DSICG Newsletter Spring 2011

DSICG Newsletter Issue 1, Spring 2011

DSICG NEWSLETTER Welcome to the DSICG

Newsletter!

Doctoral Student Innovative Community Group

Welcome to the Literacy Research Association’s Doctoral Student Innovative Community Group. We are a group organized by doctoral students

to support doctoral students.

The mission of the Literacy Research Association Doctoral Student Innovative Community Group is to facilitate doctoral students’ development as exceptional researchers, scholars, and teacher educators in the field of literacy. This task includes purposeful efforts to (a) encourage doctoral students’ participation in the LRA, including annual meetings and publications, (b) meet the unique needs of doctoral students, (c) support doctoral students’ professional growth, and (d) create a collaborative community of scholars.

Our Mission Statement

ONE (1), Spring 2011

Contents:

Take the opportunity to receive early feedback on your LRA proposal from a faculty mentor.

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Find out about our Study Groups.

Get to know your 2010-1011 DSICG co-chairs and board members.

This is our first newsletter- thank you for your patience as we experience some growing pains. Feedback, suggestions, and comments are always appreciated.

Sign up to be a student reviewer for the LRA Yearbook.

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DSICG Newsletter Issue 1, Spring 2011

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We extend a thank you to everyone that participated in our Study Groups at the 2010 conference. Study Groups allow us to learn from experts in the field in an intimate and comfortable setting. Seven-thirty in the morning sure was early, but it was worth it.

This past year we had Dr. Carla Meyer (pictured) from Appalachian State University share advice about how to select the research method that best fits your research question. Her insight about how applied ‘research is dirty’ as well as advice that stemmed from her own dissertation and research experiences was wonderful.

Dr. Karen Wohlwend from Indiana University shared humorous stories about ‘light sabers and electric eels’ as she provided information on mediated discourse analysis and visual analysis techniques.

Dr. Peter Afflerbach joined us from University of Maryland to talk about verbal protocols and literacy research. His interactive presentation helped make the method tangible and gave us ideas for future research.

Next year we will continue to focus on methods and methodology in our Study Groups. We look forward to seeing you bright and early in 2011!

2010 Study Groups: Focus on Methods

Our 1st annual DSICG Happy Hour was a success. On Wednesday, December 1, we met at the Whisky and Rye for apps, drinks, and good company. We had a wonderful crowd of doctoral students, distinguished professors, and new professors (you know if you crashed the party!) The more the merrier!

We thank Dr. David Reinking (pictured), Clemson University, the current (now past) President of LRA and his wife for showing his support and joining our Happy Hour. We also enjoyed the company of Dr. Kelly Chandler-Olcott, Syracuse University, our Board Liaison, and others at our event!

Next year (back by popular demand) we will celebrate our 2nd annual DSICG Happy Hour. Make sure you mark your calendar and join us for (free) food, drinks, and an opportunity to network.

The Importance of Networking…

Join us on Facebook to stay connected- you can find us

under Literacy Research Association- Doctoral Students Innovative Community Group.

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At our annual meeting at the 2010 LRA Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, our peers elected the 2010-2011 DSICG Board members. We would like to take the time to introduce ourselves. Please feel free to contact us at any time so that we can best serve you and the doctoral student community of LRA.

Elizabeth M. Hughes, Co-chair. Elizabeth is serving her second year as a co-chair for the DSICG (2009-2011). She is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at Clemson University, in Clemson, South Carolina. Elizabeth taught 4th grade outside of Atlanta, GA for three years prior to moving to SC where she attended Clemson and received her MEd in Special Education. While working on her MEd, she was the research assistant on a grant and loved action research so much she decided to continue for her PhD. Her research focuses on student achievement (reading and mathematics) and motivation of students with disabilities.

Lorien Chambers Schuldt, Co-chair. Lorien is a 2nd year doctoral student at Stanford University in Curriculum and Teacher Education. After working as an elementary teacher for nine years in schools in California and Colorado, she is focusing her research on writing development and instruction for elementary English Language Learners. She is also working on a Ph.D. minor in Linguistics. Lorien is a co-president of the Language Equity and Educational Policy Group at Stanford, a student group that brings speakers from a variety of fields to campus as well as organizes a weekly seminar. In her extra time, she enjoys being outside and is hoping to fit more skiing into her life this winter.

Steering Committee

Gail Lovette, Assistant Co-chair. Gail Lovette is in her first year of pursuing a PhD in Reading Education at the University of Virginia. Her research interests include adolescent literacy, urban education, and teacher preparation in reading. Gail spent 10 years in the public schools in Alexandria and Falls Church, Virginia as a third and fifth grade teacher and as a middle school assistant principal. Gail received a BS

Getting to know your 2010-2011 DSICG Leaders… in elementary education from SUNY Geneseo and an MA in Educational Leadership and Administration from GWU. Gail is an avid runner, loves young adult literature, and enjoys spending time with her husband and their two dogs.

Laurie Friedrich, Secretary. Laurie is a Ph.D. student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education. Building on more than twenty years of teaching experience from elementary through graduate levels in public and private schools across the country, she is deepening her learning in literacy instruction with special emphasis on new literacies. Her research examines technology integration in elementary schools and its impact on teacher preparation. As a graduate assistant, Laurie teaches and supervises teacher education students tutoring at-risk K-12 students through the Schmoker Reading Center at UNL. She is excited to meet each of you at this year’s LRA conference.

Zoi Philippankos, Treasurer. Zoi is a doctoral student at the University of Delaware. Last year she served as a co-chair to the DSICG. She was involved in the vision and planning of this group, before it became an official DSICG.

Ting Yuag, Digital Media Coordinator. Ting Yuan is a Dean’s Fellow for Teaching and Diversity at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is working towards her Doctor of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching of Teachers College. Ting’s research interests include digital literacies, technology integration, and the future of education in general. Ting received a master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching, worked as a researcher for the EdLab of Teachers College, and had research experiences with the National Center for Children and Families, the Center on Chinese Education of Columbia University, and the United Nation’s language division in its New York headquarters. Before her doctoral research, Ting had worked in the fields of law, education, and art in both China and the U.S.

Continued…

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Jen Scott Curwood, Alumni Liaison. Jen Scott Curwood is the alumni liaison for our ICG. Previously, she served as the co-chair. This semester, Jen will defend her dissertation at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In July, she will begin an appointment as a lecturer of secondary English and media studies at the University of Sydney in Australia. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D., Jen was a public school teacher. She has taught middle school and high school language arts classes, and she is also licensed as a K-12 reading specialist. While her dissertation focuses on new literacies and reform-oriented professional development, her research interests also include adolescent literacy, multimodality, children’s and young adult literature, and culturally relevant pedagogy.

Richard James, Member at Large. Richard is a doctoral student at Texas A&M University. He is in district administration for curriculum and instruction in the Wylie Independent School District in Wylie, Texas.

(Continued)

We need your input!

Help us ‘Name That Newsletter’! We need to

come up with a permanent name for our DSICG

Newsletter. Send your suggestions to Elizabeth at

[email protected] with the e-mail subject title: Newsletter Name. All suggestions should be

submitted by March 17th. The winner will be announced

before the publication of the next newsletter

Do you have something you want to share in the

Newsletter?

Let us know if you have an idea for an article for the

newsletter. We would love to include your contribution in

the Summer 2011 Newsletter. Please e-mail Laurie at

[email protected] with ideas or interests to write an

article.

Name that Newsletter

We are excited to announce a new opportunity this year in which doctoral students will be matched with faculty mentors to receive early feedback on their LRA proposals for 2011. Thanks to the support of Kelly Chandler-Olcott and the generosity of faculty members, we currently have eight faculty members who are volunteering their time. This opportunity is particularly geared toward doctoral students who are new to presenting at LRA or are transitioning from presenting with an advisor to presenting their own research. In order to participate in this opportunity, please email Gail Lovette at [email protected] by January 24th.

After giving preference to students who are presenting their own research for the first time at LRA, we will randomly select eight students to match with faculty members. Students will need to have their proposals to their faculty mentor by February 8th, in order to receive feedback by February 22nd. Proposals are due by March 1, 2011 to the LRA website. (www.literacyresearchassociation.org)

We know this will be a tight timeline, so we strongly suggest that students begin working on their proposals before they receive notification of their selection. We hope you will take advantage of this great opportunity and look forward to expanding it in the future!

Interested in Early Feedback on Your 2011 LRA Proposal?

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Calling Doctoral Student Reviewers for the 2011 LRA

Yearbook

Thanks to doctoral student Chris Massey and the editors of the 60th Yearbook of the Literacy Research Association at Clemson University, we are excited to extend an invitation to serve as a reviewer for the upcoming Yearbook.

Doctoral students will work with their faculty advisors to review a manuscript in their research area. Students can expect to receive a manuscript in March and will be contacted with further details.

If you are interested, please contact Chris Massey by

February 9th at [email protected].

This is a great opportunity to get experience reviewing manuscripts written by respected literacy scholars. You will be able to develop your skills and scholarship while building your vita!

We would like to extend a special thank you everyone who was a part of forming this group and to the members of LRA who continue to help the DSICG grow. A special

thanks to Chris Roper, Past-president David Reinking, and our Board

Liaison Kelly Chandler-Olcott for continued mentoring and support.

Sign up to be a 2011 proposal reviewer! It is a great way to

become involved in LRA.

The process only takes a few minutes on the LRA website:

www.literacyresearchassociation.org

DSICG Newsletter Issue 1, Spring 2011

As part of our mission, we want to support doctoral students in a literacy and research community. We believe one way to do this is share and celebrate the achievements within our DSICG community.

There will be a section in each newsletter dedicated to our DSICG accolades. We want to share if you had an article published, grant funded, job accepted, or whatever else you want to celebrate.

In the future, we will send out an e-mail via the list-serve prior to the publication of the newsletter and ask for you to send us information about your achievements.

Congratulations to…

Jen Scott-Curwood for accepting a position with the University of Sydney.

Elizabeth M. Hughes for having articles published in the latest editions of TEACHING Exceptional Children and Theory into Practice.

Accolades

New Networking Spaces Coming Soon:

Do you have a question about a research interest or a methodology? Are you going to a new conference and looking for other people who will be there? While we were at this year’s LRA conference in Fort Worth, we heard a lot of interest in networking with other doctoral students and we are working on a variety of ways to help you stay connected throughout the year.

LRA is launching a new website that will include discussion boards for members to post and respond to each other. The DSICG will have a space on this site and we’ll keep you posted when it is up and running.

Additionally, we will have a Wikispace that will allow doctoral students to connect with other students. Look for more information about these opportunities in the near future!

The purpose of this group is to support doctoral students, so please don’t hesitate to contact us about how we can best serve our unique community of scholars. All comments and questions can be directed to the members of the DSICG through Elizabeth at [email protected]. Please include ‘DSICG’ in the subject line.