The Swiss Army Knife Approach to Educational Tech Integration

Transcript

Kris Szajner (00:25)

Welcome everyone to the Learning Loop Podcast, your best source for educational insights and trends. I’m Kris, your host. Today’s special guest is Erica. She’s an instructional technology teacher serving K through fifth grade students in Illinois and has over 400,000 student contributions on her shared content inside Seesaw. During today’s interview, we will discuss how Erica balances technology in her classrooms and coaches classrooms toward best practices. Erica, welcome to the show.

Erica Philbin (00:53)

Thank you so much for having me.

Kris Szajner (00:55)

Super excited to have you here. If you didn’t know, Erica was one of our most recent participants in our showdown, which is an amazing head-to-head competition where we build activities live inside of Seesaw based on audience suggestions and stuff. So we’re very, very welcome to hear more about why you build, what you build, and kind of your backbone around your best practices as well.

I want to kick off with kind of a baseline question here. Can you tell us about a recent classroom technology success that made you excited about the possibilities inside of CSO?

Erica Philbin (01:32)

Yeah, absolutely. My position is very, very unique in the sense that I collaborate with every single teacher in the two buildings that I service. And then we kind of sit and we look at what they’re planning, looking ahead, things that they’re doing, and how we can integrate technology to basically kind of help push that.

initiative, whatever it is they’re learning. And my go to 100 % of the time is Seesaw because I feel like it’s just, I know they say like, this isn’t a one size fits all, this is absolutely a one size fits all platform. I feel like anything can be done with Seesaw. So there was a teacher that we were kind of, I was working with and she had said that.

one of her MTSS groups were really struggling with something so I had them kind of go through I think they were working on like suffixes and whatnot and I was working in a small group and

A lot of the times the kids were able to explain it but not necessarily write it or show it on paper. So we kind of employed seesaw in the video option where they were able to explain like a suffix and use it as an example and like write, sorry, draw a picture of what it might look like and so on and so forth. And they loved it because it was taking the standard paper and pencil or, you

keypad and device with word processing and translating it into words. Whereas these kids are kind of struggling a little bit and just using the Seesaw platform to kind of use it in a different way to show what they know but not necessarily…

Erica Philbin (03:29)

you know, using that standardized version of like a paper pencil kind of a format, they were able, they loved it because it was catering to their unique specific learning style. So they were really able to kind of show what they knew just in a different way.

Kris Szajner (03:46)

Absolutely, I love it, I love…

to how you talked about how, know, Seesaw always provides those answers. I found that too, as a technology coach, is that you could always go and grab a handful of different tools and things, but we know at the back end of that, the students have to then be familiar with the tool and the classroom has to be familiar and you have to acclimate that as well. And so you’re then eating into instructional minutes. Whereas if you can find a tool that’s out there, if you find something that is kind of your Swiss army knife, you’re then stream

Kris Szajner (04:18)

that classroom and allowing that teacher to have the best of both worlds. They don’t lose instructional teaching time while having a technology tool that can be their learning companion as well. So I love to hear that you found that success as well.

Erica Philbin (04:30)

Yeah. Yes, absolutely. And the kids love it. Like I’ve never met a kid that was like this. I got nothing from this. They were like, this is so awesome because I had that opportunity to show what I know just in a different way.

Kris Szajner (04:41)

Absolutely, for sure, for sure. I want to lean into this one more time here, because you talked a little bit about when you worked with this teacher and had that specific need, how do you help teachers to identify needs on their end? Maybe it’s a technique you use or just kind of a set of questions that they have. How do you help teachers to say, could use technology help in this and it would help my classroom do that?

Erica Philbin (05:05)

Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. think it’s just that that is our goal is to kind of see like how technology can really not necessarily.

take away from the whole instructional lesson that’s going on. It’s meant to enhance it. We always kind of start off with what are you doing? What are your goals? What are your objectives? How do we meet that goal? How do we meet that objective? And then we kind of take a look and break it down.

by, I guess, the class dynamic. So the kids that sometimes are a little bit high flyers have more of a challenging activity or project to work on. And then she usually will work with like kind of the middle end of the kids. And then I usually sometimes will work with the kids that might struggle a little bit or might need a little bit of an enrichment thing. And we always kind of try to differentiate instruction so that those students are

gaining those skills, but also making sure that that learning sticks, that they’re able to

Look at whatever it is the topic or the particular activity that they’re looking at and how do we make it successful? How do we get it so that they’re able to comprehend that and then not only show or understand their learning, but then show they know what they’re doing. So it could be a myriad of different things, but you know, it just kind of goes down to the basics of what that particular teacher might need. Now I see kids obviously K through five every single week.

Erica Philbin (06:45)

and their learning changes definitely change. Like some kids may not get fractions or some kids may struggle with, you know, science. That’s just kind of the beauty of it as we kind of sit down and weed out like how we can go about making sure that this is something that we can enhance, not necessarily kind of distract with. So that’s usually how we do it.

And then like I provide instructions in terms of like, or I provide instructions rather on how we could do that. Just some different ideas and whatnot. And we kind of go from there.

Kris Szajner (07:22)

Absolutely, I love it. I love how you’re meeting teachers where they are, but also trying to make sure that you’re leading into best practices as you go as well. Because we know how important that is, is you want to build that relationship with the classroom teacher as a coach too, but ensuring that you’re guiding them down that right path as you’re pushing in and things like that too.

Erica Philbin (07:38)

Absolutely.

Kris Szajner (07:46)

I want to kind of ask a little bit more explicit question because you shared just a couple moments of using the video tool and using different tools as well. Can you just share some examples of what that really means to you when it comes to differentiating instruction for students? Can you share some examples of how you maybe took a lesson and provided different levels for a specific classroom?

Erica Philbin (08:11)

So I’m trying to think something that we did which was pretty cool. We were doing like, I know this is kind of a while ago, but there was something for Veterans Day and we did like a Veterans Day choice board and teaching kids in kindergarten through fifth, the real importance of Veterans Day is kind of tricky. They just know like it’s patriotic in nature, but like kind of getting down to

the real significance of the holiday is a little bit trickier. So we did a story choice board where the students were permitted to pick a story and they had, think.

maybe eight or 10 different stories that they could listen to. But at the end of the lesson, they were supposed to go ahead and kind of pick whatever tool they wanted to really show that what they learned. a lot of kids like we suggested, like if you had to do almost kind of like an interview or you had to do like a newscast of that, a lot of kids were super

because they were supposed to show what they learned about this story and why what the significance is and what the whole meaning behind it was. So a lot of kids got into it. But then you had the other kind of like wallflower kids that were absolutely opposed to it and they couldn’t even imagine like filming themselves. So some kids decided to draw a picture and label it or I know in fifth grade, we kind of did it. We turned it into a research project where we took like the Time magazine cover and the students

had to research a specific veteran and then they learned how to import their picture and then they, I think, labeled it with different things, like different adjectives that were relevant to their specific veteran. And I loved it because, again, it was giving the kids choice. They had that ability to take what they gained from the story and then put it into a specific format that

was meaningful to them and that they were able to explain. If they wanted to teach somebody about, you know, a specific veteran, they could say, hey, look at my project. Like this is what, and the whole thing was like, if you were asked a question by another student, would you be able to answer it? So they really enjoyed that one. We had a lot of fun with that one. Parents were super like thrilled with it because a lot of, we have a lot of veterans in our district, whether they’re grandparents or parents.

Kris Szajner (10:46)

Yeah, yeah.

Erica Philbin (11:00)

They really thought that that was very poignant in that they took it and made it their own and they were able to realize the importance and of that holiday. So that’s the one that comes to mind was just, they loved it so much because it was like, Hey, we’re going to take something that’s super hard to teach, like the really important relevance behind this and we’re going to make it unique so that you do get it. so yeah, that was, that one just comes to mind.

Kris Szajner (11:25)

Yeah, yeah. And you did this all within Seesaw, right? Which is great. I assumed you did, and I think that’s really awesome that you found that flexibility within that tool to deliver something that, like you were saying, can be hard to understand, but also still have the balance for students that they can share what they want in a way that meets their needs. They can have the differentiation along that and share something that is fitting where they are and their comfort ability as well.

Erica Philbin (11:57)

Yeah, and if I can just kind of like bounce off that we we used to use Flipgrid and then they retired it in September of 2024. So I had this lesson all planned and we went to go to it and they’re like, we’re sorry, Flipgrid has since retired. I’m like, OK, we’re going to see saw. Does it have all the bells and whistles that Flipgrid had? No, but it’s still got the point across. So we were able to just kind of, you know, rely on that app to essentially deliver the same. methodology that we would have done with our Flipgrid, but couldn’t because they retired it. So it was great to kind of use that as like a go-to. Like we were kind of in a bind and you know, see us off, records, let’s do it. yeah, it has a lot of…

Kris Szajner (12:41)

Yeah, love it. Love that you were able to find a quick answer for that, a simple switch out. I wanna lean into kind of the backend of technology integration. I know you talked about how you work with all teachers. I wanna just hear a little bit from you, like what does success look like in your role and what kind of things do you kind of look at to measure that success?

Erica Philbin (13:07)

I think it’s not just so much the students, which obviously we are a student centered district and we want to make sure of course that our students are succeeding. But I think the way my role has evolved and changed now that I’m kind of servicing not only both the students, but also the staff members. think it’s to really see them.

take what I’ve taught them, all of these different skills and all of these different ins and outs of seesaw and actually apply them independently, I think is just a huge.

reward to see that, to see them actually taking what I’ve taught them and implementing it independently within their classroom, even when I’m not there. And just hearing their feedback of saying like, my gosh, I had no idea we could do this. Like I had no idea CSO was capable of uploading it and then printing out and I could modify it. Like I could take an existing activity and that someone created, I can copy it. I can edit it. I can remove pages or I can, you know,

things that are a little bit more centered to what my child or students capabilities are right now. I think that is so rewarding in the position that I’m in because again, like my job is twofold. It’s not only there for the students, but it’s also there to kind of coach and support the staff to make them confident in leading these different activities with the different technology apps that we use.

and they’re becoming more familiar with that. think they’re leaning on it a little bit more and they’re able to just kind of even use it even when I’m not there. So I kind of feel like that’s just, yeah, pretty amazing when you see that they’re starting to kind of catch on. It was a little bit, you know, something where they were like, I can’t use it, I’m not trained or I don’t have the proficiency and it’s just.

Erica Philbin (15:11)

It’s wonderful, they can do it and when they do it and they’re talking about it, it just it’s a very rewarding kind of a thing that you know that. Yeah, this is pretty amazing.

Kris Szajner (15:20)

Absolutely, for sure. I remember when I transitioned into a coach too, is you sometimes miss having your own students. You miss seeing those light bulb moments. You almost have to just reframe the light bulb moments, right? You see them within a classroom. You see them within a teacher even. And those are the moments that still fill your teacher heart. It’s just a different way of filling it as you go through it too.

Erica Philbin (15:27)

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly right. Mm-hmm.

Kris Szajner (15:46)

Awesome. I want to ask one more question before we ask our closing question here. I know you talked a little bit about the students and impacting them as you’re going through it. Can you just share a little bit about what the student voice and choice comes and how those come together with your technology integration approach? Do you ensure that all of your students are kind of, their voice is honored as you’re starting to mold and sculpt your approach into how you’re embedding technology into classrooms.

Erica Philbin (16:19)

So I think what you’re asking is kind of like how do… Can you repeat that? I’m so sorry. That was just, I’m sorry. It was just a really long question. I apologize.

Kris Szajner (16:27)

Yeah, yeah, no, you’re good. That’s okay, that’s okay. So, no, you’re good. So thinking about the role of student voice and choice, what role does that play when it comes to your approach towards technology integration?

Erica Philbin (16:41)

Okay, I think I am extremely sensitive to the fact that just drawing upon my own past experiences as a student, I like to think that I was a pretty smart kid, but I also feel like I was one of those kids that would absolutely buckle under pressure if…

a teacher picked on me for a question. I knew the answer, but like everybody like whipping around, all eyes are on me. I would either like stammer over my answer or I would, it would be like a deer in the headlights. It was just kind of like, my gosh, I forgot what I was going to say. And it just, you know, it ate away at me because in my head I was like, I know the answer. It’s just hard to, you know, do that when people are staring at me. And I feel like I’m very, very sensitive to that fact because there are a lot of students,

Whether it’s a language barrier or whether it’s just hard, a different learning technique. I feel this is why I am such a huge proponent of Seesaw is because it does give those kids.

so many different choices to show what they know and not be, you know, in that center stage light where they’re kind of a little nervous or they’re buckling under the pressure of just like I did used to, it gives them that opportunity to say, okay, you know, this is what we’ve been talking about. And then I just remember in seventh grade, like,

I’m sorry, this eighth grade. We had to take a constitution test. Like our teachers were saying, if you don’t pass this test, you are not graduating eighth grade. And standardized testing, it was also kind of like a test anxiety thing where my teacher pulled me aside and she asked me three questions. She’s like, okay, you passed. And I said, what do you mean? And she’s like, well, she’s like, you know, you’re three points away from a passing grade. And she’s like, I know that you know this stuff, but just come the test. It frees up and there’s too many options. And a lot of times kids

Erica Philbin (18:42)

tend to stress about that. So I feel like with Seesaw, there are so many different options. Just kind of saying what I said before, I know you know the information. You have that freedom to pick how you want to show.

what you know, if it is, you know, doing the text option or if you’re literally picking the pen tool and writing out a story or if you want to record your voice, if you want to draw a picture, if you want to video yourself, there’s just, mean, literally, if you want to do a combo platter, like I call it, it’s really up to the students. And I’ve seen kids actually do this where…

you don’t think they know what they’re doing. And it’s more or less just like, let’s do a little check. And like 10 pages later, they’re showing all of their knowledge and they’re just proving it in different ways of just like, Hey, I have another idea of, you know, a habitat or so on and so forth. It’s just a really great resource that can be absolutely differentiated with modifications and giving, like you said, the children a choice in how to show what they know. So I think

This is absolutely like the absolute epitome of engaged and differentiated learning for students literally from kindergarten all the way up through 12th grade. So yeah, I can’t speak highly enough. I feel like sometimes I can’t even articulate how great of a resource this is. It’s just because it’s just giving every kid a voice.

Kris Szajner (20:18)

Absolutely. I love that. Love that testimonial and I love too how you kind of shared your vulnerability as a student. You know, I was the same with math facts and things and so I always would put myself in student’s shoes when it came to providing the right resource for classrooms and the right coaching as well. So I love that that’s in your mindset and I think it’s so impactful to have that and just to continue to support all the students and meet them where they are.

Erica Philbin (20:44)

Yeah, for sure. think if Seesaw was around when I was a kid, it would be a whole different ballgame. Yeah.

Kris Szajner (20:48)

Yeah, absolutely, for sure. It’s a good thing we can provide it to students today, which is great. Final question here, and this is just kind of a quick one, as you forecast into the rest of maybe this year, which there’s not too much time left, but looking into the rest of this year or even next year, what is one goal that you kind of want to have when it comes to seesaw adoption and technology integration together? What’s one goal you kind of have for your classrooms going into the next year or two?

Erica Philbin (21:22)

Well, that’s a very interesting question because again, like they’re going to essentially retool and evolve my position again for next year. It looks like I am heading back to the actual classroom. will be slated to teach fifth grade next year. So that is a very interesting question. And I think.

I can honestly speak from experience, even when I’m talking with intermediate teachers during our co-op times. Like I’ll throw out CSAT and a lot of teachers are very, I think.

a little apprehensive in using seesaw. think they’re kind of thinking, you know, gee, sweet and Google, we got to get these kids prepared. And I agree to a certain extent is absolutely yes. But I also kind of feel like I don’t think you really realize like how big of a community, how many activities.

seesaw has and we’re not just talking we’re not just leaning on it like I have to teach this let me just you know fire away on seesaw and see what comes up this is these are activities that are for enrichment so

I think as far as a personal goal for mine, just kind of looking into the future and preparing to go back into the classroom and become a fifth grade teacher. It’s kind of like, you know, I do want to, I think, remove that stigma of just seesaws just for primary kids seesaws only for, you know, I don’t think that’s true. I think in kind of talking with teachers and collaborating and seeing a need for maybe some enrichment activities, which is kind of where I get my inspiration from. Like I have such a wide array, like

Erica Philbin (22:57)

I’ve made some for kindergarten, whereas I made some for like fifth grade. It just is kind of like a mixed bag because again, I work with all sorts of different grade levels. I think again, talking goal is kind of bringing seesaw back into the intermediate classes for just another option of, you know, we don’t just have to rely on G Suite and Google. can kind of still take those skills and show it in a different way and use seesaw for that. think that the

there’s so many different options that I think a lot of intermediate teachers are kind of trying to get away from just because they, think just when I in conversation, they kind of just assume that it’s for the primary grade level. So I definitely, I’m planning on using this next year with my own students.

So I think again, having those different options and giving kids, know, a you pick kind of a thing like show me what you know, take whatever tool you want to.

show me what you’ve gained or what you’ve learned and having it as a growth portfolio like the parents can see it too, which I think a lot of times intermediate teachers kind of lose the side of is like their parents have immediate access. They can see they can go back to the beginning of the year and just see how far they’ve come. So you really think I will absolutely be utilizing this really wonderful tool in my own classroom with my own students.

Kris Szajner (24:26)

Yeah, which is awesome. And you can only hope, too, that your usage inspires others around you, continues to kind of also change that mold, even though you might not directly be supporting their classroom. You can still be supporting them by third-party usage and things like that and just inspiring others as you continue through rest of the year.

Erica Philbin (24:42)

For sure, absolutely.

Kris Szajner (24:47)

Awesome, well we are at time. Erica, I want to say thank you so much for joining. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I’m sure listeners gleaned a lot from this and just to make sure that they were absorbing some of these powerful tips that you’re kind of sharing around technology integration and best practices and pieces like that. I so appreciate it. Hopefully you’re enjoying the rest of your afternoon and good luck going into next year.

Erica Philbin (25:08)

Thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity. Okay, bye bye.

Kris Szajner (25:11)

Thank you, bye!