The following is a list of the courses I completed for my Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) at Michigan State University.

Key to Course Description acronyms: TE = Teacher Education; CEP = Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education

Spring 2017

TE 846 – Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Lance Wheatley

Literacy instruction is something that many people believe is the responsibility of teachers at the elementary level. I used to include myself in that group until taking this course, where I read literature about best practice with regards to literacy instruction and intervention and learned that all teachers regardless of level can and should do their part to ensure adequate literacy learning for all students. Over the course of the semester, I also completed a project where I worked one-on-one with a student to analyze their literacy level and design an intervention to help them increase their reading comprehension. This course was also a requirement to progress from a Provisional to a Professional Teaching Certificate in the State of Michigan. I completed this progression in October of 2018 after 3 successful years of teaching experience.

Summer 2017

CEP 810 – Teaching for Understanding with Technology
Mary Wever & Chris Seals

Many times, it is hard to know how (and even if) to choose the right technology in an educational setting. We learned about the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge Framework (TPACK), which to this day continues to help me be thoughtful and intentional when it comes to choosing tech tools for my classroom. We also developed an understanding of how novices and experts learn, and explored the magnitude of online resources for learning. This led to a project where we learned a new skill of our choice using only online resources.

*This course was taken as one of three during a summer hybrid cohort, where we were on campus for two weeks and online for another four weeks.

CEP 811 – Adapting Innovative Technology to Education
Mary Wever & Chris Seals

This course was all about how to adapt existing technologies for use in an educational setting. As a part of learning to adapt technologies, we designed our dream classrooms in Google SketchUp and learned about copyright law and fair use. Our main project was designing, creating, and running a Maker Faire at the MSU Library. The idea was that by making things with their own hands, students learn through an iterative process where failure is a good thing that leads to growth and a better final product.


*This course was taken as one of three during a summer hybrid cohort, where we were on campus for two weeks and online for another four weeks.

CEP 812 – Applying Educational Technology to Practice
Mary Wever & Chris Seals

Wicked Problems and questions were the two main topics of this course. In groups, we approached a wicked problem (a problem that does not have a single or correct answer) and once again used the iteration process to gather information about the problem do research, and pose possible solutions. We also read the book A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger, which I would highly recommend for anyone with a curious soul.




*This course was taken as one of three during a summer hybrid cohort, where we were on campus for two weeks and online for another four weeks. 

Fall 2017

CEP 818 – Creativity in Teaching & Learning
Candace Marcotte & Carmen Richardson

Expressing my creativity in this course is one of the fondest memories I have of the entire program, coming second only to the friends I made in my cohort. I learned how to recognize creative talent in myself and others, and further embrace my Growth Mindset. I created something, received feedback, and had chances to reiterate what I had created to make it even better. I also read about the psychological aspects of creativity and the effects that it can have on learner motivation. I included much of the work from this course in my showcase of work because I am so proud of how I learned to embrace and nurture the creativity that I thought I didn’t have.

Spring 2018

CEP 820 – Teaching Students Online
Cui Cheng & Dr. Anne Heintz

Teaching methods have changed so much over the years, so it is only natural that the traditional teaching setting has begun to change as well. This course taught me how to find, research, and compare the various available learning management systems (LMS) in order to be able to choose the appropriate one for delivering content to my students based upon my situation and course goals. After considering my options, I chose to create an online-only (as opposed to hybrid/blended) module using Google Classroom for the first unit in a typical French 1 class. This course module still exists and can be adapted in the future for use with a real class.

Summer 2018

CEP 800 – Learning in School & Other Settings
Dr. Diana Brandon & Amit Sharma

As the name of the course so clearly communicates, this course was focused on learning; what it is, when it happens, how it happens, who it happens to, etc. My ideas of learning, specifically where and when it occurs, were challenged more than once. Via course readings and extensive online discussions with my classmates, I came out with a deeper understanding of learning and the context that surrounds it.

CEP 815 – Technology and Leadership
Dr. Diana Brandon & Amit Sharma

Integrating new technology into schools should never be taken lightly, and the leaders who are in charge of this integration have an important and demanding job. These ideas were the main focus of this course. I explored the ideas of management versus leadership, and the vision it takes to be a successful leader. My main project was developing a vision statement for my district’s future, with support from relevant research surrounding educational technology.

CEP 822 – Approaches to Educational Research
Swati Mehta

For this course, I was asked to think about a problem in education that I wanted to research further. After deciding to study the effects of flipped learning on student achievement, I first gathered various available research articles on the topic. I went in with the belief that flipped learning raised student achievement. I then analyzed and critiqued these studies to see if they supported or contradicted my original belief. I found that there is not much research that suggested increased achievement, but most research has found that it is at least as effective as regular instruction and does have the effect of increasing student motivation. 

Fall 2018

CEP 807 – Proseminar in Educational Technology (Capstone Course)
Aric Gaunt, Sarah Keenan-Lechel, Dr. Matthew Koehler, & Sukanya Moudgalya

Reflection is an absolutely integral part of learning, growth, and even teaching. In this capstone course, I was tasked with reflecting on and highlighting much of the work that I created throughout the duration of the program. Yet again, I followed an iterative process where I created something, received feedback from (and gave feedback to) my classmates, and had many opportunities to tweak and perfect my work after reflecting on that feedback. This website in its final form is the realization of that initial task of showcasing and summarizing my work and learning.