I have used an LMS for the entirety of my teaching career. It has been the only way of communicating student learning that I have ever known, which makes this year challenging for me. FreshGrade has shut down and been replaced by a new platform called Spaces. From talking with colleagues and playing around on the site myself, the new platform still has much to work out in the usability. This is something that we struggled with when using FreshGrade, and the issues were never truly resolved. I’ve decided to not use Spaces this year, but instead use CSL until enough people have helped ‘work out the kinks’ of the new platform.

FreshGrade had many faults. The usability for parents was less than ideal, with many of them just working through the student app rather than suffer through trying to figure out how to get into their own account. Neither student nor parent accounts could filter for specific subjects or labels for posts. Posts would get lost in the shuffle of the portfolio, and sometimes disappear completely (only to reappear when you’ve created a new post for the assignment).

In deciding on an LMS using our rubric, we decided SeeSaw fit our criteria the most. I have played around on SeeSaw before, and have enjoyed what I have found. However, for my own practice, SeeSaw is not meant for the age group in which I teach. I am a Grade 7 teacher, and SeeSaw is recommended for K-5. Could I still use it? I’m sure there is a way for me to manipulate the system and make it work for me. I also appreciate the ability to translate so much of the site for parents – a feature that ClassDojo had as well. So many of our families speak English as a second, and sometimes third, language at home. Many parents have their students translate for them, when it comes to communication home. It was important for me to find a platform that allowed the parents and guardians the ability to look on their own instead of asking their students to do it for them.