Letter+to+Parents

=Intro Letter to Parents=

**Assignment Description**
As a teacher, I believe I will have numerous opportunities to gain the respect and, hopefully, the admiration of my students. Unfortunately, the number of opportunities to gain the respect and support of parents are much more limited. Therefore, I initiate each semester by sending a letter/e-mail home to parents. The letter does three things. First, it introduces me and my course expectations to the parent while simultaneously inviting them to share their own expectations for their child's education. Secondly, the letter introduces the parent to some of the strategies and methods I'll employ throughout the course of the semester - particularly as they relate to technology. Finally, the letter acts as an example of initiative and, more importantly, an example of positive communication. It implies my fervent belief that a teacher will not gain the desired respect and support of a parent, or anyone else for that matter, simply by communicating negatives.

**Technology and Teaching**
I've long considered writing to be an integral part of any history course. It enables the student to develop, organize, and communicate thoughts and it provides the teacher with an alternative form of assessment. But only recently have I started to rethink the conventional way of having students use a pen and paper to write an essay, turn it in, and receive it back with additional writing from the teacher. While many situations will dicatate the use of pen and paper the benefits of using technology in other situations can't be ignored. The use of word processing programs saves time while potentially increasing the quality of paper mechanics (i.e. legibility, punctuation). An additional benefit may include a reduction in paper usage. For example, using MS Word a student can type an essay and submit it to the teacher electronically. Upon receiving the file, the teacher can insert comments (feedback) for improving the essay and return it in the same format to the student.

Please see the attached pdf file