Using Technology to Facilitate Student-Centered Learning in the Elementary Classroom
Tama Trotti, International Community School (United States)
Abstract
Through my own experiences, I have evaluated the use of digital portfolios combined with the use of educational apps as a way to capture and enhance learning in my classroom. The use of digital portfolios allows opportunities for students to manage and take control of their own learning as well as a tool for communication between the classroom and parents. SeeSaw, a digital learning portfolio, is one learning tool that I use in my classroom. Seesaw empowers students to independently document what they are learning at school. Seesaw gives students an authentic audience of their peers and parents, encouraging better work and real feedback. Because portfolios include a collection of performances that demonstrate growth and include student reflections, they provide additional assessment information beyond what can be gleaned from a traditional letter grade. Students create portfolios that demonstrate their learning through writing samples, documents, voice reflections, graphics, and videos, Combining Seesaw with other apps allows for a more student-centered classroom as a result of pushing out more content to the learner allowing more of a flipped classroom approach so the teacher can work individually with smaller groups. In my classroom, I currently use Seesaw, combined with various other educational apps to create more of a flipped learning style within my classroom. From my classroom observations I have found my students to be more engaged with the content and are able to provide me with authentic learning assessments beyond the paper and pencil. This paper discusses my experiences of a student-centered classroom where content was pushed out to students via Ipad Apps and other resources in order to give more individualized learning in smaller groups.