Taylor Stoddard's Portfolio Page
About Me
Hi everyone! My name is Taylor Stoddard and am currently enrolled in the CDIT program at UAlbany. I graduated from The College of St. Rose in 2016. This is my sixth year teaching. My first 4 years I taught 3rd grade and for the last 2 years I have been teaching 2nd grade!
I have a dog named Dexter, and a small black cat named Binx that I adore! I enjoy hiking, working on puzzles, reading, and traveling.
My Topic and Purpose
Intent of project: Using Seesaw to increase student's engagement and comprehension of lessons.
Recently teachers experienced a huge learning curve when the world suddenly shifted to online learning. During this time teachers found themselves struggling to engage students in lessons and find resources to support student learning. This was a time when teachers had to relearn how to teach, in a completely new way. Luckily there were dozens of online resources that were waiting to help. One specific resource proved to be an invaluable resource to teachers during this time, and that resource was Seesaw. Seesaw is an app-based platform that allows students, teachers, and family members to complete and share classwork. Not only that, but the platform allows for numerous ways to share and express each student’s learning. This resource has proved to be invaluable for teachers who have found success in using Seesaw in their classrooms.
Through this course you will learn the benefits of using Seesaw to engage student learning, the educational impact it has on students, and how to incorporate it into your classroom.
Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content
Unit 1: What is Seesaw and how does it support student learning?
- Students will be able to explain what Seesaw is and what it is used for.
Unit 2: How can I use Seesaw to assess student work?
- Students will be able to describe the assessment tools and what they are used for.
Unit 3: How can I create a Seesaw lesson?
- Students will be able to summarize the different ways to create a Seesaw lesson.
Needs Assessment
Technology in the classroom is a concept that has been increasingly prevalent over the last several years. When Covid-19 happened, many teachers found themselves at a loss for how to connect with the students, how to get their work to them, and how to assess the work the students were doing at home. During this time teachers spent countless hours searching for the appropriate resource that would support them during this time. However, many teachers were unaware of a key resource to make this this transition to online learning successful, Seesaw.
To conduct my needs assessment, I contacted the teachers in my school and asked them to participate in a short survey. In my survey I asked the teachers how long they had been teaching (5-year range), what they found the most difficult about transitioning to online learning, what resources they found the most useful, and how they learned to use those resources.
Instructional Problem: Teachers need more information about various websites and resources for them to be able to incorporate them into their classrooms. At a time when learning is constantly shifting from in person to online, teachers do not have the time to research the resources being given to them. Teachers want to learn about the important features of Seesaw and how it can help them in the classroom. Teachers also want to know about the educational impact that Seesaw provides such as classroom management, creating student engagement, and increased student achievement (Kyoko, 2017).
What will be learned: Through this course students will develop an understanding of what Seesaw is, and the educational impact it has on students and families. Students will be able to explore different resources that Seesaw provides and see how each one is beneficial to teachers and students. Students will also be able to explore how a simple lesson is developed and be able to choose appropriate resources to assess their students. The goal of this course is to make learners more comfortable and fluent when using this platform. As the end of the course learners should be able to choose appropriate assessments and resources for their students.
Analysis of the Learner and Context
Analysis of Learners: Learners in this course will include educators at the elementary level who are looking for ways to positively impact their students and enrich their learning through the use of technology in the classroom. This course could also be aimed at parents who are looking for more ways to connect with their child’s classroom, especially during a time when parents are unable to participate as they would have in the past. This course is a good resource for teachers who are unfamiliar with using technology, specifically Seesaw, in their classroom, and teachers who are new to the field and are looking for additional resources that will enhance their teaching.
Context for Learning: This course will be taught fully online and designed for educators to progress through at their own pace. This course will be learner-centered and will allow learners to move through the course at a pace that they find fitting. The course will be broken down into three simple units where learners will learn what Seesaw is, the educational impacts of using Seesaw, and how you can create a simple lesson and use it to assess student’s work. The use of a device that can access internet and play videos will be required to complete this course. The course units will build upon each other to form an understanding of Seesaw.
Exploring the Problem and Solution: With constant shifts in teaching teachers need to be able to connect with their students learning in a multitude of ways. With schools going virtual essentially overnight due to Covid-19 teachers did not know how to teach their students, assess their work, or support their students learning. Seesaw is an online platform where teachers can create lessons, post videos, choose from various forms of assessment, and comment on student work. Although we are back in the classroom now, Seesaw is an essential tool that can be used to support students everyday learning.
Goals: The goal of this course is to help teachers become more fluent using Seesaw and understand how it can help support their students learning both in and out of the classroom. Teachers will learn the benefits of using Seesaw, explore the various forms of assessments, and create a simple Seesaw lesson that can be used in a classroom.
Performance-Based Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to
- explain what Seesaw is and the educational benefits to using it
- Identify the assessment tool used on Seesaw and determine when you would use each one
- Summarize the steps to creating a Seesaw lesson
Task Analysis
Prior to beginning this course, the participants should:
-have a basic understanding of lesson planning
-be able to use several different forms of assessment to assess student work
-know how to record video and upload handouts to a computer
Unit 1: What is Seesaw and how does it support student learning?
- Students will be able to explain what Seesaw is and what it is used for.
- Students will be able to explain the educational impacts of using Seesaw.
- Students will be able to explain the benefits of using Seesaw for teachers, students, and parents.
Unit 2: How can I use Seesaw to assess student work?
- Students will be able to identify the importance of using assessments
- Students will be able to identify and explain how to use each assessment tool to assess student work.
- Students will select an assessment tool and describe a lesson where they would use it.
Unit 3: How can I create a Seesaw lesson?
- Students will be able to identify different subjects that can be taught and assessed using Seesaw.
- Students will be able to use the Seesaw library to select a lesson.
- Students will be able to explain the steps to creating a new Seesaw lesson.
Curriculum Map
| Unit 1: What is Seesaw and how does it support student learning? | Unit 2: How can I use Seesaw to assess student work? | Unit 3: How can I create a Seesaw lesson? |
| Lesson 1: Defining Seesaw | Lesson 1: Why do we need assessments? | Lesson 1: Subjects supported by Seesaw |
| Lesson 2: The educational impacts of Seesaw | Lesson 2: Seesaw’s assessment tools | Lesson 2: Seesaw Library |
| Lesson 3: Benefits to teachers, students, and parents | Lesson 3:
Choosing the right assessment tool |
Lesson 3: Creating a Seesaw Lesson |
References and Resources
Fisher, Michael R. and Joe Bandy, (2019). Assessing Student Learning. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved April 3, 2022 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/assessing-student-learning/.
Jarvis, Andrea and Martin, Zachary. (2018). The Impact of Using Seesaw Between Students, Parents, and Teacher in an Elementary Setting. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/288
Johns, Kyoko, et al. "Cool tools for school: Twenty-first-century tools for student engagement." Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin 84.1 (2017): 53.
Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2019). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Nur, M. R. O., & Riadil, I. G. (2021, April). SEESAW MEDIA: DIGITAL NATIVES’PREFERENCE IN 4.0 SPEAKING LEARNING CLASS. In English Language and Literature International Conference (ELLiC) Proceedings (Vol. 3, pp. 202-208).
Rou, L. Y., & Yunus, M.M (2020) The Use of Seesaw in Increasing Pupils' Reading Interest. Universal Journal of Educational Research. http://www.hrpub.org/
Ryan, Alison, "What Happens When the Seesaw App is Used in a Kindergarten Classroom?" (2018). Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning. 1. https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/metl/1
