When my first child started preschool, my wife and I, like most parents, were nervous about what was in store for him. Fortunately, our preschool did a great job of easing our fears. We could walk into the classroom with him, help him arrange his school materials in his locker, and say goodbye. Best of all, the preschool also provided a physical viewing window into the classroom through which we could watch our son interact with his teacher and classmates after we said goodbye for the day. We could peak through this one-way glass panel anytime during the day without him being aware. We loved it. We don't think of ourselves as helicopter parents, and we certainly weren't trying to observe the teacher with a critical eye. But what we were able to do was get a sense of the classroom, see the projects our child was working on, and, most important, have things to talk about with him at the dinner table. The viewing window gave us a sense of what was happening in the classroom and put our anxiety at ease.
Things changed when he started kindergarten. The traditional, public K–5 school he attended felt a little like a black box. We dropped him off at the curb in the morning and picked him up at the curb at the end of the day. We asked him questions about his day but rarely got substantive comments. After all, he was only six years old. This was through no fault of the school. His teacher sent home a weekly newsletter that highlighted classroom happenings, and she hosted a beginning-of-the-year open house. But I found myself wanting more than the weekly newsletter. I wanted something like that viewing window so that I could really get a sense of his classroom. Unfortunately, the school didn't have a similar viewing window, and, logistically, this wouldn't even be feasible at a school with 500 to 600 students.
A New Way to View
Fortunately, there is a technological tool that in some ways acts as a viewing window into the classroom. Seesaw is an app that allows teachers to easily capture student work using photos, videos, audio recordings, notes, links, etc. These artifacts can show teachers what students know, provide evidence of student growth, and keep parents informed about what is happening in their child's classroom.
Seesaw works like this: Teachers capture artifacts or students add their own artifacts to their online account. The artifacts are captured by taking photos, recording audio or video, uploading files, or typing notes that reflect student work and interactions in the classroom. Once an artifact is uploaded, the teacher tags the appropriate student. This adds the artifact to that student's Seesaw Learning Journal. Parents can access each item in their child's journal by installing a free app on their mobile device or computer, and the app will notify them each time their child is tagged.
Seesaw works on almost any device―Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android―and makes it easy for teachers to create digital portfolios for students. The app provides a seamless and constant point of contact for teachers and families, while also gathering formative assessments and creating a safe space to teach students 21st century skills. At the same time, students are motivated to independently document their learning for an authentic audience—their family members.
Seesaw is like a viewing window that gives parents a closer look at what their child is creating and doing in the classroom, while the teacher stays in control of when the window is open and closed.
