Greetings, all fellow CALL-IS members!

I trust that this letter meets you all in good health, and you are enjoying success in all of your classroom work. Busy times are good times!

Speaking for the membership of CALL-IS, I’d like to welcome our newest members of the steering committee, elected at the open meeting in Baltimore. James May, Ellen Dougherty, Jennifer Meyer, and Christel Broady are all on board until 2019, and Heather Benucci was elected to a 2-year term. Stephanie Korslund takes over as past chair, and we welcome Claudio Fleury as chair-elect.

Although TESOL 2016 is now in the rear-view mirror (see Stephanie Korslund’s write-up in this newsletter), the steering committee has not had time to stop on the roadside. Claudio and Stephanie have been particularly busy arranging InterSection presentations for TESOL 2017. Current tasks include updating job descriptions posted here, with changes to be posted soon, and initiating discussions on potential CALL-IS activities throughout the year. And speaking of job descriptions: If one or more of them appeals to you, please consider submitting your name for steering committee nomination next year.

As always, I encourage and invite all members (you) to participate in CALL-IS in all the ways you can throughout the year. A really good way to do this is the production of newsletter articles. Do you have a new slant on an established technology for student use? Are you trying a new technology for your classroom? Maybe you’ve had some success with classroom approaches incorporating tech use. Please consider sharing your experience(s) with this community, and send your ideas for your article to Larry Udry, the CALL-IS newsletter editor.

The CALL-IS poll is another way for you to discuss relevant and current issues with fellow members. This newsletter’s poll asks: For you, what are emerging/urgent topics in CALL? It’s an open-ended question— we’d like to hear your voice!

That’s all the news for now, but I’ll be seeing you in the TESOL Community. Until the next newsletter, I wish you, your students, your colleagues, and your profession all the success in the world.

Best regards,

Jack

Jack Watson is the e-learning coordinator at the University of New Brunswick English Language Programme in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. With more than 30 years of experience in ESL, his professional interests include online and blended learning, language learning through community contact, and teaching beginners.