Inviting parents into online class spaces

I haven't introduced it here as yet, but those with whom I work know that I am big advocate for the Moodle learning management system. Because I work with K-12 schools, I am frequently asked if there is a way for parents (and only parents) to log on and look at what the class is doing. Like a lot of things having to do with emerging technologies, there's a short answer and a longer answer...

The short answer is that teacher's can create a "Parent" role on Moodle so that parents can view all of the general resources (e.g., readings, class notes & notices) as well as their own child's profile, activity reports, blog and Forum posts, and grades. How to create the Parent Role is explained at Moodle.org--a good general resource for how-to information about Moodle, including a blog for asking questions of the Moodle community (you will need to register to access the blog). Information is also available in Jason Cole's book, Using Moodle, available as a free download at this site.

Without this parent role, teachers have considered a couple of other alternatives:

1. allow "guests" into the class Moodle (with or without a key) which allows parents to see resources (e.g., readings, notices), but not student activities, including their own child's Forum entries.
2. enrol parents as actual participants (probably with student permissions) which allows them to see not only resources, but activities, including all student participation in Forums.

Obviously, neither of these approaches has been ideal. One allows parents to see none of their own child's work, and the other allows parents to see every child's work. The Parent Role solves this problem by allowing parents to see only their own child's work in addition to generally available resources.

Although I do appreciate the Parent role solution to teacher's access/privacy concerns in using Moodle, I would also argue that it should not be applied routinely, which is to say without considering certain continuing issues related to a learning and school community. For example...

• In the parent role, one parent's child may include information in his/her entry that in some way identifies a classmate and might (legitimately) be objected to by the other child's parent. This may mean there needs to be some agreement across the class on what's happening.
• Acting as a "parent", the parent is viewing his/her own child's entries somewhat out of context which may limit its value to the parent.

Furthermore, bringing parents into the class Moodle and Forums, in particular, doesn't settle other general questions.  For example, do we want parents to view student discussion or do we want these to be a private space for the students? I would suggest that if a parent wanted to visit the classroom and witness a face-to-face discussion involving all students, we might well allow if not encourage this parental involvement.  Indeed, in discussing the evolution of writing in today's world, Jay David Bolter recognizes "the remediation of print" as a question of determining what carries over from print, what may be discarded, and what is new in redefining text in the digital age.  Similarly here, we may want to consider letting interested parents into this virtual classroom without worrying about permission to do so from all parents as a progressive advance in schooling.

As so often is the case, the essential point that I am encouraging all of us to consider is the intersection of the technologically possible with the pedagogically (in this case) smart as we continue to leverage the design elements of something like Moodle for the benefit of all involved in the education of our kids.