Sitting in the blistering heat, listening to yet another teacher drone on and on about first day of school paperwork, administration changes, and now, Edline. Many of our esteemed staff informed us and encouraged us to enroll in a wonderful new online program called Edline. They told us and our parents to enroll. We can now easily keep track of our grades and assignments online from the comforts of our home. Even after all the speeches about Edline my colleagues and I agreed that we were still confused about the usefulness and the workings of the program.
Edline, in its own words, “provides the world’s leading technology solutions that help schools improve student performance by harnessing the power of parental involvement, supporting teachers, and engaging the learning community.” This is a noble and attainable goal that will benefit many when achieved. Many parents agree with the new approach to education. Adrea Roumi, mother of 8th grader Carlos Roumi, uses Edline to check Carlos’s assignments and to keep him on track. Parents are able to access their children’s grades and teacher pages in order to stay informed and catch problems with their child’s performance before they get out of hand.
Teachers also appreciate Edline and the opportunity it gives students to be more involved with their grades. According to senior Rachel Abbot “I originally didn’t see the point of Edline and it made me feel like my parents didn’t trust me, but now that I am starting to use it I can see it’s a very convenient and helpful tool. Hereford’s own chemistry teacher Mr. Foster sees the value of Edline to the parents and students. “From a parent’s point of view, (Edline) helps keep abreast of how our kids are doing. It allows for communication, the most important word between parents and their children,” he comments.
One of the most frequent student comments is, “How do I get on Edline?” Now that we have received our activation codes, setting up an account is easy. First you will follow the bulleted steps on the activation code paper given to you by your homeroom teacher. Then you type in your activation code and Edline will connect your name with code and ask you to verify the connection. Next you create your username and password for your account. Finally, Edline will ask you to pick a security question and answer. The purpose of this step I am not sure, but once that is created you click done in the top left corner and the Hereford page is brought up.
Your classes show up automatically when you roll over My Edline and then My Classes and Shortcuts. Another helpful feature of Edline is the calendar. It shows you upcoming events in school such as days off and game information for all sports teams. Edline also has a club section which notifies members and prospective members of meeting dates, upcoming events and has a section that can be used to contact the clubs proctor.
Edline, if maintained, will be a valuable educational tool. It helps open channels of communication between the teachers, parents and students. Involvement in school activities will increase because the information is easily accessible. I commend our administration for purchasing this noteworthy educational implement.