Hello VDMIS members! I am honored and thrilled to be working as chair-elect for our interest section this year along with Elke Stappert, our current chair. If we did not get a chance to meet in Seattle, Washington, USA this past March, I hope to engage with you frequently through our Facebook group page and myTESOL over the next couple of years.

I am currently an instructional designer and lecturer at the Georgia Tech Language Institute in Atlanta. Having originally come from a graphic design and technology background, using technology in and outside the classroom has always been a huge part of my career as an educator of adult ESL/EFL learners. During my 9 years at the Language Institute, I have been giving workshops and training for faculty and staff on instructional technology and have also created an online teacher training course on using mobile technology.

In recent years, my focus has been on massive open online courses (MOOCs). This shift in focus has given me a wider range of video production and postproduction experience for various online and in-class audiences. So far, our MOOCs have reached more than 300,000 learners across the world, so it was exciting to share some of my experiences at the TESOL 2017 convention.

As showcased in the VDMIS: Teachers’ Video Set-Ups put together by our previous chair, Julie Lopez, I enjoy creating interactive high quality videos with even the simplest of tools, and I believe that anybody with a camera/smartphone and a good eye can achieve the same results. Therefore, during my time as chair-elect, one of my biggest priorities is to introduce a broad range of easy approaches to video production and postproduction to increase video and interactive media literacy among the members of the interest section. This is a goal that Elke and I share and one we have already started working on through our Facebook group page. I recently created a clip on easy online-based video editing solutions, which was posted to our page this past May.

Another important goal that Elke and I have in common is increasing member engagement and interaction. Since we met at TESOL 2017, we have been talking regularly about various ways we can make VDMIS stand out within the TESOL community. We also plan on working closely to find the best and most up-to-date video and digital media solutions and approaches for a variety of educational situations, and we warmly invite you to provide input on your practices.

I look forward to serving on our VDMIS leadership team with Elke and the other members, and I hope our efforts this year will bring our members closer and provide you with support for even more success in video and digital media use for your educational practices as well as help you with any questions you may have.

Suzi Lee has been at the Georgia Tech Language Institute since 2008. She mainly works as an instructional designer and manages the development of online learning programs, including massive open online courses (MOOCs). She also teaches advanced students in the Intensive English Program.

You can connect with Suzi via LinkedIn,Facebook, or Twitter.