[0:01]Welcome everyone. Thank you for joining us. We are on day two here at CSaw Connect. Thank you for making the time to join us. Those of you that are coming in from the waiting room, hop into the chat, introduce yourself, tell us your role, your name, where are you joining us from? That is always really fun to see how many people are joining from literally all over the world. So exciting to have everyone with us here today. I am Angela from the Seesaw team and we welcome you to digital portfolios for the multilingual learner. Brianna will be presenting today. We encourage you to take notes, share insights and be active while you are learning. Remember that you get points on the leader board, so hop into that chat. If you need to turn on closed captioning, you can do that in the upper right. Just hit CC and choose your preferred language. Make sure to stick around to the very end of the session in order to qualify to get that certificate, uh at the end that will be emailed to you and also, of course, we have our Caesar gear giveaway. So I am going to hand it over to our amazing presenter, Brianna. Hey everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I am so excited to be talking to you about digital portfolios for multilingual learners. Um, this is something that is very near and dear to my heart. Uh, before we get started, let me just tell you a little bit about me. So, uh, again, my name is Brianna. I am an English as a second language teacher. I have been teaching ESL for three years. This will be my fourth year now. Um, and I just finished my fifth year of teaching. Um, my background is in early childhood, but I also do a little bit with sped, obviously ESL. And then I do have my masters of instructional technology and I'm certified as a K-12 tech specialist. Um, so, along with teaching ESL, I also do teacher technology support in my building, and I do a lot with Seesaw and helping teachers use it in their classrooms. Outside of school, um, I just got married about a year and a half ago, and I have an 11-month old daughter, so life is crazy busy right now. So why are we here today? I just want to go over our agenda a little bit. So we're going to talk about four main questions, who, what, why and how. Who are we talking about, why are we talking about them, what are we even talking about, and how can you implement this into your classroom? So we're going to spend a little bit of time talking about each of these questions, and my hope is that by the end of the session, you feel confident in supporting your multilingual learners, whether they you are a Gen Ed teacher and they're just in your classroom, or you specialize in teaching ESL students. Before we get started, let's do some ice breakers. And this is actually an activity that I do with my students, and I will do it on Seesaw sometimes, um, just to give them a fun thing to do. So it's called Name That Tune. So you have to look at some images and see if you can figure out the song title. Here's the first one, put your answers in the chat if you think you know what it is. This one's pretty easy. This is Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. Something a little harder, but more current. Go ahead, put it in the chat, see if you know what it is. This is Diamond by Rihanna. And the last one is definitely the most current and the least obvious in pictures. I wonder if you can figure out what song it is. So this is Peaches by Jack Black from the new, um, Mario movie. My students, a little story about this. My students absolutely loved following me around the building whenever they could see me and sing this song because they knew that it would get stuck in my head, and then I would start singing it back to them, and they thought it was just the funniest thing ever. I don't know why, as soon as something repetitive hits my mind, it just, it just plays, and my students loved it. Um, so again, this is an activity that I do with my kids, especially to work on those observation skills and language skills, being able to talk about what they see and using different vocabulary.
[5:04]So let's get to our first question from the agenda. Who are we talking about? And we are talking about multilingual students. So these are our students who have English as a second or even third, fourth, fifth language. Most of my kids, this is their second language, but I do have a couple who this is their third, um, language that they are working on. So we really, really need to help them support that language acquisition, especially because, um, sorry, I got tongue tied. Especially for the students who aren't even fluent in their first language, it makes it that much harder. So they also have a lot of unique backgrounds and experiences. I think it's so unique. Even my families that I have where I have multiple siblings, each sibling's background is a little bit different because, um, one of my families, the older brother was born in Africa, and he remembers living there. While younger sister was born in Africa, but she was too young to remember that experience, so America is her only background knowledge that she has. So taking in those unique backgrounds and experiences and using it in their learning. Um, these students are also working on learning their foundational skills while learning the content. I know in the younger grades, it's a little bit easier because everybody's learning those foundational skills, but as they get older, especially fourth, fifth, sixth on up, having to learn foundational skills that they would have learned at a younger age, while also learning the content to make sure that they can stay within their grade level, is really, really hard for them, and we need to be able to balance it.
[7:02]The biggest thing for multilingual students is that communication is hard. It's so hard for them, whether that be verbal communication, written communication, even understanding body language, um, it's all, it's just a new world for them. And then with my kids, I never, ever, ever use the word weakness. They have their strengths and they have their areas of improvement, and that is something that I always try to use with other teachers as well. I never use the word weakness because they don't have a weakness, they just have areas where they can work. So we talked about what a multilingual student is, what is a digital portfolio? So a digital portfolio is an opportunity for students to build a body of work that shows their growth and knowledge, but it also shows their unique individualism. Digital portfolios are important tool for students to plan, draft, revise, edit, communicate, create, and present ways that are comfortable and personal to them. So personal is a really big word that we use in my classroom. Our goal as their educator is to push our students, sorry guys. Push our students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers, and we want them to practice those skills through the use of digital portfolios to give them scenarios or situations that they need to be able to answer through even a mode of their choosing. And doing the digital portfolio and Seesaw offers that unique perspective for the younger students especially, but any student, especially a student use learning a second or third or fourth language, can really benefit from the tools that Seesaw provides. Let's take a look at a digital portfolio that one of my students built this past year.
[9:06]So I will preface this by saying that I was on maternity leave at the beginning of the year, so this is not as an in-depth portfolio as I would normally have my students creating. Um, between maternity leave and then state testing and building testing and access testing, there was just so much. So this is what we were able to do in even just a short time that I was with them. I just wanted to take a few moments to show you a sample of a student portfolio that was completed, um, in this last year. So the most recent activity that they completed is at the top, and the first or earliest activities they completed would be at the bottom. You can see in their portfolio, they can be organized for you as a teacher, you can view it, um, based on the different students. You can view it based on dates or through folders or standards that you have, um, tagged to the different activities.
[12:26]Or you could choose standards that have been tagged to your activities that you have assigned.
[12:40]Okay, so that was just an example of one of the portfolios that a student completed. Um, like I said, it wasn't as in-depth of a portfolio as I would normally do. I would usually use folders, um, I would tag standards and different things like that. Um, also just a little bit more background. I only pull students. I do a pull out service and so I only have them for anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes at a time. So we have to be very purposeful in what we're doing on Seesaw.
[13:20]So why digital portfolios? And when I was really reflecting back on why I choose to do digital portfolios with my students, I was trying to come up with six words or phrases that really encompassed everything important around using digital portfolios, especially with multilingual students. And these are the six terms that I kind of came to mind that, um, were the most important to me. And that's creativity, where students have the opportunity to create and share their unique skills and perspective on things that they're learning and passionate about. Is their culture, giving them the chance to really show their individual style and what they know the most about, and a lot of times, especially when you're talking about, um, things around the world or holidays or anything that a student really can get tied into, you can really see their culture shine through. Inclusivity. I really, truly believe that no student should ever feel left out, and by doing the digital portfolio, we're offering a way for all students to be involved, whether they choose to type, draw, or record. Communication obviously is a really big piece of this, and they have that chance to communicate in a way that they are comfortable or familiar with. Um, and they're allowed to explore new ways of communication as well without feeling all of the pressure. I also chose personalized learning and personalized feedback. So digital portfolios are simple way to personalize it for each student. I have groups within my class on Seesaw, so that way I can assign things as needed to individual or to small groups of students based on what they need. And then their feedback, oops, their feedback is also, um, done in real time. I do it with them as they're using Seesaw, I give them all sorts of different types of feedback. And I try to do it as quickly as possible so they're not sitting on a, um, an activity where they turned it in four weeks ago, and they're just now getting that feedback. I also allow them to use the feedback to make changes on their activities because you're not learning if you do it once and move on. So I want to show you guys a few different samples of work that students have done over the year with me and Seesaw. So this first one is a second grade student, um, they were working on creating a character and talking about character traits and creating dialogue to go with that. Um, so let me show you that video and we can talk about it more.
[16:34]What's your character's name? Bell. Bell. And tell me about them. You like you like cupcakes? And her favorite her favorite her favorite cupcake is strawberry. Oh, so her name is Belle, and she likes strawberry cupcakes, but she'll eat any. Yeah. Yeah. So is her character trait that she's very crafty? Like she like or she's a baker. Huh? Is baking something she likes to do? No. No, she just likes eating it. She she likes to cook a little bit. She likes to cook a little bit. Is she exploring and learning about how to cook? Yeah. Yes. So is that what your story is going to be about with Belle? Yeah. I like it.
[17:33]Okay, so that was again, a second grade student. Um, she was creating her character, she was trying to talk about character traits and eventually this would move into them creating dialogue to go with that. With her, um, you could hear me giving some more closed-ended questions towards the end. I just knew that particular student. I've had her for three years, and, um, we always start with open-ended questions, and then she just needs more structure to be able to come to a conclusion on her thoughts. But then we always go back to those open-ended questions, but this activity allowed her to work on the four main components of being a multilingual student, and what they need to work on every day, and that's reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Um, within that activity, they had structure, they had directions on what they needed to have by the end of the activity, but they had the flexibility and the freedom to create. It could be, I had one student who created, um, a pop tart was his character. And so I didn't tell them what their characters had to be. They just had to create one. And then I was talking with her, giving her that feedback, whether I was saying directly I like that you did this. Um, I was guiding her in making some decisions, and then we furthered that process later on with the writing. Here is another student sample. So at this time, my fourth and fifth grade students were working on writing stamina using details and reading what they wrote. Um, as we were prepping and getting ready for state testing, but this is also just a skill we had been working on all year. So within this activity, we actually used, um, the story pirates lessons that are in the Seesaw library. And this one gave them a sentence starter, asked them to complete the sentence, and then tell the story of how they got to that point. So again, in here, we were working on the writing stamina, their details. We were looking, working on, um, speaking, listening, reading, and writing. They had the freedom to use Seesaw how they saw fit. They just had to turn something into me where they were reading their writing. And they received written and verbal feedback after submitting the activity, and I gave them feedback while they were completing it. So let me play this audio for you. And he sprinted across the forest. Jerry looked behind his shoulder because he heard something. He thought it was a little animal, but he heard it again. So he turned around, and he saw nothing.
[20:37]Out comes a monster. It grabbed him in his shirt, and out of nowhere, the monster falls on the floor because his friend was with him the whole time. He woke up from a dream. Okay. So there she was. She did her writing on paper. She asked me to help her with her revise and edit steps. Um, we did not have the time to have her write out her final fancy paper, um, but she was able to take that picture. She chose to take a picture and just record herself reading to it. And my third sample for you is from, it says second grade, but I actually think that this was a first grade student. Um, and we had been using the Ufly curriculum to work on some phonics and foundational skills. So this activity gave them a reading passage matched with the skill we had been working on, and wanted them to read, and so we were checking our speaking and our reading fluency.
[22:04]So let me play this audio for you. This one is actually pretty quiet. It's kind of hard to hear sometimes.
[23:01]Okay. So I won't play that whole thing because it's the same from the first, um, feedback sample I gave you.
[27:23]And that was because the parent saw the video feedback, but for some reason, the video wouldn't play for them and they couldn't hear it. So then I recorded it in the comments and they had an easier time. Um, I do a lot of recorded comments on activities where, um, the students maybe just reading a passage and I'm just checking their fluency, and I want to maybe model what the fluency would sound like, um, or model reading a sentence that they wrote. So I leave a lot of verbal comments that way, as and because a lot of my families, the parents do not speak any, um, English, so reading it is hard, so I try to do verbal and, um, written feedback. And then this is an example of written feedback left outside of the assignment, just in a comment. And I typically just do this either one for parents so that they can translate into something into their home language, or for students where they've met all of the, um, expectations for the assignment, and we're ready to go to the next steps.
[32:36]And then step four kind of goes with step three, but I allow for those final fixes, um, or review skills as needed for the next week. So if I give them feedback and it's something that they can very quickly make that change and do, I allow them to do that right away. If it's something where I can tell that the student is just completely lost and they really, really need help, then I hold on to that activity and I will help them with it during their next consultation.
[34:48]So now I think it's time if there's any questions and answers that I can give, please let me know. Lots of people have been chiming in and commenting while you have been presenting.
[35:07]So let me just hop in here to the Q&A right now. I, I first of all appreciate, um, your really simple steps at the end too. Brianna, because I think sometimes when you begin thinking about a digital portfolio, that can feel so overwhelming, but just starting really simple and even just capturing that moment and letting students compare even their speaking from a month ago and doing that a month later, hearing that is so, so powerful. So I appreciated you sharing sharing that aspect of, you know, start simple.
[35:48]Um, let me see. Tammy is wondering a little bit more about if you have ideas where the classroom teacher and you work together, or are you always doing these in maybe your your separate classroom, your classroom for multilingual learners?
[36:08]What would you suggest? You know, it looks a little different even within my district, every building is a little bit different in how they do this. Um, so I know that some teachers, some ESL teachers in my district choose to be a co-teacher in the Gen Ed C-saw class and do it that way, and then they partner on the activities. And then, um, I choose to have my own C-saw class just that way I don't see all of the notifications from the other students. But I do a lot of collaboration with the classroom teacher and a lot of what I teach is very similar to what they're teaching, so there is a lot of, um, they're seeing it twice. Yep. And I think too, a related question is coming in now from Robert. How would you suggest using Seesaw to support multilingual learners in a push-in environment? So I think again, that just kind of depends on what your district has chosen to, um, use for their ESL program. Um, so I specifically have a curriculum I need to teach, so if I were to push in, I would probably still pull a small group off to the side, but their assignment would then be on Seesaw with any, um, recordings or in me videotaping examples so that they can go back later and watch that and have all those visuals that they need. So I think that's a, that's a great thing to point out is that whatever curriculum you're working from, materials you're working from, as you're pushing in, you have all of these scaffolding abilities inside Seesaw. So adding picture cues, adding visual, uh, audio cues even with your voice, giving those examples like you're saying is so powerful. So I think Robert, that would be just a great place to start is just using some of the different scaffolds that are available just inherently in Seesaw, that would be a great, great place to get started. Uh, any more questions from people live here today? Go ahead and add them, and I'll hop back there in just a moment. But I do want to remind you that there are still a couple more sessions here as we close out on day two. So we hope you join those and are participating to move up in that leader board. We will be meeting at the very end of today to give away those prizes, so that's always really exciting. Uh, we have another question coming in. As a special teacher, teaching in many classes, can I also use the Seesaw portfolios for all of my classes? And I can take that question. So when you start using Seesaw and you're you are using Seesaw starter or the the free version of Seesaw, you can have up to 10 individual classes yourself, um, as a teacher. And then if you want additional features and really want an approach as an entire site or school, you can work with your administrator to contact us about Seesaw for schools. So that is what I would suggest, but yeah, as you're absolutely able to use it, uh, with multiple students in multiple classes as well. The other thing that I will just mention too is that inside Seesaw, there are a lot of resources that are available for you specific to this conversation. There is a highlights collection, and if I can find the link and share that, I will. Um, there's a highlights collection that really gives almost a template to start building a portfolio as well. Um, so that is a great thing to to look at as you are trying to get going with this concept. All right, I think that's all of our questions right now. Is there anything else you wanted to add, Brianna, before we go into our giveaway? I don't think so. I'm just so happy that I was able to talk to everybody and share. Again, something that I am so in love with and passionate about, and I think is just an amazing tool for students to use, especially students who don't have the language to communicate. Yes, thank you for sharing all those tips, and and as I said, try to make a plan for for starting simple, right? Think about a way that you want to get started, um, and give that a try consistently. So we are about to give away. Uh, for two winners today, which is always exciting. Thanks for sticking around to the very, very end of this session. So our winners today are Marie Lou and Misha. So we will contact you. There's nothing that you need to do right now. Uh, those will be heading your way. You'll hear from the Seasaw team within the next uh, few days most likely. So keep an eye out for that communication. But everyone, thank you so much, and Brianna, thank you for sharing all of your amazing ideas with us here today. We will see you all in the next session. Thanks.
