ITAIS Newsletter - June 2021 (Plain Text Version)

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In this issue:
LEADERSHIP UPDATES
•  LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
•  LETTER FROM CHAIR-ELECT
•  LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
ARTICLES
•  BEST PRACTICES FOR LEADING ONLINE CONVERSATION GROUPS WITH INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENTS: INCREASING COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT
•  USING EDPUZZLE TO PROVIDE PRESENTATION FEEDBACK
•  TEACHING TIPS FOR AN ASYNCHRONOUS ITA COURSE
ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY
•  ITAIS COMMUNITY EVENTS UPDATE
•  HISTORY OF ITA INTEREST SECTION
•  CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR ITAIS NEWSLETTER
•  TESOL ITA-IS NEW MEMBERS

LEADERSHIP UPDATES

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

Stacy Suhadolc, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

Hello everyone,

I am honored to be leading you as the current chair of the International Teaching Assistants Interest Section (ITAIS). I would like to thank Maria Mendoza for leading us this past year as chair of our interest section (2020-2021) during the uncertainty with the pandemic, and I would also like to thank her for her support with helping me navigate the new chair position.

While we were unable to meet physically in Houston, Texas, USA, for the 2021 TESOL Convention, we were able to connect virtually throughout the convention and during our International Teaching Assistants Interest Section (ITA-IS) open meeting and social gathering. I’d like to thank Belinda Braunstein, our ITA-IS Member-at-large, for planning the social gathering, which included a trivia game about Houston, Texas, USA. If you missed it, the winning group received a free book voucher from University of Michigan Press. Thank you again, Belinda, for planning an engaging experience.

I am pleased that our ITA-IS will continue to remain active virtually. We plan to continue to offer webinars throughout the year. Kayla Landers, our Community Events Coordinator, will be organizing them. If you have ideas about webinar topics, please contact her. In addition to webinars, another group of ITA professionals have been meeting virtually once a month to discuss special topics related to the ITA field. Several people have expressed their gratitude for being part of an enriching and supportive group.

Being part of the ITA-IS gives us opportunities to share ideas, network, and connect with others. I would like to thank everyone who has remained active in the ITA-IS, whether you presented at TESOL, joined a live question and answer session during our webinars, participated in an ITA working group, or sent correspondence via our ITA listserv; all of your contributions have helped many of us navigate, plan, or organize topics related to the ITA field.

I am grateful for the community that you all have created through this interest section. I am looking forward to serving you as the TESOL ITA-IS chair. It will be an honor to serve this ITA-IS for the upcoming year.

Best,

Stacy Suhadolc