Letter from the Editors
Larry Udry, IELI Instructor, Divine Word College, Epworth, IA, USA
Michael Winans, Specialist in Applied LInguistics, Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, USA
Dear CALL-ISers!
We are excited to share this newsletter. Is it ever packed!
First up, we have two side bars that are worth mentioning. Both are free professional development opportunities. The first is the Electronic Village Online (EVO) 2025 Call for Proposals so that you can participate by showcasing your skills in this wonderful program. The deadline is Sept. 1, 2024 The second is a new initiative created by Past chair Nellie Deutsch. They are free. The link is TechTalks for 2024-2025 - Here you can find the dates, times, links etc. Join the conversation. Certificates available. In her letter, Nellie Deutsch describes these Tech Talks in much fuller detail. In the second letter, the Current Chair and the Chair Elect, Minsun Kim and Michelle Kang respectively, first Minsun describes some of the sessions from last year's conference and Michelle highlights some of the better presentations for the upcoming conference in Long Beach.
Our first article by Prateet Baskota is a discussion of Artificial Intelligence and Computer-Mediated Communication in Undergrad Classes in Nepal. The second article, also in an EFL context, is by a teacher in Japan by the name of Sandra Huynh Innovative Teaching: Instagram as a Learning Resource. For a more theoretical discussion make sure you read Jasmin Cowin’s Pioneering Practices: AI Innovations and Challenges, a real interesting spin on the proper rule of AI in language instruction. The next article is from Canada and John Allen on Dual Language Education in the U.S.: Theory into Practice. The Making Connections column continues with the introduction of one new member to our board, Rizza Ramos Consad, and Heather Austin, no stranger to CALL-IS. Rounding out the extra categories, we have have a book review by a graduate student at the University of South Florida, Madge Mitchell, entitled Exploring Silences in the Field of Computer Assisted Language Learning (1st ed.) by Anwar Ahmed.
Please share the newsletter on your social networks and on any list-serves you might participate in.
In addition to all the contributors, I would especially like to thank the Newsletter Editing Team consisting of Nabiha El Khatib, Bashar Al Hariri, Robin Miller, Nathan Toister, Suzanne Bardasz, Michael Winans, Dr. Nellie Muller Deutsch ( the CALL-IS Past Co-chair) and Heather Austin. We have a new editor in training, Michael Winans, who is learning the ropes and will take over editorship in 2025. Inshallah. The newsletter would not be possible without all of their help.
If there is something that you would like to see in our newsletter, or if you’d like to join the newsletter team, please feel free to contact us.
Hoping to hear from you,
Larry & Mike
Larry Udry has worked at Divine Word College, a small Catholic seminary in Epworth, Iowa, since 2003. He has published the CALL-IS Newsletter and has served on the CALL-IS Steering Committee since 2009. Recently, he revised the second edition that has an accompanying app of an environmentally-themed ESL e-text with Kendall Hunt. Prior to his position at Divine Word College, he worked in UT Martin for eleven years, where he published the TNTESOL Newsletter.
Michael D. Winans has a Ph.D. in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics and is a Specialist in Applied Linguistics at the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York. His research interests focus on language evolution at the intersections of globalization, technology, and language learning and teaching in an environment where social inequities continue to develop in increasingly multicultural and technological societies. He has been published by Second Language Teacher Education, Language Learning & Technology, CALICO Journal, RELC Journal, and TESOL Press, among others.