A PASSION FOR INQUIRY
Eleven years ago, Julie Coiro and Renee Hobbs created the Summer Institute in Digital Literacy, helping support the lifelong learning needs of K-12 teachers, college and university faculty, librarians, community leaders and media professionals.
JULIE COIRO
Julie Coiro is an expert on online reading comprehension, online inquiry pedagogies and teacher professional development in digital literacy. As a Professor of Education at the University of Rhode Island, she co-directs the PhD in Education program and the Graduate Certificate in Digital Literacy. Julie was awarded the International Literacy Association's Computers in Reading Research Award in 2015 and the inaugural Erwin Zolt Digital Literacy Game Changers in 2018. Her new co-authored book, From Curiosity to Deep Learning: Personal Digital Inquiry in Grades K-5 was recently published with Stenhouse. You can learn more about Julie’s publications at her Academia website.
Coiro speaks with educators nationally and internationally to share ideas about reading comprehension strategy instruction, the new literacies of the Internet, online reading comprehension, and effective practices for technology integration and professional development.
She has published widely in venues such as Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Literacy Research, The Reading Teacher, Educational Leadership, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Theoretical Processes and Models of Reading and more. Currently, Coiro leads a project to explore and assess how students work together to conduct collaborative online inquiry.
We love teachers
We love learning
We love to read
We ask questions
We laugh together
We compose media
We collaborate
RENEE HOBBS
Renee Hobbs is a pioneering expert on digital and media literacy with an active research agenda that examines the intersections of media studies and education. As Professor of Communication Studies at the Harrington School of Communication of Media at the University of Rhode Island, she directs the Media Education Lab and serves as co-director of the Graduate Certificate in Digital Literacy. She has published over 150 articles in scholarly and professional journals. In 2018, she received the Research Excellence Award from the University of Rhode Island.
Some of her books include the award-winning book, Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education in a Digital Age (2020), Media Literacy in Action (2021), The Library Screen Scene: Film and Media Literacy in Schools, Colleges and Communities (Oxford University Press, 2019), The Routledge Companion on Media Education Copyright and Fair Use (2018) Create to Learn: An Introduction to Digital Literacy (Wiley, 2017) Discovering Media Literacy: Digital Media and Popular Culture in Elementary School (2013), a book that chronicles a three-year partnership with the Russell Byers Charter School in Philadelphia. Her bestselling 2010 book, Copyright Clarity: How Fair Use Supports Digital Learning (Corwin/Sage) helps teachers understand copyright law as it applies to the use of digital media for learning. Reading the Media: Media Literacy in English (Teacher College Press, 2007) carefully demonstrated the impact of media literacy education on the academic achievement of adolescents.
Hobbs has created award-winning multimedia curriculum resources for media literacy education, including Mind Over Media, a crowdsourced digital platform for critically analyzing contemporary propaganda.
As an engaging and imaginative keynote speaker and workshop presenter, Hobbs has offered educational programs for educators on four continents, including Italy, Brazil, China, Croatia, Lebanon, and many other countries. Hobbs is a Founding Co-Editor of the Journal for Media Literacy Education, an open-access peer-reviewed journal that is the official publication of the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE). Access the research, publications and multimedia created by Renee Hobbs at the Media Education Lab.
Learn about the history of our collaboration
and what we have learned along the way
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
EVERYONE LEARNS FROM EVERYONE
As part of our ongoing commitment, we seek to represent diverse voices and perspectives at the Summer Institute in Digital Literacy, particularly those from historically marginalized groups and communities, so that we can learn and celebrate multiple ways of knowing and participating in today's digital society. We also strive to amplify the voices of diverse educators who use digital literacy to educate, empower, and advocate for learners of all ages.