ESOL saving grace!
Being able to write one note to all parents and have it translate to their preferred language has been the saving grace this year! Love this app!
So easy to use!
Having this platform available has made communication with parents so much easier. I can create a template message to use over and over again easily. I can create announcements to send to all of my classes and have it done in just a few clicks. I also like that messages are always translated to the language that I indicate when I set up each family. I have recommended this app to every teacher I know!
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Text messaging with translation
I like using this TalkingPoints because I don't need to share my personal mobile number with families. I also like the possibility to have the message translated to the parents language of preference. I could also see using this with older students who are English Language Learners. The information gets to the person who needs it, and they can respond immediately or later now, just like text messaging.
However, it is not the easiest to use for families who are not "tech savvy." I don't know if the parent version of the app is set up the same as the teacher version but my explanations of how I use the app did not help the parent.
Also the English to Korean translation may not be the most faithful or accurate. A parent mentioned that my message was confusing and requested to get English messages. It may be that my message have too many English conventions that are difficulty to translate to Korean. A "tips and tricks for making your message/ announcement translation ready" would be nice. And stronger translations.
Overall, I would recommend TalkingPoints. And if they continue to improve it, will recommend it to any school system I am in.
However, it is not the easiest to use for families who are not "tech savvy." I don't know if the parent version of the app is set up the same as the teacher version but my explanations of how I use the app did not help the parent.
Also the English to Korean translation may not be the most faithful or accurate. A parent mentioned that my message was confusing and requested to get English messages. It may be that my message have too many English conventions that are difficulty to translate to Korean. A "tips and tricks for making your message/ announcement translation ready" would be nice. And stronger translations.
Overall, I would recommend TalkingPoints. And if they continue to improve it, will recommend it to any school system I am in.
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Great for some things... horrible for others.
Even after “bug fixes” I am still getting notifications of unread messages that do not exist.
Also, I scheduled a message, noticed a typo, and there was no way to edit it without hitting cancel and retyping it as a new message. It wouldn’t even let me copy it.
One last thing, they should let us know what phone number is used for us to send the SMS messages. If a parent wants to send us a message, but doesn’t have the app, it is impossible for us to give them directions to initiate contact with us. It seems a little off.
It is great app for keeping contact relevant to your classes, but, honestly it lacks some basic functionality.
Also, I scheduled a message, noticed a typo, and there was no way to edit it without hitting cancel and retyping it as a new message. It wouldn’t even let me copy it.
One last thing, they should let us know what phone number is used for us to send the SMS messages. If a parent wants to send us a message, but doesn’t have the app, it is impossible for us to give them directions to initiate contact with us. It seems a little off.
It is great app for keeping contact relevant to your classes, but, honestly it lacks some basic functionality.
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Response from developer
Hello, there! Thanks for the feedback! We'd love to connect you with a member of our team to troubleshoot the issues you're experiencing. If you can send a message to hello@talkingpts.org, we'll be able to work with you and help resolve the problems. We appreciate direct feedback from teachers and always learn a lot from these interactions so we look forward to hearing from you! Thanks again!
Great, but Needs Some Tweaks
I really love that this app can translate for parents. That’s so important. But I’m constantly having to rewrite my messages and posts in order to fit into the character max. It would be so nice to be able to control the length of my posts! I also would appreciate an “attach link” button so that I don’t have to use up valuable character space when sending links to parents. Just my two cents!
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Great app!
It’s wonderful to be able to communicate more effectively with my families who speak different languages!! My only recommendation would be to allow for longer messages. I often have to type multiple messages. Great app though!
Teacher’s Miracle
Dudes. I teach in a school where 40 languages are spoken. Many students are new to my district and sometimes new to being in school at all.
TalkingPoints has facilitated effective and timely commmunication during one of the most crucial times in our lives - when students went from classroom to virtual learning. What an essential tool and a total Godsend for teachers! Thank you for making it. Omg.
TalkingPoints has facilitated effective and timely commmunication during one of the most crucial times in our lives - when students went from classroom to virtual learning. What an essential tool and a total Godsend for teachers! Thank you for making it. Omg.
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Best communication app for diverse student/parent populations!
I love that I can send messages easily with parents who speak different languages. Also love being able to create message templates and send bulk messages while still keeping it somewhat personal by using the [studentFirstName] feature. This has revolutionized parent communication for me!
Clunky
If I get an alert that I have a message, it’s TEN taps and two fingerprints before I can see the message. These are not state secrets people they messages about third graders doing homework. Also, the language to send messages is confusing, for example I think “send all” means just all the contacts for that student.
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320 characters
If more than 300 characters were allowed when using TP on my desktop I’d give it 5 stars. Also if I could schedule multiple messages for the Same student. Love it other than that!
