 Welcome to Engage Families on CESA. Research shows the best predictor of student success is family involvement. CESA gives you the tools to engage families as active partners in their child's learning. We'll show you how. In this training, you will explore the Family app. Learn two ways to invite families on CESA, ensure all families are supported to connect by meeting them where they're at, and support home school world connections. Let's explore what families see in the Family app. The CESA class app is for teachers and students. The Family app is a separate app for families. This is the Family app. Connected family members see and engage with their child's learning. To protect student privacy, family members only see their own child's posts or post their child is tagged in. In the inbox tab, family members receive class announcements and message privately with the teacher. Group messaging is not supported at this time. Families can type replies to messages, or click the plus button to attach photos, videos, and more. One important benefit of the Family app is translation. If a family member's device is set to a language other than English, they see the option to see translation for all typed text. Language barrier, not with CESA. With the Family app, creating partnerships with families has never been easier. Families see and reinforce with their child as learning at school, and teachers get to know each and every family in deeper ways. Keep in mind that the Family app is for families to view student work and communicate with the teacher. Students must use the class app to post their journal and respond to activities. Pause the video now and jot down the key features of the Family app. Let's get families connected. There are two ways to invite families in CESA. Always start by clicking the plus families button on the bottom right of your screen. Print PDF invites by clicking print invites. Printed invites are available in 15 languages. Choose a language. You get a class set of personalized PDFs for each child. Family members scan the QR code and follow the prompts to connect to their child's journal. If you need invites in more than one language, repeat the process for each language you need. You can also invite families digitally. Type each family member's mobile number or email address, then click invite families. Yeah, it's that easy. Family members receive a text message or email, depending on whether you enter their mobile number or email address. Family members click the link and follow the prompts. To check the status of your invites, click plus families to return to this page. See the status of your invites here. You can also add additional family members or resend invitations from this page as needed. No matter how you invite families, each student can have up to 10 family members connected. Check out the family section in the class settings. That's the wrench icon. Manage connected families, see pending approvals, and manage settings for family likes, comments, and sharing. Pause the video now and invite families. Sometimes a printed or digital invite doesn't work for all families. That's all right, let's meet families where they are. Our first tip to support families to connect is to leverage in-person events like back-to-school night, curriculum night, or one-on-one meetings and conferences. Before these events, print PDF invitations to have on hand. Go back to part two of this video if you need a refresher. Spend a few minutes to explain why you're using CSOT and how connecting on the family app helps students achieve. Then give families time to connect on the spot. Help them download the family app or access app.csot.me, scan their child's QR code, and create an account. It also helps to walk families through key family app features like how to see their child's posts and communicate with you. We created a handout you can share with families at in-person events or as a follow-up via email. Get the link in the video description. Our second tip is to motivate families to connect. The best way to motivate families? Make sure you post something special that can only be accessed on CSOT. Make sure you've sent printed text or email invitations. Go back to step two if you need a refresher. Then have all students create a special CSOT post just for their families. Students tell their families about this special post and families will have to connect to see it. They won't be able to resist. Here is a ready to assign CSOT activity you can use. Get the link in the video description. Our third tip is to help families who don't have access to an email address or technology. Some families may not feel comfortable using an email address with their real names. Right now families do need an email address to create a family app account. You can help them create a free email address and use pseudonyms if needed. Some families don't have access to a smartphone or to reliable internet. Note that CSOT works on many different devices. If families' devices don't support the family app, they can visit app.csot.me on any web browser. If families don't have reliable internet, help them find community spaces where they can check CSOT from time to time. No matter how you invite families, follow up is key. Keep track of who still needs to connect and reach out to see how you can help them get connected. Find all resources for connecting families, including handouts, videos, and step-by-step instructions at web.csot.me forward slash resources for teachers. Pause the video now. Think about your families and make a plan how you will ensure that all families connect. Once families are connected, you can support home, school, world connections. Send a CSOT announcement with learning games, resources, and more for families. Click the green add button, then send announcement. Select all families, type a message, and click the plus button to add an attachment to use CSOT tools. Remember, all typed text can be translated in the family app. In this announcement, we recommend introducing yourself and welcoming families as partners. Use CSOT announcements or private messages to support home, school, world connections. You might share learning games, strategies, resources, or exemplars. All connected family members receive CSOT announcements and can reply with questions and photos or videos of their child's learning at home. Now, connected family members can send you private messages. Note that messages from connected family members stay in the inbox tab, which is separate from student journals. CSOT for schools users, a new messaging experience is in development and coming to you later this school year. Another way to support home, school, world connections is to assign activities for students to complete at home. To complete CSOT activities at home, students need to sign into the class app. We recommend students use home learning codes to sign in at home, no matter how they sign in at school, because home learning codes are unique to each student and protect privacy by preventing students from seeing each other's work. On a computer, go to the student section in class settings and click home learning student codes. Print PDFs or download a spreadsheet of codes and share them with the students. Students can simply scan or enter their home learning code. Then assign activities that leverage family relationships and the home environment. Students complete them exactly how they would complete the activities in class. Effective home activities reinforce skills at students' independent levels, involve families or community members, and leverage the home environment. Pause the video now, send your first announcement to open private messaging with families, then get students home learning codes. You did it! You learned the key features of the family app, getting families connected, and supporting home, school, world connections. Thanks for learning with us today. You can find more free training at web.csaw.me forward slash training. See you again soon here at CSAW.