Have you ever planned a classroom party or school event? Have you ever had to send home paper checklists asking parents what to bring in? Have you ever had to post a checklist in your teachers lounge to get people to sign up for things? If you said yes, then you will want to check out this website called "Sign Up Genius."
The creators of this website explain their creation with a bit of silliness but sum it up best by saying "We're busy. Really busy. Probably a lot like you. The idea for SignUpGenius.com was sparked out of need to simplify and organize the various groups and communities we are involved in."
You can use Sign Up Genius not only for school but for sports, church, and other groups you might be involved in. To start a "sign-up" of your own, all you need to do it follow the easy steps on their website and email it out to your participants. If your participants do not have email, simply have them search your email address and you can find the sign up you are looking for. Once participants find the sign-up, they can select the things they wish to sign up for. Participants can "swap" items with other members as well as post comments that the sign up creator will be able to see and reply to. The best part is, as people sign up, the creator will receive an email telling them what has been signed up for.
I have used this tool with my 2nd grade class and the parents have had no trouble signing up to bring in items for our party. I also used it when signing up for a training session and it was a breeze! Hope you get to try it out! :)
I love this tool! I have used Sign Up Genius at work and for activities outside of school. At BBMS we use it for staff members to sign-up to bring a food or drink item to share at our monthly faculty meetings. The automatic email reminders keep forgetfulness to a minimum! Another great feature of this web 2.0 tool is that you can pass a template that you created onto another user. For example, when my husband was no longer to parent volunteer of an activity involving Sign Up Genius, he simply transferred the template/list to the next parent volunteer. It was a huge time saver and makes volunteering or coordinating an event much easier when you don't have to reinvent the wheel!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Natalie, that's good to know about transferring the duties! It has been super easy and much less work than using the traditional paper method.
DeleteSign Up Genius sounds amazing! Even more of a plus that you can pass along templates as Natalie mentions. As Valentines Day approaches we have begun organizing our party items and it would be incredibly helpful if parents and students could be held responsible for contributing to the party.
ReplyDeleteAny possibility of having students use sign-up genius? For instance, if they don't need an email address, could they sign-up for a party item and eliminate the paper? Would they still get the reminders if they don't have an email address associated with their sign-up?
Liz, I suppose students could use it. For our parties it's more the parents volunteering to bring stuff so it might not work for 2nd grade. Students could use it to sign up for certain projects or events your having.
DeleteI just was reading a pin on Pinterest about Sign Up Genius! This is a website I definitely want to check out! In the pin I read the teacher used it to coordinate her classroom volunteers, not only for parties, but a month calendar with desginated time slots where volunteers were welcomed. The teacher can set up times and tasks that she/he needs help with and the parents can sign up to come in. If the teacher allows it, multiple parents can sign up for the same time slot/event. You can also use it to ask for donations for your classroom for supplies that are running low.
ReplyDeleteOh wow Jess, I never thought of that! I have tons of volunteers so that would be a good idea to do each month. I also love the supply idea, instead of just keeping it posted on your website you could send the link out to parents. Thanks for the ideas!
DeleteTeresa, this is such a useful site! Thanks for sharing it with us. Just by reading your blog entry and everyone's comments, I have already thought of so many ways I could implement it into my classroom. Some of the ideas that others have brought up that stuck with me are: parent volunteers, supplies and donations, staff breakfasts, and classroom parties!
ReplyDeleteMy school is also doing a STEM night this year and as part of the STEM committee, I've been helping to plan it. We're having different sessions for parents and students to attend, but there is limited space in each session. This is a great tool that we could use for session sign-ups! I'll have to bring it up at our next meeting!
Good idea Mandy! I like the idea of trying to use it for after school sessions or even PD sign ups. I also used this tool for Girls on the Run and it's super easy for the parents to sign their child up. Since the program is first come first served, it makes it easier then sending in paper forms and having to keep track of who brought their in first. When the sign up is filled, it will let the parent know. Try it out!
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