ClassTag Versus Remind: Which online Communication Tool is Right For You?

ClassTag Versus Remind: Which online Communication Tool is Right For You?

Regardless of what your school district decides in terms of face-to-face instruction or online instruction it is imperative to have a communication tool at your fingertips. A tool that allows for interactive and engaging communication beyond email, school newsletters, automated messages, to name a few.  The ability to have a communication option in one handy dandy tool is a teacher lifesaver not to mention time saver!

Remind, formerly Remind101 has been the go-to for many educators but coming on the scene fast and furiously is ClassTag. Which communication tool best suits your communication needs? Let’s break it down.

Tag You’re It!

            ClassTag is an all in one solution for your communication needs. From messaging to announcements, teacher conference sign-ups, newsletters, supply lists, and more, ClassTag facilitates interaction and engagement between teachers and students, teachers and parents, teachers and teachers, students to teachers, parents to teachers...you get the point, it’s an all directions communication highway! 

Remind me

            Remind has been around since 2011 when it was formerly known as Remind101.  The company changed its name to Remind in 2014 and has gained over 20 million users since its introduction! It’s a tool that was built specifically for educational use and is great to connect with students, parents, co-workers and administration.

Let’s compare the two to give you a better idea of which tool will work for you.

Feature	ClassTag	Remind
Messaging options	✔Read receipts of who read your messages ✔Notifications when contact details are out of date ✔Schedule announcements ✔Automatic suggestions to send a note home to hard-to-reach parents ✔ Set Office Hours	✔Read receipts of who read your messages ✔Real-time messaging a class, group, or individual person. ✔Schedule reminders ✔Send messages on the go ✔Set office hours
Calendar Integration	✔ External calendar integration makes it easy to set up reminders, events, and appointments	X
Weekly Newsletters	✔ Set up automatic weekly newsletters	X
Share documents	✔Students get a virtual backpack where teachers and parents can upload docs, videos, pictures, and important information	✔Students can view photos and other files as part of a teacher message.
Free to Use	✔Free to use schoolwide, as a district or as an individual teacher	✔Free for individual teachers up to 10 classes, 150 students per class **Upgrade option for use district wide or schoolwide
No Character Limits	✔No character limits in messages	✔140 Characters in a text message
Rewards Program	✔Teachers earn free supplies just for engaging with parents!	X
Photo and Video sharing/links	✔Library feature where teachers and students can easily add, view and manage photos, videos, and files uploaded in your class.	✔Teachers can share photos, PDFs, files, and voice clips with your messages.
Works on Any Device	✔Available on all devices including IOS, Android, Laptop, Smartphones, not so smart cell phones, desktops, Tablets.	✔Students and parents can get Remind messages on any phone that can receive text messages, including prepaid phones, flip phones, and government-provided phones.
Help Center Support	Support Center	Remind Help Center
Language Translation	✔Translate into over 60 different languages in real time	✔Translate your messages into more than 85 languages.
Parent Teacher Conferences	✔Parents can sign up for conference slots, volunteer opportunities or donations in one click	X
App Integrations	✔Google Classroom, Drive, YouTube, Calendar, AND Meets for easier management? Integrates with google classroom	Access and share your favorite resources from Google, Microsoft OneDrive, and more—without leaving Remind.
Supply Lists and Donations	✔Post your class list to the community, and get essential supplies for the new year ✔Add volunteer requests or donation requests to any event	X
Private and Secu re	✔FERPA Certified through the  iKeepSafe Privacy Program	✔Awarded the iKeepSafe COPPA Safe Harbor Seal.

Other features of Remind

●       Easily download message documentation for home-school or virtual communication.

●       Add a teacher to your account for co-teaching.

Other Benefits of ClassTag

●     Automatically convert a teacher’s message into either email or text message depending on the parents preferred method of contact. 

●     ClassTag sends automatic follow-ups and reminders for events and key dates

Regardless of your choice, both ClassTag and Remind will make communication a breeze between teachers and parents and foster a classroom community into either email or text message depending on the parents' preferred method of contact. 

●     ClassTag sends automatic follow-ups and reminders for events and key dates

Regardless of your choice, both ClassTag and Remind will make communication a breeze between teachers and parents and foster a classroom community.