Bethany Byard

                 My lesson plan used the standard: “S4L1b. Develop simple models to illustrate the flow of energy through a food web/food chain beginning with sunlight and including producers, consumers, and decomposers” (Georgia Department of Education, 2016). I chose to use Scratch, a website that students can use to create their own code, because this technology fits with the standard of developing a simple model and because coding is a fantastic way to engage students. This would be effective in a lesson because it is an excellent informal assessment and students will have fun applying what they have learned.   References Georgia Department of Education (March, 31, 2016. Science Georgia Standards of Excellence. Georgia Standards. https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Documents/Science-Fourth-Grade-Georgia-Standards.pdf

Education games are a great way to engage students in learning. But there are both benefits and challenges that come with using educational games in the classroom. According to Roblyer & Hughes (2019), some benefits of gaming are that students can engage in problem-based learning, collaborative learning, and realistic environments. With problem-based learning, students can solve real-world problems and develop skills that they would not get with just instruction. They can also work with others around them and gain different ideas and perspectives. Some challenges, according to Roblyer & Huges (2019) are that students may focus more on having fun than learning, that there may not be a strong alignment to the curriculum and learning objectives and that learning may not be transferred outside of the game. If students are just having fun and not actually gaining knowledge from what they are doing or if they struggle with transferring what they learned outside of the game, then the ...

  This presentation is about why it is important to join professional organizations as an educator. References Colquitt, D., Douglas, A., Yoo-Brannon, J., & Young, J. (2022, June 29). Voices of change: Helping  students and teachers tell powerful stories . ISTELive 22 - Edtech conference. https://conference.iste.org/2022/program/search/detail_session.php?id=115631584 Felich, S., McElroy, D., Poth, R. D., & Williams, M. K. (2022, June 29). Ten strategies to support teachers’ development as designers of active learning . ISTELive 22 - Edtech conference. https://conference.iste.org/2022/program/search/detail_session.php?id=115663540  Krueger, N. (2022, July 27). 5 Tips for making digital learning accessible to all students. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/tools-devices-and-apps/5-tips-making-digital-learning-accessible-all-students National Society of High School Scholars. (2019, July 5) 5 Reasons why it’s important for educators to join professional organiz...

  I have only taught for half of a school year so far, but I did analyze some data during that time. The data was collected via Illuminate DnA. This is software that my school used for their end-of-unit common assessments. Students take the test on the computer, and then the software turns the data into charts and pie graphs that teachers can then analyze. This method worked well for me because I would use the software to see what areas I needed to reteach or focus on. Another program that our school used was iReady. Students would be tested on skills. They would take three diagnostics throughout the year. The first one was at the beginning. The second was in the middle and then the third was at the end. We would have professional learning committees after each diagnostic and review the results and see where students were at and what we needed to focus on. It also helped us with planning interventions for students who needed extra help. According to Roblyer & Hughes (2019), tea...