Getting Started with Seesaw in the Library

Have you jumped on the Seesaw train yet? If not, there is probably a good reason! If you are a librarian and find yourself thinking “That is great for classroom teachers, but how would I use it?”, get ready for a surprise. Why not make use of a tool that students, teachers, and families already use with their grade level classrooms? Keep reading get started with Seesaw in the Library.

Create your own classes

First, create your own classes to allow more personalization and customization, and work around the two teacher limit in the free Seesaw. This is an especially useful activity. However, it is time consuming depending on the size of your school. If you have more than 500 students,  ask to be a teacher in an already-created classroom. On the other hand, you can create your own classes to give you the chance to communicate with students and families alike!

To get started, log in to your SeeSaw account. First, create a pretend “Test” class. Next, name it something easily recognized as your pretend class.  From there, start adding classes through your account settings in the upper, left-hand corner.

Next, click on the “Create New Class” option to create and name your new class. Create classes and name them however works for you. Personally, I like to name things without teacher names until classes are set for the year. Use names like “Kindergarten A”, “Kindergarten B”, etc. Renaming classes is simple, but you don’t want to have to input students again and again when the classes change!

Ask to be added as a teacher.

Next, if you have a large school and don’t have the time to create classes for each section, ask to be added to already-created classrooms as a teacher. (If you are using the free SeeSaw version, there is a limit of two teachers per class, so your administrator may want to delegate who is added as a teacher.)

To be added, teachers click on the wrench in the top, right-hand corner of the dashboard. In the class settings, look for the words “Manage Teachers.”

Finally, the classroom teacher puts your email in the invite line, and clicks on “Invite Teacher.” You are now one click away from being a teacher in that class! Simply accept the invitation in your email, and you’re good to go!

Assign activities built for librarians!

Beyond simply posting journal entries, go ahead and assign activities that pertain to the library specifically! To look for them, go to the green plus button, and look for “Assign activity”.

When you get to the activities library, check out the “Community” library tab! Search for what you need and find some new treasures!  There are more than 200 results under “library”. 

Once you find an activity you like, click on the heart in the upper right-hand corner of the thumbnail to save it to your “My Library” tab. 

From the “My Library” tab, assign the activity to the classes you choose. The activity walks students through steps, and some even have recorded instructions! Browse, explore, and add activities to your library as you find them!

If you are a librarian looking to integrate a tool that students, teachers, and families are already familiar with , Seesaw is a wonderful tool for your library classroom. The school-to-home connection is second to none, and the activities feature allows you to assign activities when you may not be able to see students face-to-face. After you get started using Seesaw in the library, the possibilities are endless. What will you try first?

You can also add something about the SeeSaw ready products in my store. I have a custom category you can search through right here!