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Getting Started with Seesaw in the Library

seesaw
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
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Tips and Ideas for Using SeeSaw in the School Library

Have you heard of the latest app to take over the schools? Seesaw is an interactive app that allows students to post the things they work on in school. Next, their families can see their work! Because it’s based mostly on pictures and video, Seesaw also allows students to post links, text notes, drawings, and other media to share with their families. In addition, there are so many possibilities with Seesaw. Classroom teachers love Seesaw, but teacher librarians can get in on the act, too! Check out how to use Seesaw in the library! Journal posts First, the original intention of Seesaw was an online journal for students and families. As students post their entries to the journal, families get alerts. Next, parents and guardians see what students have been working on during the school day.  In addition, you can also make use of this school-to-home connection! Have students
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Why You Should Use Choice Boards in Your Library Classroom

Elementary library and classrooms should be a space where students can explore a variety of genres, get lost in a favorite book series, and dive into the world of nonfiction. Giving students the freedom to choose what and how they learn fosters engagement and a lifelong love of reading. That’s where choice boards come in! Want to know why choice boards are a game-changer for your library classroom? Here are a few key reasons to start using them today! K-2 Choice Boards in Your Library Classroom Choice boards are a collection of activities that are formatted in a grid. Students can pick and choose which of Choice boards are a grid of activities that allow students to select and complete tasks in any order they prefer. Giving students the opportunity to choose their activities can significantly enhance their reading enjoyment and comprehension. During COVID, I started creating digital picture
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Getting Started with Flipgrid

Flipgrid’s catchphrase is “empower every voice”. Teachers and students around the globe use Flipgrid to allow all voices to be heard in the classroom. There are so many uses for Flipgrid in the library, and it’s really easy to get started with Flipgrid! Sign Up for Flipgrid Signing up for Flipgrid is simple. You can login with your G Suite or Microsoft account to create an educator account. Start Your Grid Once you sign up, dialogue boxes will walk you through the process, but your first step is creating a Grid. Your Grid is like your homebase for your classroom. I like to create a Grid for each grade level that I teach.  First, you’ll title your Grid. Next, you’ll select a Grid type.  School Email If your students have email addresses, you can easily control which domains have access to your Grid. This helps with security. Note that
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All About Book Snaps

As a librarian, you are constantly finding creative resources to get your students to fall in love with books. Why not utilize the format of one of their favorite apps, “Snapchat”? No, you don’t have to have your students download the app. “Book Snaps” simply are digital images or photos where students can annotate or share their own ideas about a book. Learn all about Book Snaps and how to use them in your library classroom! Apps to Use for Book Snaps To begin, your students will take a photo or a screenshot of a page of text. It can be a digital or physical book. In order to annotate the text and add fun images and reactions, they can use any app that allows for editing. The native photo app on most phones PicCollage Canva Seesaw Google Slides Google Drawings. . .and more! How to Create a Book
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Using Wakelet for Collaborative Research Projects

Wakelet can be used in numerous ways, but did you know it is the perfect tool for a collaborative research project? And not just for upper elementary students but younger grades as well. There are three key benefits in using Wakelet this way. Students do not need an account to use Wakelet. You do not have to set up usernames and passwords or make sure students know how to log-in. All you do is share the link with your students. They will be able to view all your links and documents as well as add their own. You can easily have your students complete their research projects whether they are in school, virtual, hybrid or any other combination you can think of. All students need is access to an internet connected device. They can still work collaboratively together. Everything your students need to complete their research project can be
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Staying Cool in the Library is my blog, where I share my passion for fostering a love of reading with children. As a librarian, I believe reading should be fun and accessible to all students. That’s why I share engaging and interactive lesson plans, creative ways to build exciting library collections, and resources to inspire even the most reluctant readers in any classroom or library. Check out my blog posts and products in my store, and join my email list below.

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