Class Blogs – Sarah and Dannika

Dannika and Sarah chose to create a website using Wix to highlight some positive ways class blogs can be utilized in educational settings. To check out their website head on over to Think -Tank -Tickle!

As they pointed out, creating a class blog offers valuable support for parents, teachers, and students. Their blog includes screencast tutorials and online resources to help parents in assisting their children with homework – I love this idea and wish my parents had been able to rely on something like this to support me in my early education! Online resources also allow students additional support – they can review concepts, catch up on missed lessons, and watch interactive content videos assisting in their understanding of concepts. For teachers, class blog can help reduce the workload by embedding external resources and directing students to materials that will assist them in catching up on missed concepts, saving valuable time. Lastly, using an online class blog is a great way to assist in yearly teaching planning. Teachers can password-protect lessons and reveal them as you go through the materials, streamlining the planning process. Wix also has a built in AI feature which can assist in lesson planning and creating images for additional student support.

Some drawbacks Sarah and Dannika pointed out when utilizing Wix to create their class blog, was how the Wix interface is less user friendly compared to other options, particularly when it comes to customizing the site. I personally agree with them, my group originally planned to use Wix to create our website but we too found it was a very steep learning curve. Their recommendation was to try using Squarespace, it has a yearly subscription cost however the interface is extremely easy to customize, as it uses drag-and-drop features! Lastly, another potential drawback to consider when using class blogs is ensuring all students have equitable access to technology resources at home.

SeeSaw – Kenna, Josie, and Lauren

Kenna, Josie and Lauren discussed the platform SeeSaw and how it can be used in the classroom!

Some key features they highlighted include the user-friendly interface, multimedia documentation, and real-time feedback. These features allow for students to take on an active and autonomous role in their learning journeys. By using individual teacher created sign ins or a class QR code, students can easily upload videos and photos of their work to their digital portfolios. After uploading to the platform students can receive feedback from their teachers, or comments and emojis from their peers and parents. This increases engagement and promotes the development of a supportive, collaborative classroom environment.

For teachers, SeeSaw simplifies and enhances communication between teachers, parents, and students. Building a community between home and school allows for the celebration of student learning and fosters a more positive educational experience for everyone involved. Sending home the good and opening up the doors of communication is something SeeSaw can easily facilitate and is something I hope to use in my own teaching career. Another feature the group mentioned that I think would be especially useful is setting classroom hours to limit communication to specific times. This ensures that as a teacher you are also managing your work hours to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Lastly, teachers can use this platform to create and assign activities or draw from templates and resources within SeeSaw. They can then monitor student progress and see when students may require additional support or a check-in.

Some potential drawbacks to using SeeSaw is ensuring equitable access to technology resources for both parents and students to truly develop the community SeeSaw strives to offer. Also, SeeSaw stores student data, which means there exists the potential risk of a data leak, but with a SeeSaw subscription that data is stored securely in Canada, making it much safer for educational use.

Class Dojo – Connor, Carter, and Eva

Connor, Eva and Carter highlighted the platform Class Dojo and even let us experience it from the student’s perspective!

From the teacher’s perspective, Class Dojo offers ease of communication with students and parents. Teachers can split their class into student groups, monitoring their conversations to ensure positive collaboration. Class Dojo also helps teachers with their workload as it has a built in AI feature for assisting with lesson planning. Another really great feature this platform offers is event planning – thinking of taking your class on a field trip but need chaperones? Well, you can ask parents, and they can sign up directly through the app!

For parents, this platform streamlines communication with their child’s teacher promoting stronger family-teacher partnerships. Also, the platform offers short educational videos that can be used at home to assist parents in supporting their children’s learning journeys!

For students, Class Dojo offers students an interactive way to take part in learning. They can customize their avatar and participate in fun activities with classmates online. Through Class Dojo students can receive real time feedback from their teacher as they can reward students when they are engaged and on task. Journaling, drawing, collaborating, messaging, and class share pages can all be used by students for learning, creativity, and fun! As a class, we experimented with Dojo Islands. Our avatars played “hide and seek” and then worked on a math problem game which our teacher (Carter) supervised, ensuring everyone was on task. The group recommended that Class Dojo be used primarily in younger elementary ages as the novelty of the gamification experience may wear off and provide limited learning opportunities for older students.

Inclusive Classroom Technology – Barbra, Savanna, Mya, and Graham