Messages is the safe and flexible schoolwide messaging tool in Seesaw. Messages is designed to be used by all Seesaw users - admins, teachers, students, and families. The below overview of Messages shows how Seesaw facilitates communication and collaboration among teachers, students, and families.
View our frequently asked questions here:
Check out our videos below for some helpful walk throughs of Messages!
Who you are able to send a message to varies depending on what type of account you have:
- Admin can send messages to fellow admin, teachers, students, and family members within their school (or any combination of the above in a group conversation!). If an admin needs to send an announcement to a large group of users, they can do so by tapping ‘Add Classes’ and sending messages to an entire class or multiple classes by “audience” (teachers, students, and/or family members). Please note: Only org admin can utilize Messages. District admin need to be added to a school in Seesaw before they can access Messages.
- Teachers can message any student(s) and/or family member(s) from any class at their school, as well as other teachers (including those who do not have their own classes) and admin. Teachers can also message any of the classes they teach. By default, teachers can send 'class group' messages to families in their classes by selecting from the 'Add Classes' menu. We don’t currently have settings that allow teachers to select from all class groups in the school (or limit them to 'no class groups').
- By default, family members can initiate messages with teachers, admins, and family members connected to the same student, and can message multiple people in the same conversation (e.g. two family members or other co-teachers). School admin have the option to restrict family messaging to class teachers only - this can be toggled on by going to the Admin Tools box on their school dashboard > Edit School Settings > Messages Settings.
- Students can ONLY start conversations with the teachers in their classes. Students cannot initiate messages with any other account type, including other students.
In addition to expanded flexibility for who can send messages to whom, there are also two different message types when initiating messages to two or more conversation recipients:
Announcements: When initiating a message to two or more participants, Admin and Teachers can choose to send a one-way message with no replies.
New Conversation: When initiating a message to two or more participants, Admin and Teachers can choose to send a 1 on 1 or group message with replies. 
Users are able to add multimedia attachments to any message using Seesaw’s Creative Tools!
When composing a message, tap the green +Add button to add an attachment.
The Creative Tools view will appear, and you'll be able to upload a file, attach a photo or video, write a note, share a link, or use the Creative Canvas to draw and annotate a picture!
Please note: Editing is only available for conversation owners — in most cases, the teacher or admin that created the conversation or a teacher/admin if a family member created the conversation.
Check out our Messages Quick Start Guides!