is associate professor of English at Central Michigan University, and his work centers on teaching writing, literacy, and technology. As director of CMU鈥檚聽Chippewa River Writing Project, Dr. Hicks has direct experience with the changing nature of writing and the advent of digital literacy, and he synthesizes that information into his teacher training and student lessons.

Author, educator, and international speaker offers a presentation focused on engaging students, especially those students who are the most disengaged from the classroom or the subject.

National education consultant Cheryl Ellis of will offer a unique and informative presentation on Examining the DNA of Writing 鈥� digging into the real building blocks of literacy to help students advance their skills and their interest.

, author and distinguished literacy professor, will offer attendees a framework for engaging learners in reading and writing for the 21st century.

In addition to these presentations, several sessions centered around writing and literacy are planned, including preparing students for the new Florida Standards Assessment, principles of effective writing instruction, teacher and peer feedback on student writing, assistive technology tools for writing, and many others.

Executive director Wendy Stevens and deputy director Laurie Lee from will present a fascinating talk on how to read like a writer 鈥� and how to get your students to do so too. Renowned literacy scholar and author and educational consultant and author Roberta Berglund are preparing a talk on the Florida language arts standards, and arts educator Mary Palmer will speak to how the arts can be a pathway to successful reading and writing instruction.

2015 Florida Teacher of the Year presentation will focus on reading, writing, and literacy in specific content areas, while 2014 Florida Teacher of the Year Dorina Sackman will share with attendees the winning recipe for developing literacy and content learning for students in 6-12 grades.

Additional presenters include senior research fellow at 麻豆原创鈥檚 Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government , Florida DOE writing specialist Julia Somers-Arthur, award-winning children鈥檚 author/illustrator Ethan Long, education director , and reading educator, author, and symposium organizer Vicky Zygouris-Coe.

The 17th annual Literacy Symposium takes place April 3rd at the Education Complex and Teaching Academy buildings on the 麻豆原创 campus. To find out more about the Symposium or to register, visit the聽.

The 15th annual Literacy Symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 5 in the Education Complex Gym, Room 176.

鈥淭he 麻豆原创 Literacy Symposium is a gift from the 麻豆原创 College of Education to all K-12 educators and other educational professionals in Florida,鈥� said organizer Vicky Zygouris-Coe, an associate professor of reading education. 鈥淚t is designed to provide high quality, current and cutting-edge professional development in literacy and related areas for the purpose of improving literacy instruction across grades and content areas and supporting teacher and student success.鈥�

Featuring 57 presenters, the sessions will focus on a variety of topics, including literacy development, assessment, technology, college readiness, quality reading and other areas of interest for educators in Florida.

The event鈥檚 keynote speaker will be Timothy Shanahan, a professor of urban education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Shanahan serves as the director of the UIC Center for Literacy as well as the past president of the International Reading Association.

鈥淭his topic is of national importance and urgency,鈥� said Zygouris-Coe. 鈥淟iteracy is the foundation of learning. The present and future of any society depends on the literacy levels of its citizens.鈥�

The event is sponsored by the 麻豆原创 College of Education, the , the and corporate sponsor Brake Media.