Seesaw an Educational Resource


https://web.seesaw.me/
 IOS, Android, Kindle, Chromebook and Web Apps friendly.

What is Seesaw? 

An Instagram for your classroom, building the bridge to communication between teacher, students, and families. 

 Seesaw is a student driven digital portfolio application that allows students to take pictures, draw, record videos/ voice overs, take notes, share links/files, and blog. Students are able to upload their work for teacher and families to see and comment. Families will now have a glimpse of what goes on in the classroom versus their child coming home and shrugging off the question, “Johnny, how was school today? What did you learn?”

What else can Seesaw do? 

Seesaw is user friendly and allows for each individual to have their own profile.

Seesaw can be a great resource to show progress during parent conferences and collecting work samples. 

Seesaw can send out messages to all students or all families. When and/or if students or families reply messages are private between that individual and the teacher. Families can see written content translated in 50+ languages automatically.

Seesaw allows teachers to upload worksheets or use the text feature to send math word problems, for example, to their class. Students are then able to use the drawing tools to complete and share it so that their families have access. While students are working through the problem they’re able to record their thought process by speaking into the microphone. 

Differentiate assignments, such as spelling tests. Teachers can have more than one spelling word list out at a time and read out the words simultaneously by recording them on Seesaw for students to individually listen in. Students can start, stop, and replay instructions as needed. This is a great way for teachers to cater to the varying levels in the classroom. 

Can be used as a reading and fluency tool. Students can record themselves reading, then play back, and give feedback. They may also receive feedback from teachers, peers, and their families

Teachers are able to grade student work and send feedback. 

Seesaw sends parents notifications as soon as their child’s work is posted. 

How much does it cost? 
There are 3 versions available; Basic Seesaw is FREE, School Plus version costs $120/year and Seesaw for schools is $5/per student/per year. 

Basic Seesaw includes: 
  • Multimedia tools to capture student learning 
  • Compatibility with 100s of other apps 
  • Free parent access and notifications 
  • Organize work by student, folder, date
  • Class blog
  • Print posts or folders with custom QR codes
  • 2 Teachers per class
  • 10 Active classes per teacher 
School Plus in addition includes: 
  • 5 Teachers per class
  • 25 Active classes per teacher
  • Assess students progress towards skills/standards
  • Private posts (only visible to teachers) 
  • Record private notes on student work 
Seesaw for Schools in addition to Seesaw Plus allows for schoolwide analytics and management this includes: 
  • Portfolios follow students from grade to grade
  • Dashboard to view activity and visit classes
  • Data on tech usage and parent engagement 
  • Access to historic content and data 
Strengths

+ Basic app is free 
+ Used as a means for communication 
+ Includes parents in the learning process by showcasing student work 
+ Environmentally friendly (saves on paper)
+ Engaging 
+ Connects real-life situations to their learning experiences 
+ Collects student work that’s easily accessible 
+ Allows for peer feedback
+Allows for collaboration and creativity 

Weaknesses 

- Possible Poor/ Inappropriate Feedback
- Unavailable for families without technology

Is it Classroom Safe?

This app is safe and secure to use. Although, I would recommend setting guidelines and expectations for students in regards to uploaded work and  feedback provided to peers. If this issue arises teachers have the option to review work before it becomes accessible to parents and peers. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2019 at 9:55 AM

    Edith

    I enjoyed reading about this site and i think this would be useful for all grade levels. I watched a video of Seesaw being used in classroom with kindergartners and the students were able to communicate and comment on each others work with voice record I thought that was Awesome! This source is so engaging thanks for sharing.

    Zahal

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mrs. DouglasJanuary 29, 2019 at 11:29 AM

    Mrs. Vanderford,

    Your content and your presentation were informational and easy to comprehend. I love how accessible Seesaw is for students, parents, and teachers. This is such a great way to promote healthy, safe school-to-home communication. Even though it costs money to access the full application, it is still worth it to have it in the classroom. What are some ways you would engage student-interaction with this application?

    Jenny

    ReplyDelete

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