Our Team
Niki Davis, Emerita Professor of e-Learning
University of Canterbury Emerita Professor of e-Learning. She is recognized internationally as a leading expert in ICT in education. Sought by UNESCO, international agencies, and institutions for her expertise; she has over 200 publications. Professor Davis' 2018 book entitled 'Digital technologies and change in education: The Arena Framework' is associated with her postgraduate course on change with digital technologies in education within the University of Canterbury Postgraduate Diploma of Education (e-learning and digital technologies), which she coordinates. Professor Davis is the lead investigator in the Better Start Literacy stream for the ‘braid’ of research on 'Emergent bilinguals living in a digital world''. Although Niki retired in 2020 she maintains leadership of this project as UC Emerita Professor. She is also remains a member of the board of the Greater Christchurch Schools Network.
Una Cunningham, Professor
Una Cunningham is Professor in the University of Stockholm in Sweden and since 2019 an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canterbury where she led the Learning & Teaching Languages Research Lab. She continues to research and teaches technology-enhanced language learning and inter-generational transmission of minority languages. She is the inaugural editor-in-chief of the Journal of Home language Research. Her book Growing up with two languages (Routledge 2020) is the basis of her outreach work in supporting parents and professionals in raising children bilingually. Professor Cunningham is a leading researcher on emerging bilinguals living in a digital world and designed the research in collaboration with Niki Davis.
Jeanette King, Professor
Jeanette King is a Professor in the University of Canterbury who has published widely in areas relating to the Māori language and languages spoken by Māori - from aspects of linguistic change, particularly in the phrasal lexicon, through to language revitalization. She leads the bilingualism theme at the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour (NZILBB) at UC where my current research includes work on non-verbal behaviour of Māori and Pākehā in New Zealand. On the Intergeneration Transmission of Minority Languages which investigates some of the factors which increase the likelihood of children in New Zealand being raised as speakers of these languages, she collaborates with Una Cunningham, see: http://www.nzilbb.canterbury.ac.nz/ITML.html and this EBinDW web site
Leona Harris, Lead Research Assistant
Leona Harris is a research assistant and PhD candidate in the University of Canterbury. Originally a primary school teacher, Leona later specialised in teaching English to speakers of other languages and gained TESOL certification. Her Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning (Primary), with a teaching and learning languages endorsement, received distinction. Her MEd, a pilot for the project, was set in a Māori language immersion early childhood centre. Her future research interests are young children’s development of languages and well-being in environments with increasingly more mobile digital screen technology use. Link to her research profile here.
