ALIGNMENT MAP

ISTE Certification
Updated June, 2022

ISTE CERTIFICATION
ALIGNMENT MAP

Note that the foundational expectation is that artifacts meet the ISTE Standards for Educators, which is to say, your
artifacts should reflect strong pedagogy and professionalism that makes thoughtful use of technology or digital resources.

Portfolio submitter (Please provide name, title, and a brief description of your primary role and responsibilities.
Additionally, if you serve in a position other than classroom teacher, describe who your “students” are within the
context of your artifact):

Link to artifacts folder/space:

Link to reflection document/artifact:

Artifact(s) Links Contextualization of Artifact &

ISTE Criteria Please use naming Description of Implementation
Standard convention Please provide 1 unique contextualization per each criterion.
“LastName_Artifact#”

1. The educator reflects Does not count Benson Personal Reflection

on his/her application of against 9-14
the ISTE standards and artifacts. Please
goals for using them in introduce yourself
the future. in reflection.
1. Learner 2. Set professional In Artifact 1, I identified two professional learning goals
learning goals. which focused on the integration of educational
technology within a third-grade writing unit. My first goal
specifically focused on implementing and modeling a
technology which allowed students to brainstorm during
the prewriting stage of our informational writing unit. The
goal was met as I modeled and introduced Mind Meister,
Benson_Artifact1 a virtual mind map, to my students. This resource guided

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my learners in developing their ideas as they planned for

their specific topic. My second goal specifically focused
on providing learners with opportunities to utilize a variety
of technologies which allow them to communicate and
collaborate with one another. This goal was achieved as
students used Padlet and Flip to collaborate and
communicate with one another. This criterion is
highlighted in the video from 0:00 to 2:51.
3. Actively participate in a ​In Artifact 2, I pursued professional interests through
local or global digital professional learning networks (PLNs) both locally and
network. globally. I am an active participant within local PLNs, as I
am actively involved and lead in my school's professional
learning networks. My school houses a variety of PLNs
including grade level meetings, data digs, third grade
collaborative meetings, academic leadership team, and
after-school PLCs. The local PLNs allow NLE teachers to
collaborate with one another and grow together as
education professionals. This past year, I also had the
opportunity to lead NLE staff in several PLCs.
Globally, I am an active participant within Facebook and
Twitter teaching groups/pages. Several groups I am a
member of are global learning networks, as they have
thousands of active members worldwide. These groups
provide opportunities for me to learn from other education
professionals and for me to share my own knowledge with
others. I posted on one of my teaching groups,"Does
anyone use WriteScore for their writing curriculum? I
need help figuring out the best way to lesson plan using
the resources available." I received so many helpful
responses from other education professionals who could
Benson_Artifact2 help me with my question. Additionally, I shared my own

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knowledge. In a Facebook group, a teacher asked what

SmartBoards other teachers were using. I was able to
share how ViewSonic ViewBoard has worked for me.
4. Report changes made In Artifact 3, I used research to guide the development
to teaching practice and implementation of my capstone proposal,
based on timely, "Technology Tools for Filling Academic Learning Gaps in
research-based best Math and Reading after Covid-19." The peer-reviewed
practices. Benson_Artifact3 qualitative and quantitative research studies guided me in
deciding which tools should be selected during the
professional development sessions and gave me
strategies and best practices for leading adult learners in
professional development. I used to teach using pencil
and paper; however, now I look at student data, and I
design utilize digital tools to assist me in creating a
personalized learning experience for each student.
Additionally, the PSC and ISTE Standards also became a
guide which I utilized as I strived to utilize the best
practices and strategies of fulfilling my role of technology
leader.
2. Leader 5. Promote a shared Benson_Artifact13 ​In artifact 13, I created an infographic of a shared vision
vision. for empowering learning with technology that was shared
with my colleagues at North LaFayette Elementary School
through our school's Facebook page, an email to all staff
and faculty of NLE, and to parents on ClassDojo.
Currently, Walker County Schools does not have a local
technology plan; therefore, I felt the need to advance and
accelerate a shared vision that details how technology
should be used to support teaching and learning in our
school based off of educational research and input from
stakeholders including educators, parents, and students.
This shared vision highlights the importance of equitable

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and accessible technology for all students and leveraging

the technology at North LaFayette Elementary School to
create personalized learning experiences, increased
engagement, and effective communication.
6. Advocate for equitable Benson_Artifact4 In Artifact 4, I had the opportunity to advocate for utilizing
access. technology to bridge the academic gap in foundational
writing skills using Write Score for third through fifth grade
students at North LaFayette Elementary School, a Title 1
School located in LaFayette, Georgia. As a member of
North LaFayette's Academic Leadership Team, we work
to analyze data and create aligned school improvement
goals to increase student achievement and overall
learning. After analyzing writing scores from before and
after Covid-19, our team decided that interventions and a
solid writing curriculum were necessary for over half of
the learners at NLE. I advocated for the purchase of three
grade level subscriptions to Write Score for third through
fifth grade teachers to utilize during writing instruction,
intervention groups, as well as small group stations.
Additionally, this digital resource will provide personalized,
hands-on, interactive foundational writing support for NLE
students.
7. Model new resources Benson_Artifact5 In Artifact 5, I created a blog post to share several
or tools. different mobile learning applications with my colleagues
at North LaFayette Elementary School. My artifact
instructs colleagues how to effectively integrate a variety
of M-Learning tools into their classrooms, including
Nearpod, Flip, Padlet, and Canva. I modeled how to
utilize Nearpod by creating a student-paced Nearpod
lesson that identified three mobile learning apps, grade

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levels and subjects which they would best align with,

accessibility features, and collaboration ideas.
3. Citizen 8. Implement learning Benson_Artifact6 In Artifact 6, I created and implemented two lessons for
experiences for students my third graders which focused on students making
to be empathetic and positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibiting
socially responsible. empathetic behavior online. My first lesson, titled, "How to
be kind online," focused on HOW students could be kind
online, as students shared suggestions on how to be kind
online, created a chart of ways to show kindness online,
answered scenario prompts, and had the opportunity to
apply the lesson on Padlet by posting and replying kindly
to their peers. The second lesson was titled "How to be
Empathetic Online," and learners put the guidelines to
online discussions into practice within this second lesson.
During this lesson, students had the opportunity to get
into their collaborative groups and analyze the Scratch
community guidelines and find examples of kindness and
empathy within the guidelines. Afterwards, students had
the opportunity to create their own Scratch on how to be
kind and empathetic online, and once submitted, they had
the opportunity to watch their peers' digital stories and
leave kind feedback. This criterion is highlighted in the
video from 0:00 to 3:44. ​
9. Promote student Benson_Artifact7 In artifact 7, I provided opportunities for my third graders
behaviors that encourage to examine and evaluate online resources to determine
curiosity as they critically credibility using "The 5 W's". I promoted curiosity by
identify/examine online allowing students to take the media literacy "Is it Real?"
resources. quiz. I provided "The 5 W's" as a guideline for evaluating
online resources to determine credibility. To put this into
practice, students had the opportunity to use "The 5 W's"

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as I showed them more pictures and articles. Afterwards,

students created an infographic using Canva on 5 ways
you can know a website is safe/real, and our class
partnered with the media specialist to post the
infographics in the library and computer lab.
10. Mentor students in Benson_Artifact6 In Artifact 6, I was able to mentor my third grade students
safe, ethical and legal in the safe, ethical, and legal practice with digital tools
use, including intellectual and protection of intellectual rights and property through a
property. series of two digital citizenship lessons. The first lesson,
"Don't Be a Copycat, Give Credit!" focused on giving
credit to others by having learners be introduced to the
Copyright and Fair Use Law. Students participated in
read-aloud, a sorting activity where they sorted
"plagiarized" vs "not plagiarized," and participated in a
Padlet discussion on the importance of giving credit. For
the second lesson, "I know when and how to give credit,"
students had the opportunity to understand how to give
credit. Students were able to apply their knowledge
gained from the lesson and activity as they pulled out
their informational writing pieces and provided text
evidence and citations for their references. This criterion
is highlighted in the video from 3:44 to 6:49. ​
11. Model responsible Benson_Artifact6 In Artifact 6, I modeled and promoted the management of
use, including protection one's digital identity and protection of data privacy
of digital identity and through a digital citizenship lesson titled "Is it Real?
personal data. Lessons on Internet Credibility" where students were
taught the importance of understanding whether or not a
website or source is real. Through a fun read-aloud,
video, Padlet, and quiz, students were able to practice on
determining whether a website was safe and designed an
infographic to share with their peers. In the second

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lesson, "I am Password Protected," students read a book,

completed a scenario activity, and designed and shared
an infographic about 5 reasons why you should create a
strong password. Throughout these lessons, I had the
opportunity to personally reflect on my own ability in
keeping my personal data safe. ​This criterion is
highlighted in the video from 6:49 to 9:40. ​
4. 12. Collaborate with Benson_Artifact8 In artifact 8, I collaborated with colleagues in KSU's ITEC
another educator. program, my grade level team, and Mrs. Clark, the
Collaborator manager at the Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center
to design an engaged learner project where third grade
students participated in a community service project,
collecting toiletries for a local nonprofit. My colleagues in
KSU's ITEC program provided suggestions and tips on
how my project could be improved. My grade level team
planned which third grade standards best aligned with this
project and how the technologies could be best
implemented. Mrs. Clark helped create an authentic
learning experience, as she visited our third graders and
provided good insight which guided us throughout the
project. This criterion is highlighted in the video from 0:00
to 2:04.
13. Co-learn with students Benson_Artifact1 In Artifact 1, my third-graders at North LaFayette
about a new digital tool. Elementary School discovered a new learning tool, Mind
Meister, which was implemented within their informational
writing unit. The digital learning tool provided
opportunities for third-graders to brainstorm and organize
their thoughts during the pre-writing process of the
informational writing unit. Students were expected to
research and write about an occupation which they would
be interested in learning more about. Mind Meister

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allowed learners to easily map out their topic, subtopic,

and supporting details. Using this new tool was definitely
challenging at times, but as a whole group, we learned
how to effectively and successfully utilize the tool as we
troubleshooted and worked together as problem solvers.
This criterion is highlighted in the video from 2:51 to 5:39.
14. Facilitate students’ Benson_Artifact8 In Artifact 8, Mrs. Clark, the manager of the Northwest
virtual meetings with Georgia Family Crisis Center, visited our school to
experts or students. describe the purpose of the Northwest Georgia Family
Crisis Center, express the need, and discuss how the
students' project is going to impact the center. Students
asked Mrs. Clark questions about the project, and Mrs.
Clark was able to answer the questions. The students
were motivated and engaged by the experience with Mrs.
Clark. Additionally, throughout the project, we used email
and phone calls to ask additional questions and give
updates to Mrs. Clark. This criterion is highlighted in the
video from 2:04 to 2:55.
15. Demonstrate effective Benson_Artifact8 In Artifact 8, I show how I effectively communicate with
communication with all colleagues, parents, others within the school, and the
students’ supporters. community to support the community service project.
Information about the project was sent home using
several different methods. The flyers which my students
designed were sent home to parents, Facebook posts
through the school's Facebook were provided weekly,
and students shared their presentations with other
classes. Additionally, I used ClassDojo to remind my
students' parents about the project. This criterion is
highlighted in the video from 2:56 to 6:11. ​

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5. Designer 16. Accommodate learner Benson_Artifact9 In Artifact 9, I showcase how I am designing personalized
differences. learning experiences for my third grade students at North
LaFayette Elementary School by using technology to
access content in various ways. I used digital tools like:
Google Slides, IXL, Scratch, Flip, Padlet, and a variety of
digital resource tools to bring competency based learning,
student driven projects, and personalized learning plans
to my students. The learning activities they participated in
included multimodal content. For example, during their
colonial America project, students created a Padlet wall to
share their research of their chosen colonial region.
Padlet allows students to easily include pictures, audio,
video, and graphics to their posts. This criterion can be
seen in the video from 0:00-3:59.
17. Align to content area Benson_Artifact8 In Artifact 8, I designed an authentic learning activity for
standards. my third grade students called, "Collecting for Good." This
project aligned with a variety of third grade standards and
ISTE Student Standards. "Collecting for Good'' aligned
with math (MGSE3.MD.3 and MGSE3.NBT.2), social
studies (SS3CG2 and SS3E2), writing, (ELAGSE3W2,
ELAGSE3W7, ELAGSE3SL1, ELAGSE3SL4), and ISTE
Student Standards (1.1 Empowered Learner, 1.3
Knowledge Constructor, 1.6 Creative Communicator, and
1.7 Global Collaborator). In addition, a variety of
technologies were utilized to maximize active, deep
learning and meet mastery of each standard, including
Canva, Google Slides, Google Sheets, iMovie, and Rapid
Tables. This criterion is highlighted in the video from 6:13
to 8:20. ​

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18. Design a digital Benson_Artifact10 In artifact 10, I developed a blended online learning
learning environment. module for my third grade students. I used Google Sites
to create an interactive learning experience using a
variety of digital tools including: Flip, Nearpod, Padlet,
IXL, Edulastic, EdPuzzle, desmos classroom, and a
Bitmoji classroom, to engage my learners in the
student-to-teacher, student-to-self, and
student-to-student experience. Learners also had the
opportunity to complete a check-in form at the end of
each lesson through a Google Form which allowed for
self-reflection and gave me opportunities to understand
student strengths and weaknesses. Overall, this blended
online learning module provided opportunities for
learners to be highly engaged as the teacher supported
the learning process through effective and innovative
tools.
6. Facilitator 19. Facilitate and guide Benson_Artifact9 Artifact 9 provides evidence of how my third grade
learning as students take students at North LaFayette Elementary are setting and
ownership of their working to achieve their learning goals through the use of
learning goals. a personalized learning plan (PLP) designed to
personalize their learning experience. I created a PLP
template in Google Slides that was shared with each
student through Google Classroom. At the beginning of
each school year, I meet with students to discuss their
PLP. After goals are set, daily/weekly check-ins are
utilized to adjust and update the PLPs and ensure
students are on track to meeting their goals. This
criterion is highlighted in the video from 4:01 to 6:58.
20. Manage the use of Benson_Artifact11 In order to effectively manage the use of technology
technology for learning in within the alternative classroom setting, technology

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a nontraditional guidelines were established at the beginning of the school

classroom setting. year. Before students began their digital storytelling
project, they signed a digital storytelling contract and
school technology guidelines were reviewed. Scratch was
fairly new to my third graders; therefore, students faced
several challenges within their projects; however, learners
did a fabulous job of troubleshooting and debugging
within their work. When using Scratch, learners were able
to troubleshoot by watching Scratch tutorials, completing
web-based research on Scratch coding, playing with the
program, and asking their peers for guidance, and
technology was managed as both teachers facilitated
student progress and defined clear project expectations.
The teachers circulated the room, visited the student
groups to answer questions, and observed that learners
were on-task. This criterion is highlighted in the video
from 0:00 to 2:04. ​​
21. Create opportunities Benson_Artifact11 My students used the core components of computational
for students to use a thinking along with the creative play design process to
design process and/or successfully complete this project.
computational thinking. First, learners used decomposition to break down the
complex problems of the project into smaller, simpler
problems. Secondly, students used pattern recognition
when designing their Scratch projects and observed
patterns in their coding. Thirdly, algorithms were observed
when learners listed out their steps in the “imagine” and
“create” portions of the design process. Fourth, students
used abstraction to only focus on the details which were
important. Finally, in my alternative classroom setting,
learners understand that failed presentations will be
honored as successful if students are able to give a

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valuable explanation of the process and participate in a

discussion and guidance of next steps; therefore, the
focus of all projects is on the process, not the product.
This criterion is highlighted in the video from 2:05 to 3:21. ​
22. Model and nurture Benson_Artifact11 I nurtured creativity and creative problem solving for my
creativity. learners by emphasizing the process of this project, not
the product, and I embraced all types of making using the
Scratch website. Additionally, Scratch provides users with
opportunities to create their own sprites (characters) and
record audio, and I modeled how to specifically complete
this. Students were given a rubric which they were
expected to follow; however, they were able to use the
rubric to design and create the Scratch in whatever way
they saw fit. I gave learners the freedom to create their
own storyline, characters, backgrounds, etc. Student
groups had the option to add movement, music, or audio
recordings to make their Scratch project more
entertaining. This criterion is highlighted in the video from
3:21 to 5:16. ​
7. Analyst 23. Provide alternative Benson_Artifact9 In Artifact 9, my third grade students were provided voice,
ways for students to show choice, and alternative ways to showcase their learning of
competency. a multi-disciplinary student driven project focusing on the
colonial regions third grade social studies standard. In this
project, students focused on choosing a colonial region to
study and research. My students were given a choice
when determining which region they would like to study,
their research, and how they presented their project. They
could create a physical item that contained a mix of
physical items (ex: a travel brochure of their region) or
they could create a fully digital project using a variety of

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24. Use assessment data Benson_Artifact12
to inform and guide
instruction based on
individual student needs.
25. Provide opportunities Benson_Artifact12
for students to reflect on
their own learning data.
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technology tools (Scratch, Canva, Flip, etc.). This criterion
is highlighted in the video from 6:58 to 8:46.
ITEC 7305 (Data Anlaysis and School Improvement),
allowed me to perform a Summative Assessment
Analysis that was used to analyze my instructional
practices and analyze student learning. In artifact 12, I
showcase how I utilize technologies to assess my
learners. Additionally, I use the received data to guide my
next steps in planning a more personalized approach for
my learners. The data analyzed 21 students in a third
grade math class, 2 of those students are special
education students. The artifact demonstrates how I
made adjustments to my instruction based on the data
that was collected and analyzed. This criterion is
highlighted in the video from 0:00 to 3:44. ​
In Artifact 12, I was responsible for using assessment
data to guide progress and communicated with learners,
parents, and education stakeholders to guide student
self-direction. The data was shared with third grade
students, their parents, and other stakeholders via
PowerSchool. A student and teacher conference time was
also administered for teachers to show students their data
and next steps were discussed. In the video, I expressed
that the next steps would be to give students a
self-assessment; therefore, the next week, the students
were given a self-assessment (seen below) to reflect on
their learning using a Google Form. Through the
self-assessment the students were able to determine if
they would like to revise their work, adjust their learning
goals, or set new personal learning goals. This criterion is
highlighted in the video from 3:44 to 6:05.
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