Dr. Michael J. Berson is a Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of South Florida and a Senior Fellow in the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship. He coordinates the Ph.D. Program in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Social Science Education and co-coordinates the Elementary Education MAT Program. He also holds affiliate faculty status in USF's Learning Design and Technology Program. Dr. Bersons research explores the integration of advanced technologies such as AI, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) into education to enhance inquiry-based learning and civic engagement. His work critically examines ethical and practical challenges in digitally enhanced teaching tools that promote critical thinking in social studies education. Additionally, he investigates participatory methodologies that elevate childrens voices in educational research to foster digital citizenship and ethical technology use. His research on child advocacy, Holocaust pedagogy, digital citizenship, and visual research methods has received global recognition. He was honored with the National Council for the Social Studies President's Award for outstanding contribution to the field and received the Florida Council for the Social Studies Agnes Crabtree International Relations Award for his research in global child advocacy. He also received the Irving Morrissett Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Science Education from the Social Science Education Consortium, AACTEs Best Practice Award for Innovative Use of Technology, and the 2025 Taylor & Francis Outstanding Article Award from the Association of Teacher Educators. Dr. Berson has held leadership roles in major organizations and has extensively published books, chapters, and journal articles. He has been a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the Spencer Foundation, and the Library of Congress.