This past year has marked another significant period of growth and leadership for the CALL-IS. After the Texas-sized Electronic Village of 2013, 2014’s EV is looking to be bigger than ever. With a record number of submissions and the new Classroom of the Future initiative that TESOL International Association is taking on, participants can expect technology to be a major theme at this year’s convention in Portland.

As the smartphone and tablet generation have found their way into more and more classrooms, we have seen significant growth in the area of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), and this will be reflected in the events planned at the convention. While our Mobile Apps for Education showcase is going into its third year, one part of the Technology Fair will also be dedicated solely to mobile technology and a Hot Topics session is planned, with the title “Mobile Warming: Melting the Barriers to Language Learning With Mobile Devices.

In addition to the more general focus on mobile learning, CALL-IS is collaborating with other Interest Sections on the same theme. The EFL-IS has organized a panel of educators who are working in various countries to share their “Experiences Integrating Mobile Learning in Language Classrooms Around the Globe” and the Higher Ed IS is drawing on members of the CALL-IS for its Academic Session titled “Emerging Technologies: Managing a Changing Landscape With Mobile Technologies.” Not to be outdone, CALL-IS has also partnered with the Video and Digital Media IS for a session featuring an international group of panelists titled “Interactive Mobile Tools for the Next Generation.” Participants in all of these sessions will undoubtedly benefit from the panelists’ experiences with mobile technology.

Besides mobile learning, convention participants can expect exposure to other areas of interest to the CALL-IS. Hot Topics sessions are planned to address plagiarism, social networking, and flipped classrooms. Our academic session has a wonderful theme this year, “Teacher Education in CALL” and will feature some well-known experts in the field to share their ideas on empowering faculty with technical know-how.

As mentioned above, this year also sees the birth of TESOL’s Classroom of the Future showcase, which will contain demonstrations both in the main Exhibit Hall and in the Electronic Village. CALL-IS has provided support to TESOL in helping this initiative become a reality. We hope it will become as much a part of the TESOL Convention as the Electronic Village has been since our first EV in 1997.

For those who cannot make it, do not forget that the panels mentioned above will be webcasted, and the popular and practical Electronic Village Online sessions are currently underway. The recording of these sessions will soon be made available (they run from January 13 to February 16). Also, thanks to the work of our IS members, there is now a wealth of resources shared in the TESOL Resource Center, more than any other Interest Section, leading to our recognition as the Most Resourceful Interest Section in TESOL. As a prize for this distinction, refreshments will be provided at our IS Open Meeting on Thursday evening at the convention.

With such an impressive schedule and talented membership, I’m looking forward to attending the convention and spending the next year as the chair of our Interest Section, where I’ll be able to work alongside the many talented people I’ve met over the years. I expect to see lots of old friends and meet new colleagues in Portland. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to learn what others are doing and share your own exciting ideas with your peers. Whether you can attend in person or virtually, please come join us. I hope to see you in Portland.