SeeSaw: The Learning Journal

  




  
     Seesaw is a free, multi-platform (You can use I-pad, phone, Chromebooks, website) application that allows students to express themselves in a closed forum.  It works as a journal and students can do a variety of things on it. It is very engaging because they can post or comment on any given topic and their classmates (and whomever the teacher allows) can give feedback. 

 "See saw empowers students of any age to independently document what they are learning at school"

 This is how it works: First, create a free account, then a class. You have two options: Students can  create accounts by entering a code or QR code (you will have to enter their names prior to their sign in) or you can have them sign in with their google accounts. If your school has google, this would be ideal option but using the code is better if they are sharing devices and if you already know your population.
 Once they create their account, you write a post and make it public for them. You can also select who do you want to see that particular post. 
     The beauty of Seesaw is that students can capture their learning in different ways: video, link, text, drawing, picture... Isn't that amazing!?
Another advantage of Seesaw is that, as a teacher, you have the power to accept or deny an entry.  Let's be honest! Kids are kids and sometimes they might want to post things that are out of topic or they want to be "funny".  With Seesaw, you can approve or disapprove a post. Not only that but you can also invite parents to be part of their children's learning process. 
      Seesaw goes along with the 21st Century Skills framework and that, by itself, is great.  Students learn and express themselves by using technology and by having fun. They showcase their way of thinking in creative ways to their parents and to their community.  With this app you can definitely reinforce values as well as language skills.  

This app happens to be my favorite so far!

Should you try Seesaw? DEFINITELY! Seesaw (in MY opinion) is fantastic for ALL levels, -- and I venture to say-- even for college level.  It is also suitable for ALL subjects... from Social Studies to ESL to Science.  Once you try this tool, you will LOVE IT ♥.

Click HERE to try Seesaw (Plus) for one month then you can continue with your free account which is simply marvelous. 

Google Forms in the Classroom: Less grading time

     Cost: FREE

          Google Forms is an extension of Google Drive, a file storage and sync service, to make surveys and web forms.  This tool allows anyone to easily create a form or a survey without the need to have any programming skills. It gives users the ability to choose from a variety of pre-designed templates or to customize the forms to their liking. Creating a form is very similar as creating a Google document.  The forms can be sent to anyone and you can see the results in a spreadsheet.  This tool is web based and completely free. It can also be very helpful for teachers.

        Google Forms is not only good to create questionnaires or web forms but it is a great tool to create tests or quizzes.  If you are a teacher who cares about the environment, Google Forms allows you to go paperless in your classroom; however, you can always print the assessments or surveys.  You may include multiple selection, grids, scales, time and/or questions where students have to write a paragraph or a small text. Google Forms also allows you to correct the assessments faster than hard copy tests, and you can actually download an add-on, create and assign a

 key, and the program correct the answers by itself (flubaroo).  This will definitely save time for any busy teacher (meaning ALL of us!).
   The tool is web based, which means that you can only use it through a web browser.  Since it is a Google tool, it works best on Google Chrome but it also works good on the rest.  I-pad users may download the Drive App and access the previously made forms; however, in order to edit them, they must access it through the web/browser (same with androids, etc.)  You have a variety of settings that you can manipulate, such as required questions, or skip questions, among others.  Once you create a form, you can edit it, you can change the settings and you can even deactivate the form.  You can also enable the form so the respondents can change their answers or see the results in a public link.  Google Forms also allows you to insert pictures, videos, URLs, time, dates, etc and you can also set up notifications.  Once the form is ready to share, you can send an email with the link or post the link and students (or other individuals) only need to click on the link to complete access it.  
          Teachers can introduce google forms to students by simply creating a short survey about the class, then have them complete a longer and/or complicated assessment as the marking period advances.  On the other hand, students can take more time completing the assessment because they can always go back to it.  They can also make the font bigger, which in a way gives them more freedom.  Students can answer the assessments through their Chromebooks, I-pads or smart phones which makes it easy to administer any assessment.   
          To summarize, Google Forms is a good tool to administer tests, quizzes and surveys in the class.  It is not as fancy as other tools but it is very helpful.  It is a web based tool that can be customized and it is easy to use.  Forms are online but can also be printable, which can also be helpful.   This is a simple tool that can be used in the classroom and can save a lot of time for teachers.

cons:  Students might be tempted to share the test with other groups or peers, or simply go online to
 try to find the responses but this is a quality (honesty) that you can promote in your class. Another con is that the new Google Forms format might be very simple and easy to use but the old format is more customizable.