Seesaw Tip - 7 Ways to Help Kids Know What to Do for an Assignment

 (Updated 2/25/2021 - scroll to the bottom to see the update!)  

      We all have a wide range of readers / learners in our classroom.  Use these 7 tips when creating an assignment to help support all students in knowing what they are to do to complete an assignment and make them more independent when using Seesaw.  Many of these tips can also be adapted in different ways to create more engaging lessons as well.  

Tip 1 - Record yourself reading the directions on the introduction page (the first page they see when they see an assignment).

Tip 2 - Record yourself (or type in) directions in the Comment Box on each slide.

Tip 3 - Use the Video Record feature in Seesaw to model the lesson or activity (and it will be embed automatically into the slide).

Tip 4 - Use the Mic / Screen Record feature in Seesaw to model how to complete the activity (and it will be embed automatically into the slide).

Tip 5 - (If you need more than 5 minutes) - Record your screen using another program (like Screencastify, QuickTime, Screencapture, etc.).  Upload it to Seesaw to embed into the slide.  (If it's too big, upload to Google Drive and put a link in from Seesaw to Drive.)

Tip 6 - Use Seesaw's Icon Shortcuts in the directions.  (You can click here to learn more about Seesaw Shortcut Icons.)

Tip 7 - Add a 'play' button for students to click next to each direction.  (This can also be adapted to have students click 'play' to have a page read to them, have them spell a word, double check what a picture is suppose to be (like 'cat' instead of 'kitten'), etc.

See all these tips from a student perspective....

2/25/2021 Update: Seesaw sent out an update at the end of February 2021.  You can now click on an image or text box and record or upload a voice recording!  Click here for more information!

Seesaw Management Tip - Taking Attendance

 Here's an easy way to take attendance using the Calendar feature on the Journal Tab!

1. On the Journal tab, click on the Calendar icon towards the top right corner of the feed.
2. Click on the name of each student.
3. See the number of items they have submitted that day!  All done!

Seesaw Tech Tip - Student's Picture Too Small to See

 Are you getting pictures that are too small to see?  It's most likely because the device was held the wrong way or they were using a smartphone to take the picture.  Here's a trick for seeing those images....

Turning Off Email Pop-Up Notifications

      Have you been in a live (or recorded) session and have gotten email notifications popping up in the corner?  Maybe it's a confidential email or a junk email that maybe you don't want your students (or parents) seeing!  Watch this video on how to turn off those notifications!

 

Kami Work Around - Creating Lessons with Manipulative Activities (Sorts) for Live Lessons (Updated 1/31/2021)

      Kami has so many uses.  One thing that many teachers would like with this pandemic is the ability for a teacher to share an activity (through a distant lesson) with students where the students can move and/or sort objects live.  At the moment, kids can't simply drag and drop or move anything the teacher puts in the document (or any of their peers for that matter) when working inside of Kami.  Here's a way you can work around this with only a couple extra steps....

Teacher Steps (Nothing real different from what you already do!)

1. Create the Kami document.  (You can import from Google Drive, upload from your computer, use the blank document feature in Kami, etc.)

• Please note, you cannot import a Google Slides or other document that is setup for manipulation into Kami.  It will lock the images down.  You will need to remove the manipulative images, import it, and bring the manipulative images back in in Kami.

2. Share it with the students.  (Make sure all settings in the Kami document and the Google file are set to 'anyone can edit.')

• Make sure all settings in the Kami document and the Google file are set to 'anyone can edit.'

Student Steps

1. Open the document.

2. Click on the SELECT tool.

3. Click on SELECT ANNOTATIONS.

4. Click on the object they wish to use.

    a. Click on the object.  A menu will open with the options 'Copy,' 'Paste,' and 'Delete.'

    b. Have them select COPY, then click PASTE.

    c. They will then have a copy of the object to move about as they please!

• This is helpful in that kids can't delete what you put into the document.
• Con - Remember - just like a student can't move or edit your object, you can't edit or move their objects that they create!  
• You can 'turn off' their work on the document by clicking on their name icon on the bottom.  
• If you need a clean slate, you will need to go to FILE > VIEW ALL > MAKE A COPY.

Click here to see a video of how to do it from a student's perspective!

 

UPDATE FROM 1/31/2021 - There has been some confusion on whether or not you can use Kami and have kids complete sorts.  As noted above, not in a sychronous unless you do the steps above.  You can in a asychronous setting if you create the activity in Kami, then assign it to the students through an LMS (like Canvas, Schoology, or Google Classroom (not Seesaw).  The LMS creates a copy for the student to complete the task, so they are able to manipulate the objects you put in to sort!  

Seesaw - Parent Access and the Different Codes

        With the current Distant Learning situation, it's important to understand what families can see and do.  We as teachers have to remember that students are logging into Seesaw at home and have parents and other family members looking over their shoulders.  This can become an issue with student privacy.  How you set the student permissions has an impact on what families can see.  Click here to learn more!  There are three scenarios in how parents can interact with Seesaw.

Home Learning Codes

        (If you decide to block students from seeing each other's work in Seesaw, you don't need to worry about Home Learning Codes).  If teachers want students to see and comment on each other's work in school, the Home Learning Codes prevents students (and their parents) from seeing each other's work at home.    If a student uses a Home Learning Code on a device at home, it will make it so that ON THAT DEVICE the student will only be able to see the work that they have done, not the work that other students have done.  Please note - you would not want to do this on a device that comes back and forth to school because once the code is entered, that student will only see their own work no matter where they are.  

         For Parent Intercation - if a parent is looking over their child's shoulder, they will see announcements sent to students and can obviously see their child's work, but if they provide feedback, it will show up as the student's own comments or like.  Parents need to use Seesaw Family to comment, like, and get annoucements for parents...

Invite Codes and Seesaw Family

        Just like with ClassDojo, Bloomz, Remind, etc, to invite parents you can send them a special QR code, input their email address, or input their phone number.  They will get a link to download Seesaw Family and be able to be linked to their child's account (or they can log in from the Seesaw's website using any browser on any device.  In Seesaw Family, parents and guardians will only see their child's work (or work that their child is tagged in).  Up to 10 people can be assigned to one student.  Here's what they can do...

• See 'Family Announcements' that teachers can send to them.  
• Teachers can message parents and parents can message teachers (after the first message is sent).  (Please note, in Groton - teachers are being asked to use Remind as our Parent Teacher Communications app).  
• Teachers can send up to 10 pictures of what's going on in the class through Seesaw, but only 1 on Remind.   
• Able to like and/or comment on their child's work.
• Able to Share their child's work with others through a link or QR Code.
• Can save their child's work onto their computer / device.

Here are your Family Options.  You can find these settings under the wrench in the top right corner of each class.  Scroll down to 'Families.'  If you turn it on, then the first list of options will appear.

Here are your Family Permission Settings:

• Family Sharing - allows parents to get a link to their child's activity to share with others.
• Family Likes - allows them to like any work their child completes.
• Family Comments - allows family members to comment on their child's work.
• You have the option to require comments be approved by you before they post to the child's work.

Classroom Blog

If you enable the Classroom Blog and share the link with Parents/Guardians, then they would be able to access that as well!

Seesaw - Student Privacy / Abilities to Interact with Each Other

        Seesaw has many different ways that students can interact with each other within Seesaw.  Teachers can control what the students can and cannot do.  To find these settings, click on the wrench in the top right corner in each class.  Scroll down to the 'Students' section.

Seeing Each Other's Work / Commenting on Each Other's Work

       'Students can see each other's work' is very important!   If this is turned on, students will be able to click on each other's journals to see the work that their peers have done.  They will be able to click on any activity and see who has completed the work and who hasn't.  Keep that in mind!  If you have this turned off, then the students won't be able to see each other's work unless they are tagged on the same activity.  Also, you won't have to worry about 'Home Learning Codes,' because the students wouldn't be able to see each other's work at school or at home.

        What they can do to each other's work depends on the following settings.  (Please note, you can have 'Students can see each other's work' turned off, while still allowing the students to like and/or comment on their own work or work that you post.  If you don't want kids seeing each other's work, but be able to provide feedback, you have two options:

1. Tag Other Students - You can always tag one student's work with everyone else so that they can give feedback.  I had students who would ask me to share their work, so I would 'tag' everyone else in the class so they could see the student's work.  
2. Turn on the Blog - I recommend turning on the 'Blog.'  This will create a Blog for your classroom that you can password protect and only allow students, families, and/or other classes that you invite in.  On any activity, the students can choose to post something to the blog for other students to provide feedback on.  (All posts require your approval before they actually go to the blog).  If you link with other classrooms in the district or outside of district, it will provide more opportunities for feedback!

What Can Students Do to Each Other's Work

        How students respond (either in the Classroom or on the Blog) depends on the settings you set.  You can allow students to only 'Like,' only 'Comment', or both!  You may choose that all comments require your approval or not!  

Editing Work After It's Posted Options

         You do have the option to block students from editing their work once they submit it; however, I recommend leaving this option on so you don't have to deal with kids trying to reach out to you to edit an activity so they can go back and fix whatever they did.  Another option you can allow students to do is for them to choose who is tagged to their work (or remove others who are tagged to their work).  

        Many of these settings provide wonderful opportunities for discussing digital citizenship!  There are some interesting videos about this topic that you can find on Seesaw's YouTube Page or in the Community Hub!