Fiona Baudinette

Fiona is a trained teacher, has worked as a special education teacher, a Reading Recovery Specialist and is a qualified Irlen Diagnostician.

Fiona offers Irlen training, works in collaboration with schools and is passionate about improving the academic outcomes for children and adults who have language based learning difficulties.

Professor John Stein FRCP FMedSci

John Stein studied medicine at Oxford and St Thomas’s Hospital, London, then trained in neurology, in London, Leicester and Oxford, where he became medical tutor at Magdalen College in 1970. Since then he has taught physiology and neuroscience to medical and psychology students and researched the role of vision and nutrition in the control of movement and behaviour in movement disorders, dyslexia and young offenders.

Now in theory ‘retired’ and emeritus he continues his teaching and research in much the same way, supported by his pension rather than by Oxford University. He doesn’t cook fish; his brother, TV chef Rick Stein, doesn’t do neuroscience.

Karen Starkiss

Karen was a teacher in the UK for over 25 years until 2006 when she left England to live in Australia.

During her teaching career she has taught in a number of schools from large inner city to small village schools, from social priority to affluent areas. She has taught primary and secondary students and teenage ‘school refusers.’ She worked for one county as a School Improvement Consultant going into failing schools and working with the staff to improve standards in teaching and learning. Her last position in the UK was as a Principal of a primary school, which was categorised as “Causing Concern,” with a deficit budget. She worked with the teachers, parents and students to double the number on roll within 18 months and take it to the top of the Devon League Tables for 2 consecutive years in 2005 and 2006 and 10th in the Country League Tables for standards. This was the subject of a news story which aired in 2005.

Karen has written numerous articles that have been published online and in the media. She has also written and produced booklets, manuals and resources for parents and educators. Karen gives presentations, conducts workshops and lectures to teaching professionals, support staff and parents in both the UK and Australia on a range of subjects. She has trained teachers in school districts in both the ACT and the Northern Territory, Australia on behalf of their respective education departments to put together a program to make all schools inclusive and accessible to all students. Karen is also a qualified dyslexia assessor, offers dyslexia testing and provides detailed educational reports, which include suggested accommodations for students. In addition to running her own support service for children and adults with SpLD Karen is also Director of Learning and Development for Speld Victoria. You can find out more about Karen via her website at www.dyslexiasupportservices.com.au.

Linda Siegel

Linda Siegel is a professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada where she holds the Dorothy C. Lam Chair in Special Education. She has conducted research on the development of reading and of mathematical concepts, language development, dyslexia, mathematical learning disabilities, early identification and intervention to prevent reading difficulties, and the development of reading and language skills in children learning English as a second language. She has consulted on the development of reading skills in elementary school age children in China (Hong Kong, Xian, Guangzhou, and Shen Zhen), Barbados, Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, and many places in the US and Canada.

In 2010, she was awarded the Gold Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Canadian Psychology from the Canadian Psychological Association. In 2012, she received the inaugural Eminent Researcher Award from the organization Learning Difficulties Australia. She has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden).

Gerry Kennedy

Gerry Kennedy is an Independent Information and Inclusive Technology Consultant, working in private practice in Melbourne, Australia. He has specialised in the areas of special needs, rehabilitation and assistive technology support in education and employment for over 27 years. A teacher of 31 years, he currently works at East Burwood SDS school part time, as an ICT Teacher.

Gerry has had experience working in all states in Australia and Territories. He advises from Early Education and Pre-school through to secondary schools, having lectured to TAFE and University to under and post graduates. He frequently publishes articles and software reviews on numerous web sites and in journals and magazines.

Gerry promotes leading practice in the implementation and deployment of innovative ICT and Inclusive Technology in education and training. He consults, trains and advises parents, therapists, and other education and therapy related professionals as well as school personnel in how best to utilise and harness the features and functions of mainstream and specialised software as well as assistive device implementation.

Jayne Clare

Jayne Clare has been a Special Education teacher for the past 30 years. She puts the utmost value in motivating students creatively and getting them excited about their own learning. She has always known the importance of integrating technology across all curriculum and content areas.

Jayne Clare’s passion is working with struggling learners; reading readiness is her expertise. Jayne is co-founder of Teachers With Apps, an educational app review site. In addition, she offers her expertise in working with developers to achieve appropriate educational content for their apps via Jayne Clare Consulting. Jayne hosts the weekly Educational App Talk, a Facebook Forum that discusses hot topics in the app world.

She recently won the USA’s NSBA 20 to Watch Recognition Award, which identifies emerging leaders within the education technology community who have the potential to impact, the field for the next 20 years. Her undergraduate is in Art Education from Southampton College, she has a first Master’s in Special Education, and second in Educational Technology, both from CW Post.