Classtree

Teachers have TONS of paperwork to keep up with. Whether it be notes home, graded papers, information on professional development, or flyers that need to go home, paperwork is a huge burden to put on teachers every day. This could possibly take away from classroom lessons! Also, what parent checks EVERY SINGLE PAPER in their child’s folder? Classtree is designed to make parents’ and teachers’ lives easier with less paperwork. Graded papers is one piece of paperwork that teachers can’t get away from, but if they can decrease the amount of notes and flyers home every day, it could be helpful for all involved. Classtree is a program that allows you to upload documents, write messages, request parent signatures, and much more. This program is completely free to parents, teachers, and students. Teachers are even able to join other classes in their school so they can stay informed about events around the school. Classtree can be used on any smart device, tablet, or computer.

Negatives: The only negative that I found was the question option when adding a post. The first post that I posted, I added a question, but I did not realize that it was supposed to be a yes-no question. So, when you use this and you add a question to your post, make sure it can be answered by selecting yes or no.

Lesson Ideas: Since this is a communication tool between teachers and parents (mostly), there is not much that you can do within a lesson for your students. I would definitely tell the families ASAP if you decide to start using this app in your classroom so that you can get as many participants as possible.

Below I have included important screenshots if you are the teacher who can edit the classes in your account.

This screen is the first that you will encounter after you have already created your free Classtree account. The tool bar on the left provides easy access to all parts of this program. If you do not want the entire word shown on the left, select the icon just to the top right of this tool bar (it is grey). This will minimize that tool bar so that it shows only the icons for each section of your account. To add a class, you can select the purple button at the top right or click the watermark that says Add a Class in the center section of the screen.

When you want to add a class and select one of the two options above, this screen will appear. You will name your class so that parents can easily identify the class that their student is enrolled in.

Once you have created a class, this is the screen that appears. Your new class will appear in a square on your dashboard.

If you select the gear button on the square of your newly created class, this menu appears. This allows you to change the settings of your class.

When you select the class, this is the dashboard for that specific class. A list of messages will appear in the main section of this screen when you have posted them.

When you want to write a new post for the parents of your students, select the blue button at the top right. This will give you two options- Photos & Docs and A Message. The Photos & Docs option allows you to post a message about an event like a field trip. You are able to upload a document or photo to this post as well. In addition, you can add a yes or no question and request a signature from this option. The Message option is simply a text message for your parents. It would go to all parents like an announcement. Private messages is an option in the left tool bar if you need to send a message to a specific parent.

This is the screen that appears after you select that you want to post Photos & Docs.

Once you post a message, on your screen there will be a response graph. If you added a question, the yes and no responses will appear. This graph will also tell you who has seen the post and who hasn't. Finally, if you required a signature for the post, it will tell you the number of members that have signed. The totals will appear in the graph but individual responses will be to the right of the graph.

On the class dashboard, you are able to add members to your class. You have three options to do this- invite members through email or phone number, upload an Excel spreadsheet of contacts, or have an invitation flyer printed specifically for your class with the class code.

Once you have members, you can edit the members by selecting the gear icon to the right of the parent's name. You can add a note to that parent (like the child's name they are associated with) or you can remove the member.

On the left tool bar, the next option that you have in your account is to join other classes. If other teachers in your school decide to use this app, you can become a member of their class with their class code. You can also join classes for you children if their teachers decide to use this app- no need for multiple accounts.

When you select Join a Class, this screen will appear. In order to join a class, you must have the distinct class code.

The next section on the left tool bar is the private message section. This is where you can personal messages to individual contact. Once members join, they become a contact on this screen as well.

Another section on the left tool bar, labeled You, brings up this screen. These are the account settings. Here you can verify and change your email, phone number, and plan. You are also able to change the look of the account here.

The last section on the left tool bar is the School section. This is where you can add you school information. These are the steps that you would follow to link your account with your school.

Below I have also included screenshots of the app from the parent perspective. Most apps make it difficult to see both sides, so here I have signed up for a parent account so you can tell parents what to expect when they download the app!