SmartFox Announces Smart Messages

SmartFox, built by Method Schools, recently launched Smart Messages, which allows for more transparent and informed communication between students, parents and teachers. Messages show up on user dashboards and are divided up into four categories:

1. SmartFox Broadcast messages, which are sent to all active system users, are for schoolwide announcements.
2. Class messages are for announcements for a specific class. For example, let’s say that Ms. Fernandez’s English 10 class has a field trip coming up. Class messages are where that communication would occur.
3. Next there are private messages. These are messages between teachers, students, and parents about class progress and any other student-specific topic. For security private messages are viewable by student, parents, guardians, and teachers, but they’re kept private from other students in the school or specific class.
4. Additionally the messaging functionality in SmartFox enables text messaging for those who opt-in to SMS alerts. Sample SMS alerts are quiz results, progress reports, report cards, document requests, etc.

Many Learning Management Systems (LMS) have messaging features. In fact, probably all do. What separates SmartFox is:

• Full integration between Student Information System (SIS), LMS, and courses. In addition to messaged communication, all data and functionality are built on the same platform. They’re fully integrated. In fact, SmartFox is vertically integrated from marketing to enrollment, onboarding to instruction, and reporting to transcripts. And, everything in between.
• Mobile-friendly interface. Having access to messages, a real-time dashboard, and even actual course content on a mobile device helps facilitate regular monitoring of results and provides a truly real-time learning and reporting environment.
• It’s intuitive. We built SmartFox to be fast and intuitive because we didn’t feel like we were getting those attributes when we bought from vendors. And at the heart of this mission is a clear and informative messaging function. A simple and direct user interface is a better tool for learning and engagement than one that’s complicated, slow, and a hodgepodge of various functions and systems that have been added over the years.
• It's built by a school. We've worked in the K-12 space for many years in various capacities, and we understand what works, what doesn't, and where the pain points are. As you navigate SmartFox you'll see that our solution is a reflection of this.
• Replaces the need for an expensive mobile app. SmartFox is built with a mobile first approach. In essence, the entire platform is a mobile app, but it works seamlessly on desktops as well. It's a solution that makes good on the promise to make learning available to students anytime, anyplace.

SmartFox is currently in test mode for several hundred students at Method and in other locations in California. We plan to announce our full launch within coming weeks. Have any questions? Just reply in the comments below!

To further personalize learning, check out our customizable and mobile-friendly online curriculum. Built by curriculum pros at Method Schools, we call it SmartFox. High quality, low cost, and, as mentioned, built by a school, not a vendor. In 2018, we're adding projects to our online courses. Not only will our courses be infused with projects and hands-on learning extensions, but schools can purchase and modify our online courses and add their own projects.