Project Findings

Project Findings

The use of Seesaw in a classroom of 21 students showed impact on students’ academic growth, empowerment of families, and increased student engagement. The application was mainly used during the 30-40 minute whole group math block, in addition to other parts of the day. Students worked in a variety of stations during this time: independent work, group/partner work, computer work, and work with the teacher. Seesaw was used during independent work. Students chose from independent games or activities pushed out by the teacher on Seesaw. If an independent game was chosen, students used Seesaw to document their work. The online activities on Seesaw consisted of story problems and other math tasks. Throughout the implementation of this application, there were several findings.

The first finding was that students showed academic growth. Seesaw allowed for individual teacher-led activities without the teacher there. The pre-recorded videos explained a story problem or math task and could be pushed out to all, or certain students. The use of technology allowed for all students to receive the instruction they needed simultaneously. This created growth academically because all students were receiving instruction in the areas they needed. When teachers use the TPACK model in their planning, things that weren’t possible before, are made possible (Chai, et al. 2011).

The second finding was that families became empowered with the use of Seesaw. This was the most important goal of implementation. Families connected to Seesaw and could see their own child’s work posted. They were able to see the things they were working on, ideas to hit those standards, and connect with their child through academics. Through these experiences, families gained understanding of grade level math expectations and ways to help their child in those areas. Communication between schools and families is important in all circumstances, but especially when disadvantaged students are involved (Davis, 1991). Just over 50% of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch, so this communication was vital to their success in schools. Barack Obama stated, “Family engagement raises student achievement regardless of the parents’ education level, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background” (Mazza, 2014). The use of Seesaw increased family engagement without the families even needing to step foot inside of the school. A variety of modes of communication are important because all families communicate differently (Nixon, 2007). Some families will appreciate and attend in person meetings, others may prefer or need the option of technology (Stellar, 2014). Seesaw allowed families to connect whenever it was convenient for them.

The last finding of this study was increased student engagement. All students described feeling more excited to participate in math rotations with the option of online learning options. Research has shown, students prefer the use of technology over activities or lessons without it  (Letwinsky, 2017). The use of technology may be preferred by students, but it can cause issues. Online communication is done distantly and can lead to cyber-bullying (Corrigan & Robertson, 2015). Seesaw allowed for teacher approval of all posts from students to avoid this issue of misuse. It also gave students a unique opportunity to respond to questions. Quiet or shy students are not as likely to speak up in the whole group setting to share their opinion or thinking (Collins, 1997). Seesaw allowed for these students to have a voice without the stress of public speaking. Overall, the use of Seesaw in this classroom was shown to be effective.

References

Chai, C. S., Koh, J. H., Tsai, C., & Tan, L. L. (2011). Modeling primary school pre-service teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) for meaningful learning with information and communication technology (ICT). Computers & Education, 57(1), 1184-1193. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.01.007

Collins, J. (1997). Barriers to Communication in Schools. British Educational Research Association.

Corrigan, L., & Robertson, L. (2015). Inside the Digital Wild West: How School Leaders Both Access and Avoid Social Media. University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

Davis, W. E. (1991). Disadvantaged Students Are Overrepresented in Disadvantaged Schools. American Psychological Association. doi:10.1787/9789264130852-graph21-en

Letwinsky, K. M. (2017). Examining the relationship between secondary mathematics teachers’ self-efficacy, attitudes, and use of technology to support communication and mathematics literacy. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 3(1), 56-66.

Mazza, J. A., Jr. (2014). The Use of Social Media Tools by School Principals to Communicate Between Home and School. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 74(12-A(E)).

Nixon, H. (2007) Expanding the semiotic repertoire: environmental communications in the primary school. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 30(2).

Stellar, A. (2014). Diversity Communications Toolkit: A Guide to Diversity Communications/Engagement in Education. Journal of School Public Relations, 35 (1)