Unit 9
Blog 6
TIP OF THE WEEK
Checkout Seesaw for staying in touch with your students and families. Not only will this app/site allow you to effectively teach your students but it will also help balance the chaos and establish some more normalcy during this very odd and unknown time. We chose to teach, let Seesaw help you do that from home!
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
Well plainly put, this week has sucked. And it's not even over yet. Everything seems so surreal right now. It's not even really a time where you can enjoy the "days off" because all of our minds are moving a million different directions. What's worse is that there's really no certainty of where we're going or when we'll get there. In the wake of all the unknown, teachers are pulling together and figuring out ways that we can continue to be a constant role in our students' lives. If your Google Alerts is set to anything like mine, which I'm sure it is...your inbox has been blowing up with information to make this transition to online teaching more seamless and smooth for us and our kids.
A ton of the articles I have been reading in the last few days have all pointed at online platforms that we can use to teach our kids and for our kids to learn and display their learning. Seesaw is an online learning platform that I currently use in my classroom; pre-COVID-19. It has now turned into my main form of communication and main way to teach my students; during COVID-19. It's absolutely amazing how we have the ability to continue teaching because of the internet and because of educational platforms that teachers implement each and every day, like Seesaw. Districts across the nation have or are currently working on getting devices and hotspots into the hands of our kids who do not have that option at home. Our district understands that there is a need for devices. I am so thankful that my district acknowledges this and is being proactive in actually doing something about this!
The one thing I absolutely love about Seesaw is that it works for every learner. Teachers have the choice of how they would like to present the information to their learners. Whether that be through video, photo, voice recording, document upload, link, or drawing. They then have the option to release pre-made activities designed specifically for their lesson. These lessons can be shared with 1 student, a group of students or the entire class. As we all know, differentiation is key to successful learning. Seesaw keeps that differentiation alive and well, virtually. On top of those amazing things, there is so much opportunity for student choice. Just like teachers, students have the ability to choose between video, photo, voice recording, document upload, link, or drawing. The options not only help motivate the students to showcase their strengths but it also keeps things fresh and engaging for the students. They can also practice the various tech tools that they are not familiar with or totally confident using.
Putting these skills to use even at the youngest age is an excellent way to prepare our learners for their future jobs. The activities piece is an essential tool for virtually teaching. You can create your own assignment, share ones colleagues have created, and even tap into the teacher community and borrow activities that others have created. Making sure that each activity serves a specific purpose is important to remember. Not just "fluff" or "busy" work. Substantial activities that equal learning and understanding for our students. As I said earlier, Seesaw has the ability to reach all the different types of our learners. The visual learners, the auditory learners, our L2 students, those with certain medical conditions, our special ed population, etc.
We're all facing the unknown in the next few weeks, even months. How we decide to handle that is totally up to us. We can't control much but we can control how we choose to handle the unfathomable circumstances in front of us. Let Seesaw help. Your kids will love seeing videos of you. They will love links to stories you post. They will love being challenged. They will love having choice and being creative in the learning process.
Wecan't control much of this. But we can take action and make things more "normal" for our kids. Someone needs to do it for them...Establish the normalcy.
Site and photo taken from:
M., A. (n.d.). What is Seesaw? Retrieved from https://help.seesaw.me/hc/en-us/articles/115003713306-What-is-Seesaw-
Putting these skills to use even at the youngest age is an excellent way to prepare our learners for their future jobs. The activities piece is an essential tool for virtually teaching. You can create your own assignment, share ones colleagues have created, and even tap into the teacher community and borrow activities that others have created. Making sure that each activity serves a specific purpose is important to remember. Not just "fluff" or "busy" work. Substantial activities that equal learning and understanding for our students. As I said earlier, Seesaw has the ability to reach all the different types of our learners. The visual learners, the auditory learners, our L2 students, those with certain medical conditions, our special ed population, etc.
We're all facing the
We
Site and photo taken from:
M., A. (n.d.). What is Seesaw? Retrieved from https://help.seesaw.me/hc/en-us/articles/115003713306-What-is-Seesaw-
I would have to agree with you about this week not being the best of weeks in education! Navigating these challenging waters is very hard and I am not even the superintendent or anyone with higher powers that has to make these hard decisions. All I know is that these uncertain times will hopefully get better and I am trying to be as optimistic as possible. Unfortunately in my school district, not every child has access to internet or devices. It is inequitable and because of the inequities, we can't require remote learning. We must be careful that we don't get ourselves into trouble with special education laws. Therefore, we are encouraging the use of online resources. I love Seesaw and am so happy I came across your blog. This week, I have been communicating through Schoology with my students and it is wonderful to see their responses and know that they are hanging in there. Seesaw is a great resource and as you put, can work for most all learners. The various tools and features definitely allow for teachers to reach their diverse group of learners.
ReplyDeleteI could never imagine being in the shoes of admin at this time. Such tough waters to navigate and honestly, who is actually prepared for this type of thing? Being optimistic is truly what we all need now. That is what is going to make a huge difference throughout this entire experience. A neighboring district utilizing Schoology K - 12. They seem to be able to jump right into the swing of virtual teaching. We seem to always be a step or two behind them...but thankfully, many of us already use online platforms to some degree. Good luck & stay healthy!
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