Betsy Baker

Betsy Baker is Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of Missouri, investigating literacy transformations in digital environments. Her research examines how speech recognition technologies can support struggling readers through applications that convert oral language to written text.

As creator of the Voice of Literacy podcast, she disseminates literacy research to broad audiences. Recent publications address pandemic-induced digital literacy gaps and qualitative research design. Her research has appeared in Reading Research Quarterly and Journal of Literacy Research.

Awards include the UM System's Thomas Jefferson Award, Kemper Fellowship, and national recognition for technology integration in teaching. She developed four graduate courses on literacy-technology integration and co-edited Literacy Research: Theory, Method, & Practice (2015-2020).

Current projects develop apps leveraging speech recognition to build sight vocabulary through dictation. Her 'Digital Literacy Portfolio' framework helps teachers integrate technology responsively.