Towson, Md. -- The Maryland Society for Educational Technology (MSET) is proud to announce its October 2022 Digital Learning Showcase Recipient Chelsea McClure, a Lecturer in the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education at Towson University.

Leading pre-service teachings into the profession is a challenging task as instructional technology constantly changes, but McClure is quick to stay on top of the rapid changes. She recently received a pair of grants to continue her support in bringing technology into the pre-service teacher classroom. One grant allowed McClure to use AI Mursion technology to facilitate guardian-teacher experiences for teacher candidates in Higher Education while the other tailored around offering computational thinking opportunities using Scratch with the Teacher Academy of Maryland (TAM) high school teachers.

“Chelsea is a very thoughtful teacher. She spends hours of work on anything she creates,” Danielle Affinito, a Montgomery County Public Schools teacher and co-grant writer, shares about her colleague. “The result is that her work is easy to understand, applicable, and motivational. The work I completed with her inspired me to dig deeper than ever before.”

McClure’s thirst for innovation is one of her greatest attributes as she pushes to equip pre-service teachers with the proper tools to make an immediate impact on K-12 students as they enter the classroom.

“Chelsea is student focused, innovative, and extremely hard working. She is always looking to enhance her pedagogical practices with new and exciting initiatives,” Heather Haverback, professor and chair of the department of secondary and middle at Towson University, stated. “Chelsea is also supportive of those she teaches and works with, her motivation and collaboration are only two of the many qualities that make Chelsea an exceptional instructor.”

McClure looks for opportunities to support teachers in all aspects of the profession. One need she found was students needed to develop skills in conducting conferences as they enter the profession. Her knowledge, dedication, and skill to support the need allowed her to be awarded a grant to develop workshops focused specifically on parent-teacher conference training.

“These parent-teacher conference  trainings will take place this coming spring semester. I have enjoyed working with Chelsea immensely and look forward to our work in the future,” Towson University Simulation Coordinator Julia Brandenberry shared as she has worked collaboratively with McClure on several projects.

“Chelsea is a game changer because she is always looking for ways to improve the world around her, she is passionate, hard-working, and supports others in trying new things in the classroom,” colleague Asha Shepard, professor at Goucher College, explained.

About Digital Learning Showcase

MSET is taking the opportunity to highlight best practices in classroom teaching, leading, and learning with educational technology from around the state of Maryland. The goal is to spotlight innovations of members and nonmembers throughout different public and private school settings. Each month teachers, school leaders, and community members are asked to nominate individuals who support innovation and educational technology in a school setting.

MSET is non-profit organization with the purpose of promoting the improvement of the teaching-learning process through effective technology integration into all curricular areas as well as fostering and promoting excellence technology in education. MSET is an affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a leading international network for technology professionals.