Join us for a round table discussion addressing the intersection of literacy instruction and technology, particularly in a distance/remote learning environment.

Would you like to ask the panelists a question? Email it to carreventbrite@gmail.com.

Our Presenters Include:

Dr. Julie Coiro

Julie Coiro has taught for 30 years, first with PreK-8 students with learning disabilities and now, as a professor of reading, research, and digital literacy at the University of Rhode Island. An internationally known scholar, Julie conducts research in collaborative online inquiry while also working with educators to support their understanding of digital inquiry as part of comprehension strategy instruction. Julie loves to talk with classroom teachers about their own experiences building a culture of inquiry, and in 2019, she published her co-authored book From Curiosity to Deep Learning: Personal Digital Inquiry in Grades K-5 with Elizabeth Dobler and Karen Pelekis.

Karen Pelekis

Karen Pelekis has been designing opportunities for personal digital inquiry in her classroom for the past twelve years in Scarsdale, NY. Since March of 2020, she has only been instructing remotely. This school year, she is teaching second grade, and her virtual-only class follows an AM/PM model. She works to create a unified day for her students, full of rich learning and social interaction. Although her class meets through digital means, the goal is to make each child's experience real and personal, with inquiry at the core of instruction. Karen co-authored the book From Curiosity to Deep Learning: Personal Digital Inquiry in Grades K-5 with Julie, contributing many of the ideas from her work with first graders.

Amanda Murphy

Amanda Murphy has been a classroom teacher for nearly 20 years, first at the high school level and now at the middle school level. She has taught social studies and led digital literacy efforts in her district, with an emphasis on blogging and social media outreach as well as professional development around blended and personalized learning. She has been a faculty member of URI's Summer Institute in Digital Literacy for the past six years. Since March of 2020, Amanda has been engaging middle schoolers in her virtual social studies classroom while also striving to build relationships and promote inquiry. Her work has been published in the Journal of Media Literacy and the International Literacy Association.

Wendy Amelotte

Wendy Amelotte has been in education for over 20 years, holding many different roles from a special education teacher, elementary teacher, literacy coach, and principal. She is currently a curriculum director for an urban-ring district in Rhode Island serving nearly 10,000 students. Since March of 2020, Wendy has been working with educators to design learning opportunities that promote deep learning, drawing on her experiences from leading 1:1 initiatives both as a principal at the elementary level and as curriculum director at the secondary level. She is finishing her dissertation on examining literacy and leadership in effective schools. Conducting her data collection during the pandemic provided a unique opportunity to learn how effective schools transitioned their teaching and more importantly how they supported strong connections among students and staff.