As a trailblazer in classroom technology, it seems like I’ve tried every form of communication out there: emails, texting, blogging, a YouTube channel, even Facebook.

Along with grading, lesson-planning, and everything else a teacher is asked to balance, it all got to be too much. I knew there were other teachers in my exact situation, longing to bridge the gap between home and the classroom. Since about 90% of the parent population has a smartphone, I figured the right app would be a smart way to give parents a glimpse of their child’s life at school.

I started with a quick Google search and used my personal Facebook page to begin my research, which led to an overwhelming amount of information and even more questions. To narrow the scope of what exactly I wanted in a free communication app, I created a list of non-negotiable features that included sharing photos, links, and messages; scheduling and notify parents of events by syncing to my Google Classroom calendar; sharing volunteer opportunities; and more.

The enormous list of potential apps slimmed down to seven free communication apps that would potentially fit the bill: Remind, Class Messenger, Livingtree, SimplyCircle, Seesaw, Class Dojo, and Bloomz. I signed up for accounts, started playing with each app’s interface, devoured the support resources I found on their websites, and contacted the app developers.

As an avid teacher/blogger, I created a working spreadsheet to break down the features of each app, including security and privacy, coordination tools, and community-building tools. My goal was to create a resource to help teachers who were also searching for communication apps. After I posted the spreadsheet on my blog, comments immediately started rolling in. Teachers offered their recommendations, shared their personal stories of success, and thanked me for all the time and effort I put into my research. 

At the start of the 2015 school year, I found Bloomz fit all the criteria I was looking for, and decided to implement it in my classroom. As the year went on, I used the app to share daily photos and videos of the students, schedule conferences, find volunteers for class events, and message parents throughout the day.

In my search for the communication app that was right for me, I was able to help dozens of other teachers find the app that works for their classroom and help close the gap in our school-parent communication.

Jessica Meacham is a 1st-grade teacher in the Southern Door County School District in Wisconsin. You can subscribe to her blog here.