BUENA PARK, CA – Emery School third-grade teacher Amy Biesiada is using her love of technology to not only boost excellence in her students during at-home learning sessions, but also to assist her Buena Park School District colleagues.

Biesiada said her expertise in apps like ParentSquare and Seesaw create a smooth transition to online learning – picking up right where she left off in her classroom. Both programs are online communication tools. ParentSquare is used for parent communication and Seesaw is a digital portfolio of students work, which can be shared with teachers.

“I want to create a level of consistency with my students’ academic journeys,” Biesiada said. “I send them links of videos for their lessons, have them respond, and it is so amazing to hear their voices as they talk and explain their work.”

Biesiada and her third-grade team of teachers have created and shared videos with her students that cover topics such as physical education, English language arts, math and music. She’s also encouraging students to learn new words by sharing the Mrs. Wordsmith Instagram account and has started filming segments of herself reading and discussing “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo.

Biesiada received training from the Seesaw organization to become a Seesaw Ambassador during the 2018-19 school year. This training program made her a Seesaw expert and provides the District with exclusive access to support from other ambassadors, informational webinars and tips on improving online lesson plans.

With her Seesaw knowledge, Biesiada helped the District’s IT department integrate the app into the online curriculum. Biesiada is also known for answering Seesaw questions during her school’s biweekly staff meetings.

“Mrs. Biesiada’s passion for education extends beyond the classroom,” Emery School Principal Julie Linnecke said. “Not only does she love teaching and providing engaging lessons for her students, she is a great support for teachers in the area of technology.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

042720_BUENAPARK_TECHTEACHER1: Emery School third-grade teacher Amy Biesiada is known throughout Buena Park School District for being a Seesaw expert, offering guidance to her colleagues and using the online app to encourage student excellence.

042720_ BUENAPARK_ TECHTEACHER2: One of Emery School third-grade teacher Amy Biesiada’s students at his home work station, practicing vocabulary words. Biesiada has been encouraging her students to learn new words by sharing words of the day through the Mrs. Wordsmith Instagram account.