In the past, some technological breakthroughs have been frowned at by the educational sector. Televisions, computer games, and music players like the iPod are considered distractions for students. But the advent of technology has made possible for parents to check on their children's performance in school making it easier for them to determine how to interact with their children.

In the past, parents are in the dark as to how their children are performing at school. They will only know what is going on at school if a teacher contacts them regarding the behavior of their child. This situation is not ideal since parents can do a lot to change the study habits of their children. By knowing how their kids are faring at school, they will be able to guide their children to study more.

Initially, electronic teachers grade books were made available to its consumers. These grade books though do not have the capability to publish grades on the World Wide Web. New generation of electronic grade books allow teachers to post grades on the Web making them accessible to parents.

In Knox County, Tennessee, parents are discovering the advantages of this technological breakthrough. From the comfort of their homes or offices, they can connect to the Internet and view updates on the grades of their children. The system in place in Knox County is called the Parent Portal and it is designed to cater to the needs of parents to be informed on the school activities of their children. This new technology not only allows parents to check their children's grades instantly but also pay for their children's lunch via PayPal. This will really be appreciated by parents who are always on the go and wants to be on top of their child's studies.

The system in place may be designed to help both parents and teachers but the newly installed technology proves to be something that parents and teachers need to get used to. Zdnet.com's Christopher Dawson underlines the reason why there is a minor hesitation non the part of teachers to use the technology saying that there is an "increased level of accountability and the timeliness required in terms of grading and maintaining a grade book." This though is only a minor setback as more and more school boards are requiring teachers to use this technology. This will make teachers focus more on keeping parents posted on what their children are doing at school and what homework may have been given to their child.

As for the advantages of the use of said technology, Gail Byard of Knox County Schools shared: "At my house, my 8th grader, we've certainly benefited from the information. Because we can go online together and monitor what the assignments have been, what grades he's earned and what's coming up. It's been very valuable."

More and more parents like Byard are discovering the advantages of the modern teachers grade books which replaces traditional paper grade books. Expect this technology to be used widely in the near future as more parents and teachers alike get used to it.