Welcome to the WAB Podcast! In this episode, Kevin Crouch, WAB's Head of EdTech, IT, and Libraries, sat down with three students, Ville from Grade 5, Sophie and Ciara from Grade 7, along with Middle School Principal Marina Frias-Gavidia, to discuss the exciting rollout of Toddle in Middle School next school year. They also talked about how it can facilitate student learning, increase student agency, and incorporate AI-powered support.

Why Toddle?

For the past four years, Toddle has been a cornerstone of learning in the Elementary School, streamlining everything from lesson planning to student portfolios. Now, it's expanding to Middle School, bringing its all-in-one platform to older students.

As Kevin explained, Toddle unites the entire learning process—teachers can plan, assess, and report in one place, while students gain more ownership of their learning through digital portfolios. Unlike Teams or other platforms, Toddle keeps everything connected, ensuring that learning goals, assignments, and feedback stay aligned.

What Students Love About Toddle

Grade 5 student Ville has been a Toddle user for many years, and he highlighted its functions and flexibility:

• Rubrics help students self-assess and improve their work.
• The Portfolio lets students showcase learning anytime, not just when teachers assign tasks.
• Toddle AI acts as a creative assistant, helping brainstorm project ideas.

For Middle Schoolers like Sophie and Ciara, the move to Toddle will mean better organization across their eight subjects.

 New Features for Middle School

Kevin pointed out that Toddle has also evolved since some Middle School students last used it. Exciting updates include:

• AI-powered tutoring: Students can get instant feedback and practice at their own pace.
• Adaptive "Worksheets": Like Education Perfect, but integrated directly into Toddle.
• Parent access: While daily classwork stays private, parents can see assignments, feedback, and portfolio posts.

Marina emphasized that Toddle supports personalized learning, whether a student needs extra practice or is ready to advance.

What About Teams?

Sophie and Ciara also wondered whether Teams will still be used. Kevin explained that Teams will remain for school-wide communication, while Toddle becomes the hub for classwork, assignments, and portfolios.

Want to hear the full discussion and get to learn how Toddle can bring more student agency, clearer feedback, and better parent insight? Tune into this episode!