WAP 3 Scribing

    Expanding beyond what Alan November discussed in the use of scribing, today I will be exploring the use of SeeSaw in the early childhood classroom. The methods discussed in this chapter are not really applicable at the earliest levels but scribing can still take place in a different form.  Students love seeing their own work and the work of their peers.  I love SeeSaw because it gives young students the chance to respond in a way that is comfortable for them using video, audio, text, drawing applications, photos, and links.

          SeeSaw is easy to use, even for the youngest of students. I was shocked when within weeks, the kindergartener I nannied during online learning could navigate the application without my assistance. Providing young students with a video or voice option to respond means they can provide far more elaborate responses than would be possible for them to write at that age.  Students can draw photos and then use the microphone to explain what they are conveying as well.  Students can comment on each other's posts and leave feedback for their peers and teacher. The teacher remains in control of the conversations  to ensure that everything being posted is appropriate for the classroom. 

    For my second grade classroom, I could see myself using this idea during a reading comprehension class. I would divide my students up into groups and have them all read the same story or fable. I would then have each group focus on a specific part of the story map such as the characters, setting, theme,  problem, solution, etc. While students are working on this, I would be walking around, answering questions and guiding students to make sure their answers are on track. Students would then record a video  for their group explaining their portion of the story map to share with the class. Students could then view their own videos and the videos of their peers, The videos would remain on the application for students to revisit as often as needed  in case they have questions or need clarification in a certain area of the story. Students could post any questions they have for the group or comments as well. 

    Prior to utilizing SeeSaw in collaborative ways, I would have to work with my class on how to have conversations, give feedback, and disagree. I would use sentence structures in my class to help students communicate with each other while being kind and courteous of others. Since I have to approve the comments on SeeSaw, I would be able to spot any problems and work with students one on one or in small groups if they need additional guidance on conversing with their peers. Because this project would require so much collaboration, I would not introduce it at the beginning of the year, but rather work up to it with smaller activities and discussions on SeeSaw. 

    I feel like at the early childhood level, this is one of the easiest and most user friendly applications for the students and provides autonomy to respond in the way that best suits them.  It allows children at the early childhood level to continue to be creative in their responses and creates a happy, safe, and comfortable environment for all students involved.