SeeSaw in the Classroom

SeeSaw is an website and an app that can be used on iPads or Chromebooks.  I love SeeSaw because as an educator you can use it as an assessment tool for your students.  Essentially it is a digital portfolio that compiles your students work.  I have personally created an account and it is extremely easy to navigate and figure out how to use.  It is very user friendly.  There are many security options on it as well.  As the teacher you can control whether you are the only one to see it, other students, or even parents.  The students can type, record, or takes pictures to upload their work.  It is student friendly as well, I had Kindergarteners uploading their own work.  There is also a way that you can allow the students to comment on each others work.  For older grades you can set an assignment for them to debate and comment on each others stuff.  As the teacher you can delete a comment if needed. I would use SeeSaw as a way to keep parents involved and updated on their child throughout the school day.  It would be a great way for the students to display their own work to their parents (student lead conference).  Communication is very important between the teacher and the students and their families.   You can allow the parents permission to comment on varies assignments to encourage and promote their child.  If a students sees and experiences that support and feedback then it can motivate them to do their best work on the assignments. 



This picture displays the website and app login. 



This is an example of a math assignment on fractions and how you can have your students take a picture and draw to represent the different fractions. 

Virtual Field Trips in the Classroom

I love Virtual Field trips and all that they can offer for you classroom.  Virtual Field trips are essentially a way for your students to travel or explore different places around the world without leaving the classroom.  Virtual field trips are not subject specific either, meaning that you can use them for any subject.  For example if you are covering Early Egypt for a history lesson you could take a virtual field trip to the ancient pyramids and other old artifacts from Egypt!  Your can even use them for something as simple as going to the beach and experiencing the different sights.  Virtual Field trips are also great to help build background knowledge and provide experiences for students that do not have the opportunity to travel and see simple places.  There are many different options when planning a virtual field trips.  Some of those options are videos, Nearpod, robot guided, Google Expeditions, and Google tour Builder.  I have used Nearpod and it is amazing.  Many of these cites have pre-made field trips that you can use or there is an option to build your own.  There are tutorials on Youtube that can guide you through this process.  I will use Virtual Field Trips to help with students learning and experiences. 



In the picture above the students are experiencing a virtual field trip through Google 360.



In the picture above you can see that the students are experiencing a virtual field trip through a projector.
Both of these are wonderful ways to present a virtual field trip to your students.

Nearpod in the Classroom

Nearpod is a wonderful tool to use to create engaging and interactive lessons for your students your classroom.  I have used Nearpod a lot in my practicum experience for a fifth grade classroom.  I used Nearpod across all subject areas to help engage the students as well as informally assess the students throughout the lessons.  I have created a math lesson on Nearpod and while I used to introduce a new topic, I also used the drawing tool so that the students could practice.  I implemented many of the tools that Nearpod offers, like the Poll option so that I could informally assess the students.  This really helped because I realized that I had to slow down and revisit the step before.  I loved creating a science lesson on Nearpod because I was able to embed videos and links for the students to use as they researched food webs and food chains.  I added an explanatory paragraph at the end of the Nearpod lesson to provide an assessment.  There are many options for you to use with the settings on your lesson.  On the different options such as polls, multiple choice, and open ended, you can set the answers to anonymous so that the students cannot see each others answers.  I know for the students I had, this was a wonderful option to have. I created lessons for Social Studies as well and the students loved it.  I have the free version but, there are also upgraded versions that offer more. 


This picture accurately displays the purpose of Nearpod.  It is a tool that you use to teach, assess, and connect the students. 



This picture shows the code that your students will use to access your lesson.  Each code in individualized to your lesson.

Using Digital Storytelling in the Classroom

When asked about digital storytelling, many teachers aren't sure where to begin. The first thing some teachers think is, “that sounds like a lot of work” and they are right. Digital storytelling is a lot of work, but the work is put into the hands of the student. As teachers, we have to prepare our students and teach them how to work with the technology and different platforms, but the way it is used is up to the students. Digital storytelling is something that can be used in any subject in your classroom. It is most accessible in the literacy classroom, but it does not stop there. In the math classroom, teachers can use it to tell the story of how to perform an equation and explain why. The creation can then be shared with the students, but it is most effective when the students are in charge of the technology. It has often been said that the quickest way to learn how to do something is to teach someone else how to. If we give students an iPad with a storytelling app, they can draw representations and narrate as they solve the equation. If a teacher were to asses a student on that final product, they would see every step the student took and have an explanation as to why they made certain decisions. It eliminates the “what were they thinking??” when grading a traditional assessment. Digital storytelling enhances students ability to create reports or presentations. Students can take videos and pictures of a scientific experiment and create a story with them describing what occurred and why things occurred. The documentation of their findings is all in their presentation while being supported with picture and video evidence. Book reports and informational essays become obsolete at the hands of digital storytelling. Students can video themselves retelling events and add backgrounds and graphics to make the book or historical event come to life. There are even apps where students can take a picture of a historical figure and make it talk to tell the story of his/her life. Giving students the opportunity to use technology to retell a concept gives it a real-world application. It gives them the opportunity to find out the “why” to so many concepts that a paper and pencil assessment does not. It allows students to take ownership of their work and to be proud of what they create. As they represent events or topics with graphics they are making connections to the information that is more lasting than memorize and regurgitate. Digital storytelling is such an effective way to make student’s learning meaningful.


This picture displays different storytelling apps that you can use in your classroom.


This picture shows that when you use digital storytelling you are incorporating Student Engagement, Technology, Deep Learning, and Project Based Learning.

Robotics in the Classroom

In a world filled with technology I believe that the topic of robotics is very important and would be beneficial to students.  In my post before I discussed the importance of coding and how it helps students think critically.  There is so much technology and advancements happening in today's world with robotics and machines, I believe by introducing and implementing opportunities for them to learn and practice will help set them apart and prepare them for the future.  Robotics can be introduced as early as pre-k and stretched throughout the other grades.  The goal is to make sure that the content and materials you plan to use are developmentally appropriate for your students.  No matter the grade or age, we as educators know our individual students and what they are developmentally ready for and should plan accordingly.  As I said before, the base of robotics is coding and you must start there.  Apps such as Scratch, Kodable, Hopscotch, and Sphero are a wonderful and easy resource to help introduce and implement coding into the classroom. 


The Scratch app has two versions; Scratch and Scratch Jr.  



The image above displays Cubelets.  These Cubelets can be used to introduce robotics into the younger grades such as; pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade.  I would use these in my classroom because they are developmentally appropriate for that age group.  The students can show creativity as well as coding skills by building with the Cubelets.  The Cubelets are color coded and perform different moves depending on the order the colors are in (coding).  

Student-Led Conferences using Digital Devices

I have personally witnessed student-led conferences in my practicum and internship experiences while attending Jacksonville State University.  I was at Lincoln Elementary School for my very first placement in the program as well as my internship semester.  They provided wonderful examples of how to implement student-led conferences and also the different ways for the students to display and showcase their work.  One of the best resources that I have used personally and seen used is the SeeSaw app.  I would use this app in my classroom as a digital portfolio for my students, but also as a form of accountability.  The students can "post" a picture of their work and it can be seen be the teacher, parents, and other students.  It is a safe and secure way for students to share their work and progress.  As the teacher you can also manage which projects and work samples are seen by everyone or if it's just shared between yourself and the student.  I had the opportunity to attend a student-led conferences where the students were able to explain and show their parents their work.  It was during the spring semester and because of the students using digital devices it was easy and accessible to filter through all the work they had completed throughout the whole year.  I would love to use this in my future classroom so that the students would be able to take ownership of their own work.  I love student-led conferences because it is not the teacher and the parents talking about the student and what they know, it's the student showing and expressing what they know and learned to their parents.