The 4th UI International Research Conference

Plenary Speakers

Brett Dillingham

Educator, Storyteller, Author

Brett Dillingham teaches Culturally Responsive Literacy and Performance Literacy in Ireland, England, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay, Nigeria, South Africa, Canada, Alaska, and the Lower 48 states. He has been a featured speaker and/or keynoter at the National American Reads conference, the Reading Association of Ireland, the National Migrant Education conference, the World Congress on Reading, the Association of International Schools of Africa and the International Reading Association. Brett coordinated the Alaska Reading Tutor Training Program and the Alaska Reading Institutes from 2001 - 2004. To date, Brett has provided workshops, classes and academies for (roughly) 250,000 students and staff development for over 7,000 teachers in more than 200 schools.

Brett is also the author of the children’s book Raven Day (McGraw Hill, 2001) and co-author of the textbook Performance Literacy Through Storytelling, Maupin House, 2009, Gold Recipient of the Independent Book Publisher Awards (IPPY) in the Education/Academic/Teaching category; finalist for the Distinguished Achievement Award under the K-5 Curriculum and Instruction category by the Association of Educational Publishers). He is the past president of the Alaska State Literacy Association. Brett received the Award of Excellence from the Alaska State Literacy Association in 2010—the first and only time the award has ever been handed out.

TOPIC
The Prehistory and History of Storytelling and its Crucial Importance to Teachers

Storytelling is the foundation for modern literacy. It is how humans have communicated their origins, customs and relationships with our environment and other peoples, how we teach others to feed, clothe and relate with our families and social circles. Modern neuroscience informs us that human brains are hardwired for storytelling- it is how we receive, process and transmit information. Storytelling is of utmost importance to teachers and our students as learners and citizens. Let’s take a close look and learn about the most important.
Dr. Ronghua Ouyang

Professor of Education,
Director of Confucius Institute at University of North Florida,
and President of The Association of Chinese Professors of Social Sciences in the United States (ACPSS).

Dr. Ronghua Ouyang, professor of Education, Director of Confucius Institute at University of North Florida, and President of The Association of Chinese Professors of Social Sciences in the United States (ACPSS). He had served as coordinator of ECE graduate program, Associate Director and Secretary of Sino-American Education Consortium (SACE), and Director of the Chinese Proficiency Testing (HSK) Center in Southern America at Kennesaw State University. He was ex-Chairperson of Department of Childhood Education, Literacy and TESOL, College of Education and Human Services, University of North Florida. He has also served as President of Atlanta Nanjing University Alumni Association (GANUAA), Principal and President of the Board of Directors at Emory Chinese Academy (currently named Atlanta Contemporary Chinese Academy), a board member and Vice president of the Association of Chinese Professors of Social Sciences in the United States (ACPSS), and vice president of the Society of International Chinese in Educational Technology (SICET).

His research interests are focused on Educational Technology, Research on Educational Theories and Practice, Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Learning Motivation and Assessment, and Comparative Education. His publications include books: “Education”, “Educational Technology”, “Secondary Education Administration of America.”, “Marriage and Family in USA” and articles: “Comparative Study: Educational Technology in Chinese Middle Schools”, “Educational Technology or Educational Media”, “Online Education: Curriculum Design and Instructional Strategies”, “Online Education: How to Approach and Teach”, “Educational Technology and Teacher Training in the United States”, “Assessment Theories and Methods” and etc.
TOPIC
Enhancing Language Instruction with Technology

Along with the increasingly developed technology, education is facing the challenge of using technology for effective teaching and learning. The use of educational technology in education can be traced back to 1920s; however, use of computers in education was not started in early 1960s, personal computers did not enter the education until 1970s. In 1990s, Internet and web technology started booming. Within last 20 years, educational technology has been widely used in education, so has been in language instruction.

Enhancing language instruction with technology can be categorized in using “productive tools” “multimedia devices” “Internet and Web resources” and “mobile learning technology.” This talk will review the development of educational technology and its implementation in education, explore educational technology resources and instructional tools, and discuss practical strategies to enhance the effective language instruction and learning with technology.