Meet Mr. Bower
ISTE 14 Poster Presentation
Mr. Bower has been teaching sixth grade in the Penn Manor School District for 11 years. In 2010 he was awarded the Elementary Educator of the Year Award and was a finalist for Disney’s American Teacher of the Year. A graduate of Millersville University, Mr. Bower earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education as well as a master’s degree in Language and Literacy Education. Mr. Bower teaches a course on instructional technology as an adjunct professor at Millersville University and he is also a contributor for TeachersFirst.com.
Mr. Bower has conducted numerous professional development workshops and was the keynote speaker for the 2012 Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 Elementary Technology Conference. In 2013 he was a panelist in a session at ISTE for his involvement with the MySciLife project supported by The Source for Learning and TeachersFirst.com. His classroom practices were cited in various publications and most recently he collaborated on an article on infusing technology into the balanced literacy classroom for the e-Journal of Balanced Reading Instruction. Mr. Bower’s research interest is focused on how technology allows teachers to better meet the needs of students with diverse abilities.
Mr. Bower has conducted numerous professional development workshops and was the keynote speaker for the 2012 Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 Elementary Technology Conference. In 2013 he was a panelist in a session at ISTE for his involvement with the MySciLife project supported by The Source for Learning and TeachersFirst.com. His classroom practices were cited in various publications and most recently he collaborated on an article on infusing technology into the balanced literacy classroom for the e-Journal of Balanced Reading Instruction. Mr. Bower’s research interest is focused on how technology allows teachers to better meet the needs of students with diverse abilities.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, 2003
- Minors in Music and Athletic Coaching
- Millersville University, Millersville, PA
Master of Education in Language and Literacy Education, 2007
- Millersville University, Millersville, PA
Professional Experience
Reviewer/Contributor The Source for Learning/TeachersFirst.comm - 2013 to Present
- Website reviewer, Edge reviews, and content contributor. Moderator for OK2Ask online professional development sessions. Developing parent integration ideas for resources associated with TeachersAndFamilies.
MySciLife Teacher Ambassador The Source for Learning/TeachersFirst.com - 2012 to Present
- Collaborated with educators to develop resources for MySciLife, an online social learning environment where students create an identity as a science concept. Field-tested comprehensive, teacher-friendly MySciLife classroom materials for students and professional development materials for teachers.
Part-Time Instructor Millersville University - 2010 to Present
- Instructed pre-service and practicing teachers to develop a level of comfort in the planning and delivering technology. enhanced instruction with the goal of promoting student learning and interest utilizing constructivist teaching methods.
Sixth Grade Teacher Penn Manor School District - 2003 to Present
- Utilized instruction time effectively. Challenged and motivated students to learn. Practiced effective classroom management techniques to promote student achievement. Lessons based on the Pennsylvania Academic Standards.
Awards and Honors
- Penn Manor School District Outstanding Elementary Educator of the Year – 2009/2010
- Keystone Technology Integration Award – 2006
- DisneyHand American Teacher of the Year Finalist – 2005
- Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers – 2004 to Present
- Anna E. Beyer Outstanding Performance in Student Teaching - 2003
Works Cited and Publications
- Stuck in the Middle: Helping Adolescents Read and Write in the Content Areas (Heinemann 2010)
- Reflections on How Educators Use Motivational Theories in Educational Psychology (Kendall Hunt 2012)
- "Infusing Technology Into the Balanced Literacy Classroom" (e-Journal of Balanced Reading Instruction 2013)