Jump onto Seesaw: A Great Tool for Assistive Teaching and Learning

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For a great portfolio tool that works well K-12, showcases learning, offers a myriad of input options, and includes a parent portal, Seesaw is a must-try for school librarians.

Simply input Seesaw’s URL (web.seesaw.me) into a favorite browser, and set up classes. Teachers or librarians can choose to enable a function that allows the whole class to see submissions, or they may remain private. However, at its core, Seesaw is a tool that is best for sharing. It creates a social network for the students so they may “like,” or make comments on the work of their classmates, allowing for powerful connection and reflection. At any time, responses may be moderated for appropriateness or accountability.

In addition, Seesaw allows for parents to be “invited” to see their child’s portfolio. Once they join, they are able to make comments and see what their child has been working on in real time. This extra layer of authentic audience can boost both excitement and motivation for students. As a bonus, students can blog on Seesaw’s platform (all uploaded posts must be moderated) so they can share their creations with family and friends outside the classroom and to the world.


As assignments are created, students are able to choose from a wide variety of product options as they hit the large green plus sign to turn in their work. They may type, record a voice response, take a picture and upload it, annotate that picture, link to material, or draw. In this way, Seesaw is a powerful tool for differentiation and assistive learning. Students who are unable to type or draw can take a video of themselves explaining their answer, or they can enable the voice tool instead. Also, the drawing feature allows a wider variety of expression for students who do not have the words they need to complete an assignment. These features are built-in, always available, and at every student’s disposal. Teachers, too, can take a video of themselves giving directions and upload those for students who need oral accommodations. Thus, Seesaw offers assistive technology without being specifically “marketed” as such, and it is a powerful platform that deserves attention. At its heart, Seesaw helps to embody Copeland's (2011) statement "that the idea of designing instruction with all students in mind –can and should all  act as guiding forces in our teaching and interactions with students" (p. 68). With its myriad of functionality, this tool provides options for students of all abilities and interests.

Below are a couple of resources that will better explain Seesaw:



Getting Started: https://help.seesaw.me/hc/en-us/articles/205565209-Getting-Started-Guides

Resources

Copeland, C.A. (2011). School librarians of the 21st century. Knowledge Quest, 39(3), 64-69.



Comments

  1. Rachel WilsonFebruary 29, 2020 at 7:34 AM

    Linda,
    I almost used Seesaw for my post this week, but decided to go with Freckle. I love Seesaw and all the amazing adaptive resources it has for all students. You did a great job breaking down and analyzing it's functions and capabilities for teachers and students. I use Seesaw almost daily with my 2nd graders, but the only negative thing for me is how there is not really a log in for students to go on their own account. Due to this they are able to go onto other accounts and potentially do the work for other students or, as I unfortunately experienced last week, they can use other students' accounts to make negative comments to each other, posing as a different student (thank goodness I enabled the feature where I have to approve comments and submissions before they are public!!). Other than that, I LOVE Seesaw and think it is an absolutely wonderful digital tool for teachers and school librarians to utilize in their classrooms. Great job and thank you for sharing!
    Rachel Wilson

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda MackayFebruary 29, 2020 at 11:08 AM

      Hey Rachel,
      I get what you're saying about the student comments. I have high schoolers moderated ALL THE TIIME. I guess it's a good way to teach digital citizenship, especially with the younger ones.

      As for the login to the student accounts, I have mine sign in using their school gmail accounts rather than the class code. There's no way to stop them from sharing that info with friends (we found this out for USA Test Prep), but maybe that would help? I use it for formative assessments and when I want everyone to see what everyone else is doing. I want to get better with having students upload their writing to it so they can keep a portfolio, but I haven't gotten around to requiring that yet. Best intentions often go by the wayside with real life.

      Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 1, 2020 at 6:02 PM

    Hey Linda,
    Seesaw looks very similar to the Google Classroom that my school uses. I like the feature that you can use the Video or the drawing tools. Very flexible to meet the needs of the students. Blogs are great for students. In my previous school we would have students blog on the books that they read for the YABA and the JBA nominees for SC book awards. This seems like a very flexible tool to use in a classroom or library. I have never heard of this before.

    Thanks,
    Jennifer Gibson

    ReplyDelete

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