Effective communication between parents and teachers is crucial for student success, and technology offers diverse tools to facilitate this. Email is recommended for general updates, while cell phones should be reserved for emergencies.
Podcasts are good tools for posting lectures and activities that students may want to frequently refer to as they work in a subject area.
Cell phones
Don't use cell phones unless there is an emergency.
Blog
Blogs should be used to convey information about the class and assignments, but not for issues related to specific students.
Website
Websites are a great way to share information about lessons in the works, upcoming events, items from the past and such. In short, these make good classroom "newspapers."
Instant Messaging/Chat
Use these to respond to questions about assignments and homework and general class information.
Email
Email should only be used for general communication.