Seesaw in Teacher Training: The Digital Tool That’s Shaking Up Classrooms

 

By Xi Lin

 

Picture this: A classroom where future teachers—juggling lesson plans, practicums, and caffeine—get to test-drive the same tech they’ll use with their own students. That’s exactly what happened in a recent study (Yang-Heim & Lin, 2024) where teacher candidates tried Seesaw, the popular K-12 learning platform, in their college course. The results? A mix of "This is genius!" and "But will it work with five-year-olds?"

 

The Problem: Tech-Savvy Teachers… Who Aren’t That Tech-Savvy

Today’s teacher candidates grew up with smartphones, but when it comes to using tech in the classroom, many hit a wall. As one participant put it: "I’m comfortable with Instagram, but Seesaw? That’s a whole new world." Sound familiar?

 

Enter Seesaw, a platform loved by K-12 teachers for student portfolios and parent communication. But in higher ed? Crickets. Researchers Yang-Heim and Lin (2024) decided to change that by integrating Seesaw into a literacy methods course—with a twist.

 

The Experiment: Teacher Candidates as Students First

Instead of just teaching about Seesaw, the professor had future educators use it as learners.

 

Here’s how it worked:

1. Vocabulary Boot Camp: Students rated their understanding of a word, used Seesaw’s drawing/video tools to explain it, and peer-reviewed each other’s work. (Spoiler: Stick-figure definitions got rave reviews.)
2. Teaching Philosophy Tracker: They documented their evolving teaching beliefs on Seesaw—think audio reflections over doodles of their "aha!" moments.

 

The goal? Let them experience Seesaw’s perks (and pitfalls) before they’re responsible for 25 kindergartners with iPads. Figure 1 shows an example of using Seesaw to display students’ work and to interact with the instructor.

 

 

The Good, the Bad, and the Cute (Because Stick Figures)

✅ The Wins:

• "Finally, collaboration that doesn’t suck!" Students loved peer feedback and the platform’s visual appeal.
• "I’d use this for snow days!" Many saw Seesaw as a lifeline for hybrid/online learning.
• "It’s like a digital scrapbook!" The mix of photos, voiceovers, and drawings made assignments feel personal.

 

❌ The Oops Moments:

• "Will my kindergartners even get this?" Some worried about the complexity for little learners.
• "Where’s the teacher manual?" Many felt lost navigating Seesaw’s teacher features (since they’d only used it as students).
• "Tech is great, but what about writing?" A few students struggled to balance screens with pencil-and-paper skills.

 

The Big Takeaway: "We Need More Practice!"

By the end, 68% of participants wanted to use Seesaw in their future classrooms—but with caveats:

• More training: "Show me how to assign work, not just submit it!"
• Age-appropriate hacks: "Maybe simplify the interface for first graders?"
• Balance: "Tech shouldn’t replace crayons… just complement them."

 

 

Try This in Your Classroom

For professors or K-12 teachers curious about Seesaw:

1. Start small: Use it for one activity (e.g., vocabulary visuals).
2. Play both roles: Have teacher candidates try it as students first, then as teachers.
3. Embrace the mess: Let them critique it. ("Why is the upload button so tiny?!")

 

Final Thought: Tech Won’t Replace Teachers… But It Will Test Their Patience

Seesaw isn’t magic—but as a bridge between theory and practice? Gold. As one participant summed it up: "It’s like seeing my future classroom… minus the glitter explosions."

 

Seesaw boosted engagement and tech skills for future teachers, but they crave more training—and reassurance that it won’t replace finger painting.

 

Reference

Yang-Heim, G. Y. A., Lin, X. (2024). Teacher candidates’ perspectives on the integration of digital tools in teacher training programs: A case study of using seesaw. International Journal of Technology-Enhanced Education, 3(1) 1-19. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJTEE.362622