Michael Soskil
Newfoundland, PA
When we allow students to feel the joy that comes with using their learning to do good in the world they grow into adults who affect positive change. My passion is empowering students to believe that they can make a difference in the lives of others, and to support them in their efforts. Through global connections on social media, free videoconferencing technology such as Skype, and by leveraging the tools we have available in the 21st Century, I've seen students from around the world have incredible impact in solving the problems we face as a global society.
In 2012 the President of the United States and the National Science Foundation recognized my efforts with the highest honors bestowed upon math and science teachers in the United States: The Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This honor opened up many new opportunities for me, and in 2014 I was named a Top-50 Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize, widely considered the "Nobel Prize of Teaching."
My mission to empower students to change the world and to assist teachers in helping them do that has brought me to the White House, the US Department of Education, the United Nations, and around the world to speak to educators, students, policy makers, social innovators, and philanthropists about teaching and learning. At every opportunity I deliver the message that students learning by collaborating with others around the world to solve real problems creates a better tomorrow for all of us.
A current project I'm working on: Distance Teaching Project
My personal blog: A Teacher's Life for Me
My school blog: 21st Century Learning at the South Elementary
The podcast I co-host: EdTech Chat 'n Chew Podcast