In today’s story, we will look at a teacher whose teaching practices have always emphasized technology and family partnerships. After 20 years in the classroom, Gina took a leap to become an instructional technology coach in Wisconsin. Her mission? To help teachers harness technology to build stronger connections between school and home and foster authentic parent engagement.
Gina’s Story
Gina began her career as a classroom teacher. Her delight in being around children drew her to this student-centered career. The joy and happiness that comes with witnessing student lightbulb moments reinvigorate a spark in her that fuels her desire to help each and every child become their best selves through personalized learning.
Gina always enjoyed using technology in her classroom and knew the power that purposeful use of tech can have for student achievement. “I’ve always been kind of an ed tech addict,” Gina shares. This knowledge prompted her to become a technology coach and help to spread this impact into other classrooms across her district through collaborative learning.
While leaving the classroom wasn’t an easy decision, Gina’s transition to coaching opened unexpected doors for educational leadership. “I used to call my classroom the wolf pack,” she reflects, “and I just feel like I have a bigger wolf pack now.” This expansion allows her to impact more students, teachers, and families than ever before through meaningful family engagement and set her on a mission to help teachers connect schools and parents.
The Family Engagement Catalyst
Gina first discovered Seesaw in 2017 as a digital learning platform focused on parent-school communication. The app was new to her and was interesting because of how student friendly it was. After giving it a quick try at home, she realized the immense power this tool will have in her district for family-school partnerships. Her priority was to ensure that tools used not only made an impact on the evidence-based instruction happening in schools, but encouraged deeper family engagement and parental involvement. Seesaw does that and much more!
Gina strives to make daily connections in her classrooms through two-way communication. Moments like this build a strong home-school connection. Gina reflects on Seesaw’s real power in its ability to strengthen family-teacher relationships. “My favorite thing is building relationships daily,” she explains. “It was just so powerful to see how kids’ eyes would light up when they would get a message from somebody at home,” demonstrating true family engagement in learning.
The platform has revolutionized her district’s parent communication plan. It has made a shift from reactive communication to proactive family outreach and prevention. “Parents really trusted us,” Gina reflects. “The school-family communication that we have with our parents is so meaningful. Best of all, it doesn’t take away from my teaching, it actually adds to our instructional effectiveness.”
Unlocked Engagement Strategies
- Real-time Progress Sharing
- Proactive Communication
- Multi-Channel Engagement
- Comprehensive School Communication
- Enhanced Parent-Teacher Conferences
- Student-Led Learning Documentation
This impact is clearly evident during parent-teacher partnerships, which Gina describes as “a joy.” Since parents can see their child’s academic progress in real-time through Seesaw, conferences have now become opportunities for deeper conversations about student growth and developmental milestones rather than just academic updates.
One of Gina’s proudest coaching moments showcases how Seesaw can enhance project-based learning with ease. She worked with second-grade teachers to create interactive inventor cards using Seesaw. Students researched inventors and became teachers, presenting their work to fifth-grade buddies with the help of QR codes. This project empowered students to own the entire learning process and deepen their understanding by becoming the teacher, while engaging families in the learning journey.
Looking Forward
Gina’s district continues to expand its use of educational technology, focusing on increasing family participation and community engagement. They’ve adopted a comprehensive approach to school-community partnerships, ensuring everyone from nurses to art teachers can easily share updates and celebrate student achievements through Seesaw. This wrap-around communication strategy ensures no moment of student success goes unnoticed or unshared with their extended learning community.
“It’s all about that authentic audience,” Gina concludes, “knowing that their work matters and that they have the power to teach others.” From simplifying parent-school collaboration to facilitating district-wide communication, Seesaw has become an integral part of Gina’s educational ecosystem. It’s not just a platform – it’s a partner in growth, innovation, and family-school community building. If you are interested in hearing more, the Learning Loop podcast episode from Gina gives you the full story. Tune in below!
