Creating student portfolios isn’t simply about recording classwork for teachers. Student Stories gives parents a window into the classroom. Erika Gessler, a 2nd grade teacher, knows that the drawing update coming soon to ClassDojo’s student portfolios means parents will get to see a whole lot more. “When my students and I heard about adding drawings to Student Stories, we were so excited! They keep updating the app in anticipation.”
“Drawing means creativity and freedom for my students – the freedom to express themselves and show what they know,” says Gessler. Students already take photos and record videos with Student Stories, but it’s clear that drawing will unleash a lot more creativity (and fun) for students. Gessler is ready to get her hands on it, so we asked her to share her top three ideas for how she’ll start using the new student portfolios on ClassDojo:
- During math, I can imagine students taking a picture of a clock and drawing on the photo to identify the hands.
- I can see students taking pictures of blank graphs, using the drawing feature to label the axes, and record data.
- Students will be able to take photos of a set of manipulatives and draw to identify all the different number sentences they find.
What’s more, students will now have the opportunity to express their understanding through art, which comes in handy when words fall short. Once students post to their Story parents instantly know what their student is working on, what they can do, and how they can be a part of their child’s learning.
Talking to Gessler made us wish we were students in her classroom. Once the school year begins, her students will open up Student Stories and explore the world around them in new ways. From telling time to drawing graphs, identifying parts of a letter or places on a map — the possibilities are endless in her class and in yours.
Just imagine all your students will create this year!