Dear ITA colleagues,

I am writing this letter with great delight, as this issue of our newsletter contains several articles that I hope will provide some inspiration to your teaching practices. As chair of the ITA Interest Section, I am proud to represent you in 2013–2014. I feel so fortunate to be a part of the ITA Interest Section. We have such a knowledgeable and versatile professional group and I look forward to the ideas, collaborations, and innovations that come forth this year.

I am also very grateful for all of your contributions in 2012–2013. Special thanks go out to Diane Cotsonas for her continuous dedication as our webmaster and TESOL community leader, as well as Rebecca Oreto as past newsletter editor and Pauline Carpenter as past newsletter editor-elect, for the amazing ITA newsletters this past year. I also extend gratitude and appreciation to Kathi Cennamo, for her role as past chair and for continuing the role this year.

I also want to thank all of you for such a terrific convention. We hosted sessions that included research-oriented and practice-oriented sessions, posters, and discussions. Our special sessions include an InterSection in collaboration with Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Video and Digital Media (see archive of webcast here) and an Academic Session focusing on recent research regarding ITAs and interaction. Our annual open meeting was well attended and it was wonderful to meet several new members. We discussed TESOLʼs new strategic plan, rewriting our ITA bylaws, and research opportunities. The meeting also provided an opportunity for the ITA group to discuss next year’s InterSections and the new Academic Session length. Academic Sessions will be 1 hour and 45 minutes to make room for a new session type called the “deep dive.” The new sessions, which last 2 hours and 45 minutes, are in-depth workshops in the afternoon with the general session speaker from that morning (or the night before, as would be the case with the opening session).

Thanks to Liz Wittner for organizing the terrific Academic Session and to Elena Stetsenko for arranging the ITA social. Our walk allowed us to see the lovely Dallas lights and partake in barbeque, Texas-style, in our own private room. Thanks also to Liz Tummons for pulling the ITAIS booth together with chocolate and good humor and to Ron Clason for organizing an InterSection. And many, many thanks to all of the volunteers, presenters, and proposal readers. I am hoping that those who have not yet posted their PowerPoint slides and/or handouts to the ITAIS TESOL Community will do so. You can also share them via the off-TESOL Listserv, so that we can all benefit from the presentations we may not have been able to attend.

Next year’s convention will take us to Portland―proposals for 2014 are due June 3. The number of sessions that we get at the convention is still proportional to how many proposals we submit, so I encourage everyone to submit multiple proposals, different proposal types, and to collaborate on proposals. Only one person can be a primary presenter on a presentation; and although you can be a primary presenter only once, you can collaborate on any number of other presentations.

One of the great strengths of our ITA Interest Section is the passionate interest of many of our members in bringing this segment of teaching practice to a higher plane. I’d like to invite all who are interested to find ways to become involved and explore your area of interest and expertise. Please remember that the ITA Interest Section isyour group and is as active and as strong as you want it to be. The steering committee and I are ready, willing, and able to facilitate your involvement. We have several ways to be in touch with each other. One way is the ITA Community available through the TESOL website, and another is  the ITA Listserv that can be used with our extended group. Just let me know if you have questions for our group and I can activate the Listserv!

Finally, I want to welcome all of our new members, thank all the volunteers who have offered to read proposals, and thank everyone in our group for their invaluable help. The opportunity to see many of you at the TESOL convention in Dallas was very invigorating. The formal and informal conversations brought home how valuable and important it is for us to connect with each other. I’d like to encourage all of us to carry this energy forward throughout the year via the TESOL community, the ITA Listserv, at regional conferences, and the other places we meet.

Sincerely,

Kim