Hello CALLIS Community,

I would like to begin by thanking all of you for electing me to the chair position of this outstanding interest section. I have been involved in the CALLIS for over a decade, and I continually find this group to be a strong and vital community. Even when I had to take a few years off for my family, when I came back to being more active, I was welcomed, as they say, with open arms. You are all truly a great group of people.

I would also like to say a big “thank you” to all the volunteers who help with this IS. In fact, we run a conference within a conference in the Electronic Village (EV), and it truly takes a village to make it work. From proposal readers to onsite EV volunteers, to presenters, to the steering committee, know that all of you are greatly appreciated. And a special thanks to the newsletter editor.

The TESOL convention in New Orleans was really rewarding, as anyone who was able to make it will surely agree. I was personally and professionally invigorated with the convention we had. So much is happening with technology and language learning, as we move from having software for specific skills to more interactive and freely available Web sites for language learning, and now to language learning with mobile devices. The potential for iPads, iPods, phones, and so on to reach our learners where they are was very evident at this year’s convention. Our events “Mobile Apps for Education” and the “EV Hardware & Mobile Technology Fair” were both very popular. They not only showcased many creative uses of these technologies, but they also showed how each of us can be involved with mobile devices and applications regardless of our comfort with technology or our amount of (limited!) free time.

Our TESOL 2010 Academic Session, titled “Teacher Training for Web 2.0 and Beyond,” featured Phil Hubbard, Greg Kessler, Christine Bauer-Ramazani, and Paige Ware. To see information on this event and on the Intersections, go to the InterSections Web page. From the same link, you can find webcasts of the Academic Session and most of the InterSections. The InterSections we had this year were also very interesting, providing collaboration between groups. They included the CALLIS and Higher Education IS on the topic of “Building Effective Intercultural Communication in Online Courses,” the Materials Writers IS and CALLIS on “Challenges and Opportunities in Designing New Multimedia ELT Materials,” and the Elementary Education IS and CALLIS on “Technology in ESOL Classrooms & Preparing Teachers for Successful Integration.”

Other events we had this year were the usual Developer’s Showcase, EV Fairs, and Mini-Workshops. We strongly encourage each of you to submit proposals for EV events for the 2012 convention in Philadelphia. Proposals for EV events will be due later this year, likely in November. So be thinking now of ways that you can showcase your technology and language-learning ideas and talents, and share them with the CALLIS TESOL community. For more information on proposals for EV events, you can go to last year’s Call for Proposals site.

Even if you can’t present in the EV this year, we look forward to seeing you in the EV and at CALLIS-sponsored sessions. The hands-on training that is offered in the EV is truly amazing. And don’t forget that if you can’t make it to Philadelphia, you can access so much information online. We have the webcasts archived, plus during the convention you can even see many sessions live and participate in the question/answer period. Also, don’t forget about the free EV Online, where you can participate in workshops or even give them yourself. These options make professional development possible in spite of the costs associated with traveling.

See our CALLIS Web site for the information you need. Also, remember that TESOL has launched the TESOL Community From this link you can access the CALL Community space. Here you can see newsletters, discuss topics with other professionals, and access the TESOL Resource Center, where you can find ideas that apply to your classroom. You’ll need to enter your e-mail and password to access these spaces, so be sure to keep that information handy.

We appreciate all the energy and expertise the CALLIS community adds to TESOL, and I know that over the years I have always appreciated the ideas and creativity I have received from this remarkable group of people. I look forward to seeing all you in Philadelphia, whether it be in person or online.