TUESDAY Room 7
Hourly Schedule
Room 7
- 7:00 AM - 7:20 AM
- Interrogating the Implicit Bias of AI: Teaching Educators to Use Critical Literacy to Complicate and Contextualize the Myths of Columbus
- Katharine Covino-Poutasse, Fitchburg State | USA
-
Speakers:
Katharine Covino-Poutasse
- 7:20 AM - 7:40 AM
- AI Literacy: A Framework to Understand, Evaluate, and Use Emerging Technology
- Pati Ruiz, Digital Promise | USA
-
Speakers:
Pati Ruiz
- 7:40 AM - 8:00 AM
- Old-School Preparation for an AI future: Progress Toward Reading Maturity
- Matt Thomas, University of Central Missouri | USA
-
Speakers:
Matt Thomas
- 8:00 AM - 8:20 AM
- Sun Books Project
- SUNBOOKS UGANDA
-
Speakers:
Charles Muwangala
- 8:20 AM - 8:45 AM
- BREAK
- 9:00 AM - 10:25 AM
- PLENARY SESSION
- Keynote - 40 minutes (Governor's Early Literacy Foundation James Pond | President) Panel Discussion One - 45 minutes EU READS (led by Dr. Jörg F. Maas | Stiftung Lesen) Diane Gerald, CEO of Booktrust UK, Valentina Stoeva (CEO of the Bulgarian Reading Foundation) Panel Discussion Two - 45 minutes How Neuroscience can advance Literacy Education (Brainscience, MIT, Oxford University, Stanford University, University of Connecticut) North Writing School - EXHIBIT HALL
- 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
- BREAK
- 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM
- Training Teachers in the Science of Reading: One Micro-credential at a Time
- Credentials Unlimited United States
-
Speakers:
Lori Severino
- 11:20 AM - 11:40 AM
- Solar Energy; An Innovative Technological Tool to solve Literacy and other Educational Challenges
- Sunbooks Nigeria
-
Speakers:
Abiodun Olowoyo
- 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM
- ALTA Online: Learn to read and spell - anywhere, anytime, Caribbean style.
- Paula Lucie-Smith Adult Literacy Tutors Association Trinidad and Tobago"
- 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM
- New ways to help youths and adults develop confident, functional literacy, through a combination of neuroscience and technology.
- All Aboard Learning Ltd United Kingdom
-
Speakers:
David Morgan
- 12:20 PM - 12:40 PM
- Podcasting for Professional Development: Edutaining Educators
- “Edutainment” is not just for children. Podcasts offer a unique blend of entertainment and learning for adults. As hosts of the wildly popular podcast, The Literacy View, we take up-to-date research and bring it to life in a fun and friendly format for educators and parents.
-
Speakers:
Faith Borkowsky, Judy Boksner
- 12:40 PM - 1:00 PM
- Bridging Literacies in Africa: The Transformative Power of Technology and the Africa e-Library Project
- Snapplify Foundation South Africa
-
Speakers:
Stephen Bestbier
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
- LUNCH
- 2:00 PM - 2:40 PM
- Closing the Book Gap: How the Global Book Alliance Brings Together Partners to Strenghten the Book Supply Chain
- Global Book Alliance IREX Moderator - Megan Schleicher GBA/USAID Panelist - Sergio Ramirez-Mena GBA/IREX/ACR-GCD Panelist - Laura Conrad -USAID Panelist - Sakil Malik - GBA/GCFIL
-
Speakers:
Megan Schleicher, Sergio Ramirez-Mena
- 2:40 PM - 3:20 PM
- Building a Reading Community
- Oanh Crouch, Director of Education at Globeducate Dr Helen Hendry, Senior Lecturer & co-director of the Centre for Literacy and Social Justice at The Open University Katie Bareham, CEO Doorstep Library Portia Dery, Doctoral Researcher The Open University Alison King, School Librarian, Kings Monkton School, Cardiff
-
Speakers:
Alison King, Helen Hendry, Katie Bareham, Oanh Crouch, Portia Dery
- 3:20 PM - 4:00 PM
- TBD
- Panel Discussion
- 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM
- BREAK
- 4:15 PM - 4:35 PM
- Dyslexia Speaks - Voices from the Caribbean
- Shawntelle Morgan, i-Teach Transformative Knowledge Solutions Ltd. | Barbados
-
Speakers:
Shawntelle Morgan
- 4:35 PM - 4:55 PM
- Neuroscience of Dyslexia research review: Implications for Teaching and Intervention
- Alexandra Lee, Learn Platform by Instructure | United States
-
Speakers:
Alexandra Lee
- 4:55 PM - 5:15 PM
- From Student to Advocate: Empowering Dyslexic Individuals to Share Their Voice
- Angela Dantonio Barton Dyslexia Tutor Unites States
-
Speakers:
Angela Dantonio
- 5:15 PM - 5:35 PM
- Classroom Behavior and the Dyslexic Brain
- Tamara Cella, Georgian Court University | United States
-
Speakers:
Dr. Tamara Cella
- 5:35 PM - 5:55 PM
- Social Justice and Equity Through Literacy: What School Leaders Must Know About Early Literacy Development and Structured Literacy Implementation.
- Siobhan Dennis Lena Kim Wilson Language Training United States
-
Speakers:
Lena Kim, Siobhan Dennis
Katharine Covino-Poutasse
Associate Professor of English Studies, Co-Chair Middle and Secondary Education
Dr. Covino, an Associate Professor of English Studies, teaches writing, literature, and teacher-preparation classes at Fitchburg State University. Ms. Fratantonio, MLIS, MS is the Head of Instruction and Information Literacy at Fitchburg State University. Dr. Benharris is an associate professor and the Director of Undergraduate Education Programs at Stonehill College.
Pati Ruiz
Dr. Pati Ruiz is the Senior Director of EdTech and Emerging Technologies at Digital Promise. Dr. Ruiz studies emerging learning technologies, computer science education, public interest technology, and professional learning. Dr. Ruiz was a 2022 Brilliant Woman in AI Ethics, a 2023 EdSAFE AI Fellow, and an NYC AI Expert.
Matt Thomas
Interim Dean, College of Education, and Professor of Reading
Matt Thomas, Ph.D. serves as Interim Dean of the College of Education at the University of Central Missouri, USA. He also serves there as Professor of Reading and Chair of the Department of Educational Foundations & Literacy. He has more than 25 years of experience with academic presentations and publications.
Charles Muwangala
Sun Books Leader Uganda
I'm Charles Muwangala, age 47, professional teacher with with government of Uganda 25 teaching experience, with certificate, diploma and Degree in education, Headteacher Maligita school. Sunbooks leader Uganda, Sunflowers schools project director Uganda.guest speak at E Learning international conference in Rwanda in 2022,guest speaker in Oxford world literacy summit 2023
Lori Severino
Co-Founder
Dr. Lori Severino, Assistant Professor (retired), Drexel University and Co-Founder of Credentials Unlimited. She is an accomplished author, speaker, and dyslexia therapist who presented at over 40 conferences worldwide, including as keynote speaker at the KIE Conference. She has trained teachers in structured literacy and dyslexia for over 20 years.
11:00 am - 11:20 am
Abiodun Olowoyo
Sun Books Program Leader, Nigeria
Abiodun Olowoyo is dedicated literacy advocate. She envisions bridging the educational divide between children from affluent backgrounds and those less privileged. With over a decade of experience in the education sector, she finds deep satisfaction witnessing children excel academically and personally. Abiodun is determined to fight the global literacy crisis.
David Morgan
CEO All Aboard Learning
David Morgan BSc (Mech Eng) MEd was a cofounder of the Shannon Trust, the leading literacy charity in UK prisons. He is also the founder and CEO of All Aboard Learning, which delivers reading development resources through the Easyread System, All Aboard Phonics and Reading Copilot.
Faith Borkowsky
Literacy Consultant, Author, and Podcaster
Faith Borkowsky, the founder of High Five Literacy, LLC, is an internationally respected literacy consultant, certified dyslexia practitioner, author and speaker. She works with school districts, nonprofits, and community-based organizations, and, in 2021, Faith was a finalist for the World Literacy Foundation Award for her significant contributions to literacy.
Judy Boksner
Founder of High Five Literacy
Judy Boksner has over 25 years of experience working in NYC public schools as a classroom teacher, coach, and reading specialist. Judy works with teachers and children all throughout areas in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Greenwich Ct.
Judy works with many private clients as a reading specialist and also facilitates professional development at Manhattanville University. She also co-hosts the education podcast known as The Literacy View.
Stephen Bestbier
Stephen Bestbier
Stephen, Government Partnership Manager at Snapplify, champions global literacy by implementing large-scale e-library projects. With a background in education, he advocates for mother tongue content to empower young learners and bridge language barriers, making literature accessible to all.
Megan Schleicher
Associate Advisor, Global Book Alliance
Megan Schleicher and Laura Conrad are Advisors with the USAID Center for Education, both experts in early childhood education, literacy, and teaching and learning materials. Serving on the GBA Secretariat, they drive GBA strategy and community engagement. They both have served as training facilitators and spoken at conferences and webinars.
Sergio Ramirez-Mena
Alison King
School Librarian
Helen Hendry
Senior Lecturer in education, and co-director of the Centre for Literacy and Social Justice
Helen is a Senior Lecturer in education, and co-director of the Centre for Literacy and Social Justice at The Open University. Formerly a senior leader in primary schools and initial teacher educator, Helen now leads schools and universities across the UK in developing a culture of reading for pleasure through the yearlong OU Reading Schools programme and the OU/ UKLA student teacher reading for pleasure ambassador scheme. Her recent research has focused on whole school case-studies of change in Reading Teachers: Nurturing reading for pleasure, informal book talk in the early years and the impact on children’s reader identities, as well as a Reading and Writing for Pleasure framework.
Katie Bareham
CEO
Katie is CEO of Doorstep Library, a children’s literacy charity, with over 14 years’ experience in developing a charity from start-up to working with over 2,000 children living in under-resourced areas. Passionate about social justice and ensuring all children have the opportunity to thrive in life, and to enjoy childhood. Driven to ensure that those members of society who are often deemed “hardest to reach” are given the additional support needed to access services and connect with their local communities. Katie is an avid believer that books, and reading for pleasure, can improve bonds between parents and children, develop understanding of the world and empathy for others, and make a real difference in the lives (and life chances) of children.
Oanh Crouch
Director of Education
Oanh is the Director of Education at Globeducate, overseeing curriculum, teaching projects, and professional learning communities across 65+ schools in 11 countries. With leadership roles in the UK, Australia, Finland, and Thailand, she promotes strategic innovation to impact teaching and learning. As a former Educational Consultant at the University of York, she led curriculum planning and initial teacher training, contributed to the Education Endowment Foundation, and regularly speaks at educational events. Oanh champions reading for pleasure as transformative, witnessing how it can foster students' personal growth, broadens perspectives, and supports lifelong learning, enhancing both academic and social development.
Portia Dery
Portia is a doctoral researcher at the Open University, focusing on Reading for Pleasure (RfP) in low-resource contexts. She aims to diversify children’s storybooks, promote joyful learning, and support mother tongue language to enhance reading skills among English-as-second-language learners. Previously, she worked in Ghana’s Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, implementing community programs. Portia also created the Funky Readwrite Clinics, a literacy initiative for low-resource communities. As a writer, her children’s book Grandma’s List has won the Golden Baobab Prize, the Children’s Africana Book Award, and the Ghana Association of Writers Prize. She blogs at theportiadery.com
Shawntelle Morgan
Founder and Managing Director
Shawntelle Morgan is the founder and Managing Director of i-Teach Transformative Knowledge Solutions Ltd. A PhD candidate in Language and Literacy Education, she has presented her research at various academic conferences. Mrs. Morgan also develops and implements programs to support dyslexic learners and facilitates professional development for educators in dyslexia.
Alexandra Lee
Researcher
Dr. Alexandra Lee has 7+ years educational psychology research experience and currently works as a Researcher at LearnPlatform by Instructure. She is an experienced educator and has spent 8+ years teaching literacy in diverse K-12 and higher education settings including the College of Education at Michigan State University.
Angela Dantonio
Barton Dyslexia Tutor and Academic Coach
Angela Marie D'Antonio, an online dyslexia tutor and academic coach, draws from 13+ years of homeschooling her neurodiverse children and experience in curriculum sales. Her daughter, Sophia, 17, a dyslexic student-turned-advocate, launched awareness campaigns two years ago. Together, they share insights on dyslexia and self-advocacy through presentations, publications, and podcasts.
Dr. Tamara Cella
Assistant Professor
Dr. Tamara J Cella is an Assistant Professor at Georgian Court University in New Jersey and the Executive Director of Everyone Reading in NYC. She has spent the last 20 years researching dyslexia and coaching teachers on the best methods to help students emotionally and academically.
Lena Kim
Literacy Advisor
Siobhan Dennis
Senior Director of Customer Experience-Administrator Relations
Dr. Siobhan Dennis, Sr. Director of Customer Experience at Wilson Language Training, leads a team of Literacy Advisors. A former principal, she now collaborates with districts nationwide to establish principal networks and communities of practice focused on structured literacy and Implementation Science.
