Villa Voice Summer 2019 VillaVoice Summer 2019 | Page 3

St. Ursula Villa Parents and
Teachers Implement New
Communication Technology
In an ongoing initiative to leverage communications technology, St.
Ursula Villa has launched the popular app "Seesaw" as an additional
channel for teacher-parent communication. Seesaw allows Villa
parents to view photos and videos of classroom activities and lessons,
and serves as an effective conversation tool for the question of “What
did you do in school today?”
Over the course of the past academic year, the Villa’s Education
Committee evaluated different technologies to communicate with
parents and build family engagement. They chose Seesaw – one of the
most popular learning tools for elementary school students and used
in more than half of all U.S. schools – because it “opens doors into
classrooms” and gives teachers an easy and effective tool to document
learning and educational experiences.
Through Seesaw, teachers create parent-accessible Student Portfolios,
post photos and videos of class activities, and share student lessons.
Parents can view the posts, add comments, and engage in their child’s
school day. Students in some grades can utilize Seesaw to upload
projects, share videos, and capture their learning.
This Seesaw screen shot shows how parents shared
comments and enjoyed photos of a guest speaker's visit to
the Traditional 4-year-old classroom.
After addressing privacy and other isssues, the Education Committee
piloted Seesaw in a few test classrooms, resulting in rave reviews
from both teachers and parents. Once all Villa faculty received
training on how to effectively use Seesaw, it was rolled out in all
classrooms in March. One month of Seesaw use resulted in:
• 1,400 pieces of student work added to 662 student portfolios
• 4,347 visits by families to their student’s portfolios
• 262 families kept in the loop about their child’s learning
First Grade Teacher Holly Heekin shares, “I enjoyed using Seesaw
this year because it enabled me to give parents a ‘peek’ into our
classroom. When we studied the butterfly life cycle and raised
Painted Lady Butterflies, I posted a photo of students gathered
around a chrysalis watching a butterfly emerge! I loved sharing that
exciting moment as well as other classroom activities and field trips.
It was nice to receive positive feedback from parents as well.”
“This new communication tool creates a forum for enhanced family
engagement, increased student ownership, and greater parent
familiarity with the outstanding educational experiences in our
classrooms,” says Principal Polly Duplace. “We are pleased to find
communication technology through a user-friendly app that serves all
members of our learning community so well.”
“This new communication
tool creates a forum
for enhanced family
engagement, increased
student ownership,
and greater parent
familiarity with the
outstanding educational
experiences in our
classrooms.”
PRINCIPAL POLLY DUPLACE
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