Service offers new way to connect with parents

“Every time you talk about technology, you have to talk about the haves and the have-nots,” she said.

Lin noted that texting does severely limit how much a teacher can say in a message — and almost necessitates digital shorthand that might put off some grammarians. Participating in the service, she added, would also require an additional time commitment from teachers.

“They have to ask themselves, how … (much) are they willing to make themselves available,” she said.

Waianae Elementary fourth-grade teacher Natalie Nakai started using the service in October with parents, most of whom signed up to receive texts. She said it has helped her cut down on the amount of time she spends writing letters to send home that she isn’t sure are being read anyway.

“This is so simple,” she said. “And I don’t have to make copies.”

Nakai said the service has allowed her to share positive news with individual parents — like when their son or daughter did well on an assignment or participated in class — along with reminders to all parents about upcoming field trips or class projects. Parents, she added, seem to enjoy the messages and often reply back — sometimes with something as simple as an emoticon smile.

One such parent, Sommer Ho’ohuli-Lopez, said the text messaging is “instant gratification.”

Nakai sends Ho’ohuli-Lopez regular messages on her son, Thomas, including whether he’s falling behind or excelling in a subject.

Ho’ohuli-Lopez also sends Nakai texts, letting her know if Thomas isn’t feeling well or is struggling with a concept.

“It’s been an awesome way to communicate, without me having to worry whether it gets to her or not,” said Ho’ohuli-Lopez.

McDonald and Sack see the tool as not replacing conversations, but supplementing them — or starting them. Kiku means “to listen” in Japanese.

The service is all being paid for out of pocket by the teachers, who hope to broaden their reach this year to more teachers and more organizations, too, seeing the potential for Kikutext in advocacy groups, clubs or grass-roots campaigns. They’re also planning to kick off a new group for high school juniors and seniors, who will get reminders on deadlines for college entrance exams, applications and financial aid.

There are a handful of online texting services similar to Kikutext, some of which are geared for teachers or schools. But McDonald said he believes their program is different in that it allows parents or students to respond to texts, rather than just receive them.

Sack, who teaches seventh-grade math at Aiea Intermediate, said about half of his parents participate in the service. McDonald, an English teacher, has seen greater participation of about 80 percent, depending on the class.

Ho, the professor of education technology, called the service “novel,” especially since texting is so universal — and practically second nature for today’s students.

“The technology is there,” he said. “It’s really amazing how people find the uses for it.”

He noted, though, in addition to privacy concerns, there also could be concern from parents about texting fees.

Though the service is free, text messaging fees do apply on every text a parent or student receives from a teacher. For those who haven’t paid for unlimited text messages, those fees could add up.

When McDonald told his students about the service — and that it was OK to text him back — junior Guy Lum had one response: “I was psyched.”

Lum said the texts have helped him remember to complete assignments, especially during long breaks. And recently, when he ran into trouble on a homework assignment, he picked up his phone and reached out to his teacher — with a text message.

“It helped me out,” he said. “It’s easier than emailing. It’s easier than talking.”

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