Dear esteemed VDMIS members,

Hello from a new mom! Just 6 weeks after giving birth to my daughter, I managed to make it to the TESOL conference in Baltimore and enjoyed representing the VDMIS community on four panels. In our VDMIS academic session, Kenneth Chyi, Scott Duarte, and I reviewed the use of classroom media from past to present. The other three InterSection panels VDMIS participated in were in collaboration with the Materials Writers IS, Computer-Assisted Language Learning IS, English for Specific Purposes IS, and English as a Foreign Language IS. It was wonderful to be able to network with colleagues in other specialties on a variety of video-related topics, including best practices for teaching online, effectively utilizing video in ESP courses, and making the most of mobile apps in an EFL context. As you well know, the use of video has become pervasive and touches nearly every teaching context, which has in turn led to more teachers being interested in learning how to create their own videos.

In our annual VDMIS meeting at TESOL, Elke Stappert from the New York Public Library joined us and agreed to be chair-elect. I am excited about the video experience and energy she brings to our community. Together, Elke and I hope to provide helpful and empowering videos as well as discussions that draw on the wealth of experience and knowledge within our community in order to target how teachers can create and use videos effectively. To encourage even more participation in our community, we urge you to join our Facebook group (TESOL VDMIS), watch for our listserv emails announcing videos posted to TESOL’s YouTube channel, and subscribe for free to TESOL’s YouTube channel to receive updated content. I hope these platforms make it more convenient for you to not only post questions and comments but to receive answers quickly. The VDMIS community can be your most useful resource as a novice or experienced film maker and user, so take advantage of the expert and useful advice you can receive from fellow teachers!

The first VDMIS video, “Teachers’ Video Set-Ups,” features four TESOL presenters who create their own videos sharing the equipment and setup they use. Check out the video and leave a comment or question below it. If you have a topic you would like to have a variety of perspectives on, please send me an email or post your suggestion on our Facebook page.

I hope to create easier ways for us all to network in this coming year and look forward to hearing from you, so please join the conversation, even if it is just to say, “Thanks, that was helpful!”

Wishing you much teaching success,

Julie Lopez

Julie Lopez has been an instructor at the University of Delaware English Language Institute (UD ELI) since August 2007 and has created and been teaching a course called English Though Viewing and Producing Films. She has also led teacher-training workshops on student video projects, created promotional videos, and coordinated a program helping students transition to the university. Her work, which includes sample projects for students, videos for language practice, and program videos, can be viewed on her YouTube channel and on the UD ELI YouTube channel.