Tips

Even without an IXL paid account, you can still support students while they’re using IXL. Use the resources below and make sure to check out the videos linked at the bottom of the page!

If you haven’t checked it out yet, now is the time. This past semester, Seesaw released a new *game-changing* feature, Seesaw Groups. Seesaw groups allow you to assign student work to groups of students with one click.  Creating and Assigning to Seesaw Groups Seesaw groups are also super easy to create. From your Seesaw homepage, select the wrench in the top right corner. Under students > Manage Student Groups > Type in a name for the student group > Add Student Group. From there, you can select the students you want in that group, then select the green check mark...

We have made assignments that you can import into your canvas or seesaw class that helps guide students through IXL. We also made a Youtube video (Scroll all the way down) specifically for students to help navigate finding assigned skills & the resources / tools they have available to them.

Remediation and Extension is essential for any classroom but lack of time, data, and resources makes it difficult. That’s where IXL can help! I will show 4 different ways IXL can help you, but it’s up to you to use it in a meaningful way.  In order to have quality data you have to give the Diagnostic and Star Essential skills. Watch the video below to see what the diagnostic looks like and tips on giving it to your students. Once your students completed the diagnostic you can use the reports below to help scaffold and differentiate. 🎥 IXL Diagnostic...

Homepage You should be meeting the following requirements to ensure your homepage is accessible. Translated Text Fonts that are readable (avoid cursive or anything that looks cursive) Visual icons Below are two customizable homepages you can use and edit for your own class. There is a horizontal calendar option and a vertical calendar option. Click on the links for the canvas course to copy it in your course. Canvas Horizontal Calendar Homepage Canvas Vertical Calendar Homepage Common Icons I recommend starting the year with an intro and a key of common icons you use in your classroom, see example above....

As a kid, I felt so satisfied when holding the small wooden scraper tool to scratch away the layer of black ink, revealing all the hidden rainbow colors on a scratch art pad.   You can create the same nostalgic Scratch Art feel digitally in Seesaw! Using Scratch Art can amp up engagement with students while holding on to the content you want them to focus on.  Simply use the rainbow Seesaw background, add a layer of black with the marker, then use white to write your content.  Students then use the eraser tool to trace your content or anywhere...

Canvas studio is a video creation and engagement tool that makes creating, editing, and using videos easier for both teachers and students. Now everyone can create and collaborate through video media right in Canvas.  There are a lot of useful purposes for Studio but some of my favorites include  Instructors can record or upload a simple video and use the editing tools to make it interactive, engaging, and add captions with a click of a button.  Students can upload large video sizes easily (Student iPads don’t have access to all of studio) Add quizzes on top of created or uploaded videos...

Seesaw has updated their messaging! You can now add more than one person to a message, including students, other teachers in your building, and parents. Read on to learn more!

Below are the changes and updates for Canvas starting April 16th.  Change Default Due Time  You can change the default due time for your courses. Go to Account Settings or Course Settings and change the time that fits your course’s needs. *The new default due time will not update existing assignments with due dates already set.  Apply Score to Ungraded Assignments A new option in the gradebook allows you to apply scores to ungraded submissions all at once. The options menu from an assignment group or the Total column in the Gradebook allows instructors to select to Apply Score to Ungraded....

Finding small and easy ways to connect with our students doesn’t just help engage them in content, it also creates small opportunities in building relationship. Making videos can become an easy tool that you keep in your Batman Utility Belt. Check out some new ideas and strategies below on how to use videos in your classroom. Building background / academic language Instead of starting a unit with a video you found on youtube, make your own! Talk about how it connects to your prior unit so it activates prior knowledge or sparks engagement with a fun video of you going...

Seesaw has just released some amazing improvements that will make your teacher life so much easier! Students can’t delete teacher-created activity pages anymore Smarter pen vs move tool selection Accidental page reordering and creation fixed No more accidental unlocking Be sure your app (and your students’ app) is updated to fully enjoy these five new changes. Keep reading to learn more! Prevented Page Deletion by Students Before: Students could delete pages from Activity templates.  After: When responding to an Activity, students cannot delete pages that are part of the Activity template created by teachers. Tapping on the 3 dots will only...

The majority of my students in my 4th grade classroom are able to use writing to explain their thinking and answer any given problem. They may need sentence starters or a bit of extra support, but they will be able to find success and mastery just by writing. However, there is always a student or two that need a little more than extra support, and would benefit from being able to respond to problems in different ways. Explaining answers aloud is a common IEP accommodation and strategy for our EL students, but can often be mentally draining to put into...

PLC productivity and organization is crucial to help save time, energy, and simply make things easier. Below are 5 google apps that can help improve your PLC process. Google Keep Keeping files and thoughts organized and digital is essential for PLC. Google keep doesn’t just store notes. You can add reminders, collaborators, and store links all in one place. For PLC, google keep is helpful with Keeping track of notes about your PLC goals Copying and pasting links to your documents Linking emails to google keeps to stay organized (Read more below)  Adding labels to your google keep so you...