Community High School District 117 launched a new public relations campaign to increase parental engagement through the use of technology. The campaign is part of a larger effort to inform the CHSD 117 community of the positive stories that happen inside the district. The administration announced the release of new mobile applications for iPhone and Android that will provide parents with information such as events, sports scores, cafeteria menus, emergency notifications, and other pertinent school updates. The effort is in partnership with Apptegy, an education technology company based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
CHSD 117 is taking this initiative to engage community members on the devices and social networks they use most. A ComScore study shows that Americans use mobile technologies at twice the rate of desktop computers, and a Pew study shows that 65 percent of adults use social media. With the newly-adopted tools, the administration and teaching staff can share across social media, mobile apps, and the website.
The CHSD 117 leadership sees sharing news and updates on mobile devices and social media as critical to educating in the 21st century.
“Our goal is to increase ease of communication with parents and community members while introducing continuity across a myriad of platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, chsd117.org, and the new mobile apps,” explained Ryan Miles, the District 117 Chief Technology Officer who led the initiative. “Parents will have quick access to information like next week's lunch schedule, sports scores, and school events. More importantly, we can promote positive stories happening in our schools. This is all presented in a package that is accessible in a broader fashion, including translation elements and accessibility tools for those that require aid in navigating a digital future.”
Apptegy builds simple communication tools for school districts across the country. “School districts like CHSD 117 have a unique opportunity to grow connections with their community by sharing all of the great things that happen on a daily basis,” said Jeston George, CEO of Apptegy. “Educators are extremely busy, so they need tools that make it easy and efficient to share across different types of devices and social networks.”
The free mobile apps in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store are available now. Community members can expect to see more positive stories and regular updates from CHSD 117 through these platforms.
Visit us @ https://www.chsd117.org
Download on the App Store https://apple.co/2VfDXZs
Download on the Google Play Store https://bit.ly/2zGv5oh