I am a teacher, and a lifelong learner. I began teaching in Philadelphia in 2004 as a Science teacher for grades K-6. I also spent 5 years in a K-8 setting as a Technology teacher. I currently teach high school students how to think critically about technology and successfully integrate technology tools into their learning through a half-year Technology course. I also teach kids how to view their world with an artist’s eye and express themselves creatively as a visual arts teacher.
Over the last decade, I have met some inspiring educators and have become a much better teacher for it. I have been a weekly moderator for the #edchat discussion on Twitter every Tuesday, I have presented at a number of conferences, including Educon here in Philadelphia, the ISTE conference, ASCD, PETE & C, and the #140 Character conference. I also helped co-organize the very first edcamp Philly and blog for Edutopia about tech integration.
Over the years, my instruction has evolved along with my teaching philosophy. I believe in student-centered learning, with a focus on choice and individual interests and independence. As such, I gear my assessments less around grades and numbers and more around feedback, skill mastery and meeting students where they are. The most exciting thing about teaching is that I never stop learning about my students and about myself as a teacher and person.
In 2010 I was named one of ISTE’s Emerging Leaders, and in 2013 I was named an ASCD Emerging Leader and PAECT’s Teacher of the Year. In 2011 I was elected Treasurer of the Edcamp Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the edcamp movement nationwide, and I served on the Board of Directors, stepping aside when my son was born in 2014.
I started blogging in 2007 as a way to share with the world the deplorable conditions in which my students learned. A few months later I joined Twitter in preparation for my first ISTE/NECC conference in Washington, DC. I was instantly hooked and became an avid user of social media (you can find me on Twitter as @mbteach). I now blog about a variety of topics around education and blogging has been a way for me to reflect and build dialogue around my practice.
Most recently, I have been working on a book for teachers, Digital and Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet: Practical Classroom Applications. It is scheduled to be released by Rowman & Littlefield in November of 2019.