Something I just came across in my research is Edmodo. It’s one of the top tools listed in Emerging EdTech’s “20 Fun Free Tools for Interactive Classroom Collaboration”.
Edmodo (created specifically for K-12 education) is given accolades for being: free (no ads), robust, and safe and secure. It has great functionalities for blended learning, is device agnostic, provides real time analytics, and you can get parents involved (in a controlled manner).
This CMS (content management system) sounds awesome, however, I’m sure it’s use would vary by school district. While it is immensely popular in the states, I have not heard of it’s use in BC yet. As I enter teachers college in the spring I will definitely be inquiring about this, and see perhaps how it might fit into my practice. Again, the only hazard with something like this is if students have access to a computer at home. While this is often assumed today, there are still many families who cannot afford this luxury, and so other methods must be used to effectively disperse and curate information, as well as foster creative discussion between students, parents, and teachers.