Monday, April 16, 2018

Seesaw... no turning back!

Although I've always aimed for my students to have a digital portfolio (trialling and using many different platforms in the past), I had not been convinced that Seesaw was the way to go.... BUT oh boy, was I wrong! Seesaw is an excellent platform for housing student work and sharing it with parents. The feedback and communication is instant.

The Ministry of Education have seven key principles (Ako, Focus and coverage, Foundations for learning, Student responsibility, Motivation, Technologies, Checking in with parents) that guide effective reporting and information sharing. After using Seesaw for almost 3 months now, I already recognise the benefits of this student-driven digital portfolio and I believe that if Seesaw is being used effectively it has all the tools to fulfill this MOE 'requirement'. Hence (after having a chat with my favourite online mentor Sonya, @vanschaijik) my decision to apply to become a Seesaw Ambassador to support teachers [further] with integrating technology effectively into their teaching and to serve as an expert resource to other teachers, by sharing how I use Seesaw in my class.

I love that I can create and assign activities for my students when planning 'lessons', but that is not all... students can post to their journal and reflect on their learning instantly! It also gives me insight into their understanding and enable me to track progress over time. Parents can also look back at all the learning that their child added to their journal and see how much has been learned. This 'tracking' can easily be done when using folders when posting.

Some examples of how I have been using Seesaw with 5 year olds:
1. Goal Setting and Reflection...

2. Reading / Phonics / Sightwords...

3. Writing...

4.  Maths...

5. Discovery / STEAM / Key Competencies

6. Some others...

The Values that Seesaw stands for speak for itself... 

Therefore, I consider myself lucky and feel proud to be part of the Seesaw family...

Reference:



~ "It's more important than ever that educators collaborate to continually improve and support the success of each learner." - Dr. Gene Carter, CEO and Executive Director of ASCD ~

5 comments:

  1. Hi Marnel. Great to read your positivity. We've just begun our Seesaw journey so I might ask for your help!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Annemarie! Thank you for the feedback. I'm always happy to help!

      Delete
  2. Seesaw: "Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing!" (https://bit.ly/2vKglC8)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sonya: "#EdBlogNZ Love it, thanks for sharing Marnel - also Principles of effective reporting and information sharing" (https://bit.ly/2qW2WlL)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Graeme Taylor: "Marnel...although you needed some convincing, I am delighted to read about and share in your excitement for Seesaw. How great it is to also to read about the connections you have made to the MoE's seven key principles...it all ties together magnificently! Well done!"

    ReplyDelete