Sunday, August 27, 2017

Trying New Tech

It seems every year, or every month, I am trying some new app or web program.  Some are great for a a week or two and then the fad passes, but every once in a while I come across one that is a jewel that makes life in the classroom all the more engaging.  Seesaw is one of the latter.  One of the perks I loved about my previous school was the use of 1:1 technology.  My current school is using class sets of iPads, so the students are sharing on more of a 1:3 ratio.  One thing I didn't want to sacrifice was the ability for students to keep digital copies of their work and progress throughout the year.  The solution was the web-based digital portfolio called Seesaw.  We are implementing the use of this app for the first time this year and it has been wonderful. The students love using the iPads for pictures, drawing, recordings, videos, and more.  They love the social media look of it and the ability to "like" and leave comments (with emojis of course) for their classmates.  The parents are loving it as well, since it gives them more of a peek into the daily life of their students.  On the teacher end it has been wonderful.  It is very user friendly.  It allows us to track student skills.  It is a wonderful platform for providing effective feedback that both students and parents can see without having to sort through piles of graded papers.  Speaking of grading papers...I can grade kids photos inside the program as well, so I'm not dragging piles of papers and journals back and forth from school.  I have also been using it to reform "homework" by getting rid of worksheets and assigning kids everyday fun and having them notice how those experiences are also learning opportunities.

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