I see that they are using Seesaw. I integrated Seesaw into my classroom 3 years ago and immediately fell in love with it. The interface on both the children and teacher's side is simple and easy to use. It seriously took my classroom learning to another level.
For those who are unfamiliar, here is a quick tutorial on what SeeSaw is...
I used Seesaw as a digital portfolio and parent communication tool. Parents connect to their child's learning journal in a few easy steps and then they are notified via text or email when their child adds something new. They can then like and comment on their child's work which my student's loved. Parents only see their own child's folder.
My student's also loved commenting on each other's work. Much like Russell Street School, we were using Seesaw to share out our learning in multiple subjects. Each week, we would have a sharing party where kids would go on our class feed in Seesaw and comment on each other's work. We did a lot of work on digital citizenship and ways to ask good questions and give helpful comments and praise. Below is an example from my class...
You can see how authentic this student's audience was! Their story was liked and commented on by their parent and they also received feedback from their peers. My student's became very invested in sharing out their learning and the "buy in" to this tool was so high.
What I love about Russell Street School is how they are using the blogging feature of Seesaw, which was new last year, I think. If the student or teacher wants to share their item in Seesaw to an audience outside the classroom, they simple hit the blog button and that item appears on the class blog, much like you see on their websites. This a super easy way to have kids blogging and the kids love the idea of their digital artifacts being shared with people all over the world.
Seesaw also allows students to create QR codes as a way to share. Recently as I was working as an K-1 technology resource teacher in Hawaii, and each class was using Seesaw. At the beginning of the school year, I had each class do an "all about me" writing project that they then put on Seesaw. Then each teacher printed QR codes and put them up in their classroom window. One afternoon, all the students on the K-1 campus went around scanning their friends QR codes which led them to the "all about me" video. It was so awesome to see the students so proud of their work as they shared with their peers from around the school.
I was so happy to browse through Russell Street School's websites and blogs. When I think of schools powerfully integrating technology tools, I envision schools like the Russell Street School. Technology is being used a tool to document and share rather than replace the learning experience. Students are engaged as they share out with an authentic audience. If you haven't checked out Seesaw, please do! It is a great tool and the Russell Street School is now a model school you can follow to learn how to integrate this tool to the max!
Thank you for sharing the video of a description of Seesaw. I have never heard of Seesaw before viewing this blog. I can definitely see myself using it in my classroom. I love that parents are notified when there is a new post, this way parents can see their child's work.
ReplyDeleteNo problem. It is certainly a tool you should check out. I cannot say enough about it. I taught in a 1 to 1 iPad classroom but I have been thinking of how I might use it when I most likely teach in a non-iPad environment. I just figure if I fundraise or write a grant to get 4-6, we could have Seesaw stations to share out our classroom learning. Most schools are moving towards Chromebooks and the Google Suite of apps so I am thinking of doing digital portfolios in Google Drive as a place to store digital artifacts and Seesaw as the hub for sharing out our learning with the world. I truly feel teachers can do this with 4, 5, or 6 iPads.
DeleteThanks for sharing the video. I had never heard of Seesaw before I looked at the Russell Street School. You hit the nail on the head with your comment about how the technology tool is used to document and share and not as a replacement for the learning experience. It seems sometimes that teachers use technology just for the sake of using it. The use of technology may not be called for or really even change the situation. Using it as a supplement is the proper way to incorporate technology. It can enrich and enliven the learning experience, but not take over or replace it.
DeleteJake, thanks for posting the video here! I really want to get more into Seesaw and wonder how my EFL students could use it. Actually, the place I work PT with kids has almost zero computer technology in the classroom. Anytime I want to show them a video, they have to crowd around my iPhone. Any ideas?!
ReplyDeleteI love the QR code idea. What a fun way to generate some interest in the project. I actually did my 501 digital divide presentation on Hawaii. I lived there about 12 years ago (Oahu) and was struck by how undeveloped most of the islands were from a technology standpoint. I understand they've made great improvements on making sure the students have access to technology either in school or in the after-school programs or libraries. What was your experience working there?
~ Todd
If you see my comment above, I am grappling with the same questions. I was fortunate enough to teach in the Hawaii Independence School District where the pockets are deep. However, my sons went to public school in Honolulu so I lived this weird "double life". I would come home having taughts these super engaging 21st century technology lessons, and my sons would be talking about learning to type and getting app time when they finished their work. I still cringe thinking of it!
DeleteAs far as what I would do, I would fundraise and get at least 4-6 iPads. Before I started piloting 2:1 and 1:1 iPad programs I only had 5 and was still able to do some amazing things with kids. I would just make a goal and find a starting spot!
Thanks for sharing your excitement about The RSS and Seesaw, Jake!I'm sitting here thinking, "I've got to implement Seesaw in my tech classes this year. I've got to find a way." We've talked about digital portfolios for several years now...
ReplyDeleteSeesaw is the best thing that has happened to my classroom! Parents were loving seeing their kids share their mathematical thinking in Spanish, reflecting about their work, self assessing themselves, sharing links that they found useful or interesting... Sadly, I didn't get to use Seesaw as a blog last school year. The closest we came to it was when we were sharing screens with our Skype buddies. We were basically showing them our learning log but since the blogging feature was not available yet at the beginning of the last school year, we, the teachers Skyping, had to get creative on how to share with classrooms around the world. I am so happy that Seesaw has decided to make this easier for us and broaden the audience of my students! I highly recommend it.
ReplyDelete