ClassTag Connect / Jun 02, 2023
How to Empower Parents in Schools and...
If you’re researching how to empower parents in schools, we would like to take a moment to…
9 min read
The search for a parent communication app can be overwhelming with so many out there. We want you to make an informed decision on the right app for your needs, so we’ve broken down the difference between ClassTag’s all-in-one platform and TalkingPoints.
How is ClassTag Different from Talking Points?
At ClassTag, we are all about making teacher-parent communication easy with one platform that can be customized for you. Our streamlined experience helps teachers save time while keeping parents informed about their child’s education needs.
TalkingPoints’ focus is solely on engagement of “families of under-resourced multilingual communities” while ClassTag focuses on communicating with all parents to help all students succeed.
Comparing Teacher-Parent Communication App ClassTag with TalkingPoints
“ClassTag is a communication tool that makes life easier for the teacher. It is a Signup Genius, Remind, calendar, and class website all in one!”
– Beth Lafferty, 4th Grade Teacher at Lipscombe Academy
Off the Charts
As the comparison chart above shows, ClassTag offers teachers and families so much by way of features. The best part is that you get all of these amazing features absolutely free!
ClassTag’s goal is to empower teachers to reach every parent in order to achieve better engagement, participation, and support.
While TalkingPoints does focus on communication as well, it lacks the Google integrations that make ClassTag the superior product for keeping parents up to date on everything going on with their child in the classroom, including their grades with Google Classroom.
Scheduling Meetings and Events
Scheduling events is something teachers do all too often, and no matter the event, ClassTag has you covered. No more sending home flyers that don’t leave the school building or sending out robocalls that are blocked.
All-in-One Scheduling Simplicity
ClassTag is best for those who want the simplicity of one platform for all teacher-parent communication. Whether scheduling the annual book fair or setting specific conference times, ClassTag has you covered. Plus, you have the ability to request volunteers when creating the events. Parents can simply choose their volunteer time slot in ClassTag and you will be able to see which parents are showing up and when.
Ultimately, ClassTag gives you the ease and convenience of scheduling absolutely everything within one app. It’s so much easier than juggling between multiple tools.
TalkingPoints lacks the scheduling capabilities of ClassTag, which would leave teachers to find another app to use for scheduling.
Google Integrations
With so many educators using all that Google has to offer, we’ve designed our ClassTag platform to seamlessly integrate with the entire Google suite.
ClassTag’s integration with Google Classroom, Calendar, and Meet automatically help you keep parents organized, present, and up-to-speed with their school-related dates.
For example, if you’re holding conferences, a parent can choose one of the time slots you’ve made available on our app. Then, through ClassTag’s Google integration, that appointment is “auto-magically” synced into their Google Calendar. But wait, there’s more!
You can hold any meeting with parents virtually through Google Meet. As ClassTag conferences (and yes, events) are placed in Google Calendar, your Meet conference link will be included automatically. An added benefit is that parents will receive automated reminders about their appointments, all without you having to click a finger. Talk about convenience, flexibility, and accountability!
ClassTag also integrates with Google Classroom allowing teachers to import and roster sync classes, and with the ClassTag Chrome extension you can message parents through ClassTag without ever leaving Google Classroom!
Keeping Parents in The Loop
Keeping parents in the loop of everything happening in your classroom is a fantastic, and necessary, way to maintain parental connection and engagement.
Reach Every Parent with Automated Digital Newsletters
At ClassTag, we designed the Weekly Summary, an automated newsletter for parents with all your upcoming classroom activities for the week. Our Weekly Summaries are sent as an email or SMS with a link to view a personalized copy according to parents’ notification preferences. TalkingPoints doesn’t have a weekly newsletter option.
As a teacher, you can either customize your Weekly Summary message or just sit back and let ClassTag do all the work. We’ll automatically pull everything you have scheduled for the week ahead, pop it into your summary, and deliver it on your behalf. Simple, informative, and engaging!
A Teacher-Parent Communication App That Saves You Money
On average, teachers spend $479 of their own money on classroom supplies every year. While it’s incredibly noble, we understand the value of your hard-earned money and so, we have a solution.
You can finally get what you need in your classroom and keep your money where it belongs- in your wallet!
Through our Classroom Fund feature, you can compile and share a list of supplies you’d like to purchase through ClassTag’s vast catalog of class goods. As parents browse through it, they can contribute any amount they wish to go towards your supply purchases. It’s that easy!
What’s great is that setting up your ClassTag Classroom Fund is incredibly simple to do. Set it up and you’ll be well on your way to getting those much-needed supplies for your learners!
As for teachers who use TalkingPoints, they don’t enjoy the added benefit of supply funding assistance that you will find with ClassTag’s Classroom Fund. Having variety like this in your parent-teacher communication tool is an excellent feature.
Accessibility and Engaging Every Family
Multiple Languages and Modes of Communication
Serving ELL families can be a communications challenge if you don’t share the same home languages. With this, both TalkingPoints and ClassTag offer language translation into 100+ languages.
Use ClassTag and your messages will be automatically converted into any of the 100+ languages available, according to parent-set preferences. Yes, connecting with every parent in their preferred language gets your physical messages across. But, it also communicates a deeper message of intention and inclusion on your part.
Access to Technology
If you want your communication to reach and engage every parent, then having one of the best apps for teachers is necessary. TalkingPoints allows parents to access messages via the app or SMS, but the functionality is reduced for SMS users. But what about parents who have little, or even no, technology resources? This is where ClassTag excels.
ClassTag allows you to send messages to parents through their own established choice of text, email, app, or website. But for those with limited or no technology resources, our app has your back. You’ll be prompted with smart, actionable alerts and recommendations to ensure connection happens. For example, you’ll be notified as it becomes obvious which parents may not have tech access. Then, you’ll be able to print your communications to send home.
TalkingPoints only works to its fullest in the app, leaving parents with limited technology out of the loop.
Connecting with Difficult-to-Reach Parents Through Your Teacher-Parent Communication App
Finally, both ClassTag and TalkingPoints offer parent engagement tracking. Both platforms allows you to see which messages have been read and which parents are not responding to posts. However, ClassTag takes it to the next level!
You can easily see how many parents have read each message you send without even opening the stats tab. Plus, ClassTag alerts you when parents are not responding to help you quickly reach families you may be missing. This feature is fantastic for busy teachers who value their parent communication, but don’t always have time to delve into the data.
ClassTag is Simply THE BEST!
There isn’t enough time in the day to navigate from one app to another to meet your communication needs, and with ClassTag, you don’t have to.
ClassTag has all the features you need including sending announcements and messages to families, scheduling conferences, and even funding classroom supplies.
Our all-inclusive app will lighten your workload while increasing parent engagement.
Still curious? Classtag is free for you forever and that’s a price that’s worth your time. Go ahead… give it a try!
Join our amazing teacher community at ClassTag!
