Seesaw Activities - Another brilliant addition!

Ok, so I am a little late to the party! Seesaw introduced activities a good few months ago, but I've only just got around to really investigating this fantastic addition to what is my favourite app to use in the classroom.

I recently blogged my top 5 apps of 2017. Seesaw was at the top of my list. For me, this app is a no-brainer for the primary classroom. The endless benefits for how it can enhance teaching and learning, save teachers time and money and embed key digital literacy skills for your pupils has meant it has become the app I use most and one I regularly share on my training sessions.

I have recently been contacted by a number of teachers who have been told by their local authority that they can no longer use Seesaw as it will not comply with the new GDPR guidelines that will take effect in May 2018. I contacted Seesaw about this and this was their response:

GDPR goes into effect in the EU in May 2018 and Seesaw is preparing to be compliant with it.
If you are concerned about data storage, the GDPR has specific requirements regarding the transfer of data out of the EU. One of these requirements is that the transfer must only happen to countries deemed as having adequate data protection laws. Privacy Shield is an agreement between the EU and US allowing for the transfer of personal data from the EU to US. Privacy Shield allows US companies to meet this requirement of the GDPR.
Seesaw complies with Privacy Shield regarding the collection, use and retention of personal information from European Union member countries. Seesaw has certified that it adheres to the Privacy Shield Privacy Principles of notice, choice, accountability for onward transfer, security, data integrity, access, and enforcement and liability. You can learn more about the Privacy Shield program on their website and view our certification page.
We hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.

By all means, please use this in your policies and contact Seesaw directly for more information.

Back to Seesaw's latest addition - Activities. This short video gives a quick explanation and overview of what teachers can do for activites.

The potential for this is amazing! A brilliant way for teachers to create independent activities for pupils to complete. It makes it very easy for teachers to create differentiated activities for students or create extension activities for pupils who complete tasks. You could create a series of activities that pupils can complete for the carousel activities in guided reading sessions. There is a library of activities where teachers from around the world have shared activities for you to use, but for me, it is the personal touch that makes this tool more powerful. 

When creating an activity, teachers can write a set of instructions but also record a voice recording explaining the task, which makes it easy for pupils who still may struggle decoding text. There is also the option to add images of the Seesaw icons in the written instructions to make it easier for pupils to follow the instructions to complete the task. Here are the icon shortcuts for you to use:

So for 2018, why not give Seesaw and Seesaw Activities a go!