Founders
Dr. W. Ian O’Byrne is a educator, researcher, and innovator. His research investigates the literacy practices of individuals as they read, write, and communicate in online spaces. Ian has been involved in initiatives ranging from online and hybrid coursework, integrating technology in the classroom, ePortfolio systems, and supporting marginalized students in literacy practices. He teaches literacy and technology classes at the College of Charleston in the Department of Teacher Education.
Ian is also a father, husband, and award winning online DJ. He enjoys spending time with his family by cooking, or teaching his kids to hack and make things. He blogs about this and more at his website, and in his weekly newsletter.
Dr. Kristen Hawley Turner is professor and director of teacher education at Drew University in New Jersey. Her research focuses on the intersections between technology and literacy, and she works with teachers across content areas to implement effective literacy instruction and to incorporate technology in meaningful ways. She is the co-author of Connected Reading: Teaching Adolescent Readers in a Digital World and Argument in the Real World: Teaching Students to Read and Write Digital Texts.
She is also the founder and director of the Drew Writing Project and Digital Literacies Collaborative. She is the mother of middle school children and blogs about her dual roles at TwinLife: Having It All.
Researchers
Dr. Katie Paciga is an associate professor of education at Columbia College Chicago. As the 2015-2017 early career research fellow of the TEC Center and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Media, Katie studied the socio-cultural significance of the screen time narrative as told through academic research, practitioner journals, and popular media. Interested in the ways in which printed media (i.e., children’s literature) and interactive media (i.e., web-and app-based tools) contribute to teaching and learning, Katie focuses her research on bringing together perspectives on education, media, design, and human interaction with particular attention to the social, emotional, cultural, and cognitive bases for language and literacy development. She teaches courses in language and literacy development, methods and materials for literacy, assessment, and children’s literature and media to preservice teachers and creators of children’s media content.
Katie is also a family gal, an avid reader, and an aspiring gardener. She and her husband work collaboratively to raise to three children, currently aged 11, 9, and 5 years who celebrate what gives them joy and to educate themselves about and stand up for what they believe to be right in the world.
Dr. Elizabeth Stevens is a teacher educator and researcher. Her research interests include literacy teacher education, literacy teacher identity, and literacy and technology. Elizabeth teaches literacy courses at Roberts Wesleyan College where she also serves as the Director of the Literacy MED Program. Elizabeth recently revised the curriculum for the program that was approved by New York State to be taught fully online.
Elizabeth is also a mother to two daughters that are 10 and 7-years-old. She loves spending time with her family by taking her dog for walks and traveling.