Digital Platforms
The purpose of this page is to provide information about the great digital platforms that we use at Bellevue School. We also provide information about why we use the current digital platforms at school and at home.
Reading Eggs and Mathseeds are used in the junior school while Reading Eggspress and Mathlectics are used by the rest of the school. If you have any questions about which platform your child is using and why, please contact your child’s Whānau teacher. Seesaw is used school-wide and provides effective communication between school and home.
Screen time is a topic that is discussed a lot in this day and age. You will find some helpful information about the two different categories of screen time and some helpful links for further information.
How do I gain access to my child’s Seesaw account?
Students are sent home with a piece of paper with a QR Code and/or you are sent an invitation via email that you can complete and this will link you to your child's account. These invitations will prompt you to either login or create an account as a family member. It is really important that you remember the login details. You are able to share this QR Code with extended members of your family so they can also see the work that your child is doing at school. If you do this, please inform your child’s whānau teacher of their names so they are aware of this.
Apps:
All five of these platforms are available as apps for free download. It will just require students to log in using their login details that they use at school. Students are able to log in to Seesaw at home.
Do remind the students to log out. This way you can log yourself back in as a family member to receive notifications, comment, like and send messages as yourself and not your child.
Screen Time:
Finding a balance between the educational benefits offered by digital technologies and those offered by collaboration, personal interactions and engaging with learning in the 'real world' is a priority for Bellevue School. Our device: student ratio is 1:2 so as to support the important learning conversations that take place when working collaboratively.
We also recognise that not all screen time is equal. Below are definitions we find helpful in distinguishing between students being consumers of digital content and 'learning how to design quality, fit-for-purpose digital solutions' New Zealand Curriculum Digital Technologies.
Passive Screen Time involves sedentary screen-based activities and/or passively receiving screen-based information, such as watching TV or a DVD.
Active Screen Time involves cognitively or physically engaging in screen-based activities, such as practising a skill for homework, playing video games, creating digital content (coding, presenting learning through video) or publishing to a real world audience.
Another great resource that you can explore is the website Netsafe. This website is supported by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice. Great starting points are looking at Screen Time Advice for Parents, Managing Time Online and Online Safety Parent Toolkit which is available in five different languages.
Reading Eggs and Mathseeds:
These platforms allow teachers to assign tasks and lessons to individuals and groups of students to help reinforce the learning that is happening in the classroom. Teachers are able to view the results of each child’s completed assignment and analyse progression reports to view the progress that students have made. Assignments are presented in a colourful, fun and engaging way. Students are rewarded for achieving tasks and assignments where they collect eggs (Reading Eggs) and acorns (Mathseeds) that they can use to buy items to dress up their avatar, and objects to decorate their avatar's home.
Reading Eggspress and Mathletics:
These platforms also allow teachers to assign tasks and lessons to individuals and groups of students to help reinforce the learning that is happening in the classroom. Teachers are able to view the results of each child’s completed assignment and analyse progression reports to view the progress that students have made. These two platforms have age-appropriate ways to gain and maintain engagement from students. Students are able to make their own choices about the areas in which they would like to challenge themselves and discover new knowledge when they do not have an assignment from their teacher. On these platforms, students can also gain extrinsic rewards such as points, certificates and customisable avatars.
Seesaw:
At Bellevue, we use this platform to share the learning that happens in the classroom with parents and caregivers. Teachers and students can share photos, videos, and digital work from Google Docs, Google Slides etc and students can complete tasks that teachers may have set for them. Seesaw allows this work to be liked and commented on by those who have access to the individual student's profile. You can also send messages to your child’s whānau teacher. They can send you messages, updates, and important information that needs to be shared in a safe space. For this to happen it is important that you have your own family account to receive these messages and to be able to message them back. Often, we have parents logged in as their child instead of as themselves and this can sometimes mean that they miss out on some important messages that have been sent to all family members.