Seesaw is a digital portfolio that allows students to save and submit a variety of work: videos, photos, text, and drawings. They can reflect on their work in writing or with a voice recording when they submit it, and teachers can offer feedback as well. Teachers can then approve items to make them accessible to parents. Parents can message teachers privately through the tool, and translation is available if the device language settings are different from the original message.

Why use SeeSaw?

Teachers at all levels and across all subject areas can use Seesaw in their classes to keep digital portfolios of student work, including commenting on student work. Teachers can communicate with parents easily and share student work with them or push out assignments to students. They can also choose work to share with a broader audience via a blog.

Seesaw makes it easy for teachers to deliver differentiated assignments to specific students, and it gives students the opportunity to reflect on their work. Parents can quickly and easily see the work students are producing and view teacher feedback. Teachers can enable student ‘likes’, comments, and editing as well. Importantly, all commenting must be approved by the teacher, allowing moderation.

Teachers can use Seesaw to communicate easily with all students and parents. Teachers have the option to review a feed of an entire classes’ work or view it for a specific student, which is handy for parent – teacher meetings.

What technology can be used?

When teachers set up their classes, they can print a handout with a QR code to give to parents explaining how to register and download the parent app (which is available online, on Android, Chromebook, and iOS) in a variety of languages. Alternatively, teachers can email parents a prompt to sign up for Seesaw.

Getting Started

SeeSaw is free for teachers to use, but there a paid upgrade allows tracking of skills mastery. The Seesaw Help Centre hosts a variety of activity ideas and training / professional development for teachers.