Department of Secondary Education
Social Science Education Faculty
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Professor
(813) 974-7917
(813) 974-3837 Fax
berson@coedu.usf.edu
Office: 308D
Mailing Address:
College of Education
Department of Secondary Education
University of South Florida
4202 East Fowler Ave., EDU105
Tampa, FL 33620-5650
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Bachelor's: University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Master's: The University of Toledo
Doctorate: The University of Toledo
Dr. Michael J. Berson is a Professor in the Secondary Education Department at the University of South Florida (USF). He instructs courses in Social Science Methodology and is the coordinator of the doctoral program in social science education. His courses have been internationally recognized for integrating emerging technologies into instruction and modeling dynamic and fluid pedagogy. He has been a pioneer in the use of Internet2 technology for telecollaborative teaching and learning in the social studies. Dr. Berson has received the USF Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and was twice chosen as the USF nominee for the CASE United States Professor of the Year Program. He also was honored with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) President's Award for outstanding contribution to the field and was selected for the Florida Council for the Social Studies International Relations Award for his research in global child advocacy. He serves as a consultant on the integration of technology into education, and has been an invited participant in the National Technology Leadership Summit. Dr. Berson is a co-founder of the American Educational Research Association Special Interest Group Research in Global Child Advocacy and is a member of the Social Science Education Consortium, an invitation only international group of recognized scholars in social studies. He served as the Chair of the College and University Faculty Assembly of the NCSS and a Vice President of the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education.
Dr. Berson has extensively published books, chapters, and journal articles and presented worldwide. Among his books, he has coauthored Social Studies on the Internet and Designing Effective Instruction for Secondary Social Studies (3rd ed.). He also is the general editor of Harcourt Horizons and is a co-author of Harcourt Social Studies. Both series are award-winning social studies programs from Harcourt School Publishers. He was named the Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award Winner in the Learned Article category for a co-authored article entitled “Eugenics Past and Present: Remembering Buck v. Bell,” which appeared in the National Council for the Social Studies flagship journal Social Education. Dr. Berson has guest edited numerous journals and has served on the editorial review boards for the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Theory and Research in Social Education, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, The International Social Studies Forum, and Social Education. He has been the principal investigator, co-principal investigator, or primary partner on funded grants totaling over $6 million. Dr. Berson conducts research on global child advocacy and technology in social studies education.
