Global nonprofit Digital Promise, which works to scale up innovations that empower learners, awarded Seesaw, the learning experience platform loved by 25 million elementary school educators, students, and families worldwide, its highly regarded certifications for Research-Based Design for Instructional Learning Products and Learner Variability.
Seesaw submitted evidence to Digital Promise confirming a link between research on how students learn, their ability to support the diverse needs of learners and confirming their commitment to continuing to design with learner variability in mind. They showed how they build and revise their product based on specific research on how young learners best. Seesaw also demonstrated their commitment to making their research basis clear and accessible to the public. Garnering two certifications from Digital Promise reinforces the research, rigor and validation that these resources provide to school administrators, educators and families looking for reliable and trustworthy ways to serve the diverse needs of their learners.
Seesaw, built specifically for elementary learners and their teachers, was recognized with this certification amongst 100+ companies that submitted for this prestigious recognition. The announcement arrives on the heels of Seesaw’s recent rebranding to better reflect its award-winning platform and continued investment in accessibility and new solutions for elementary learners, educators and administrators. Seesaw grew exponentially during the pandemic and remains one of the most popular learning platforms because of its unique focus on providing joyful, connected, and inclusive learning experiences for young learners.
“Being honored with two certifications by Digital Promise at a time when schools are making critical decisions about consolidating tools to implement for learning, communication, and assessment is an incredible honor for Seesaw,” said Matthew Given, CEO of Seesaw. “From the beginning, Seesaw was built on a foundation of evidence-based instructional practices to ensure that diverse learners are excited, engaged and receiving what they need to thrive. These multiple honors reinforce our commitment to research-based product design as we build on our award-winning platform into new subject areas and provide new resources for administrators in the near future.”
Seesaw’s submissions showcase how the learning platform takes a research-based approach and addresses learner variability through:
Gradual Release & Multimodal Instruction:
Seesaw addresses the gradual release of learning through opportunities for students to respond to teachers’ questions and practice new skills with teacher and peer support. Through investigation, creative activities, discussion, and reflection, students can connect new learning to prior knowledge and transfer learning into longer-term memory.
Seesaw’s portfolio and multimodal tools make it easy for learners to capture their wonderings, observations, and evidence, in their preferred method using: drawing, text, audio, video, and more. In addition, Seesaw’s multimodal tools boost learner agency, providing them with the ability to choose which multimodal tools will enable them to express their comprehension best and share how they choose to problem-solve.
Formative Assessment and Feedback:
Seesaw provides an authentic environment that supports the learning loop in its truest sense. Learners can use multimodal tools to document, plan, reflect, and share their learning with a trusted and invested audience comprised of their classmates, teachers, and family members who will provide them with actionable feedback and encouragement, and celebrate their work. Furthermore, Seesaw’s formative assessments provide students with immediate feedback. When these are paired with more open-ended multimodal tools, teachers can get a more holistic picture of a student’s understanding to provide actionable feedback, and scaffold, or extend learning.
“Educators and researchers continue to uncover important insights about how people learn,” said Christina Luke Luna, Chief Learning Officer, Pathways and Credentials at Digital Promise. “Digital Promise’s Research-Based Design Product Certification recognizes the edtech products that incorporate research about learning into their design and development. Congratulations to Seesaw for demonstrating that research informs product design!”
“Educators and education leaders want to know that edtech products will meet students where they are at,” said Sierra Noakes, Marketplace Project Director, Digital Promise. “The Learner Variability Product Certification celebrates those products that are intentionally designed for the whole child and allow learners to adjust based on their needs. Congratulations on demonstrating this commitment to learners!”
The Research-Based Design and Learner Variability Product Certifications use a competency-based learning framework, developed in consultation with Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project advisory board, expert researchers in the Learning Sciences field, and nearly 50 educators across the United States. Further detail about its development can be found in Digital Promise’s reports, Designing Edtech that Matters for Learning: Research-Based Design Product Certifications (2020) and An Overlooked Indicator of Edtech Quality: The Use of Learning Sciences Research (2022).
All developers, educators, edtech investors, and families are also encouraged to sign the Research-Based Product Promise and demand high-quality, research-driven products that support each unique learner. More information on Digital Promise’s Product Certifications can be found at productcertifications.digitalpromise.org.
About Seesaw
Seesaw is trusted and loved by 25 million educators, students, and families worldwide and is the only elementary Learning Experience Platform that offers a suite of award-winning tools, resources, and curriculum for teachers to deliver joyful, inclusive instruction. Through interactive lessons, digital portfolios, and two-way communication features, Seesaw keeps everyone in the learning loop by providing continuous visibility into the student’s learning experience to support and celebrate their learning.
About Digital Promise
Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow @digitalpromise for updates.
