Greetings to VDMIS members and TESOL members. Let me introduce myself, Johanna Katchen, your current VDMIS chair for this year between conventions. I agreed to fill in for our chair-elect, Jason Levine. I became a member of this IS about 20 years ago, when it was known as VIS, the Video Interest Section, and served as newsletter eEditor from 1997–1999 (when the newsletter was still delivered on paper), and as chair-elect and chair from 1999–2001. From 2006–2010 I served on TESOL’s Interest Section Leadership Council.

I’ve been teaching at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan since 1985 and using video from my early years there, first videotaping students in their public speaking class and soon after using video clips from American and British TV programs as materials for teaching listening and speaking classes. For the past 15 years I have been teaching the AV Methods course in our MA in TEFL program and have had to keep abreast of the recent technological trends as video delivery has merged with computers, the Internet, smart phones, and other devices. It is an ever-exciting field as we strive to apply this new hardware and software to improve our teaching and enhance our students’ language learning efficiency and enjoyment.

To these ends, your VDMIS officers have been busy putting together some cutting edge presentations for the 2014 convention in Portland. Chair-Elect Jason Levine has organized an academic session entitled “Progressive Use of Video in English Language Teaching” where we’ll discuss topics such as using YouTube, the role of video in flipped classrooms, and the latest use of video in conducting SLA research. We are also arranging an intersession with the Second Language Writing Interest Section that will explore how video and digital media can be applied in enjoyable and motivating ways to the teaching of writing.

In addition to these spotlight sessions, the conference will include many practical sessions on the use of video and digital media. We have just finished reviewing the many proposals submitted and a good number were of exceptionally high quality. My thanks to all those who served as reviewers this year; you will also be acknowledged by seeing your names listed in the convention program book.

For now, enjoy this latest issue of our newsletter. I hope the ideas contained within will inspire you with ideas for making your teaching more exciting for you and your students. If you have reactions to and comments on these articles, please share your ideas on our discussion list or bring up any questions or suggestions you may have. And, if you can, plan to attend the TESOL 2014 convention in Portland, Oregon, March 26–29.

Johanna Katchen, VDMIS Chair

Johanna Katchen is professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan.