The JALT CALL SIG will hold its annual conference from June 6-8, 2014 at Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Nagoya. The theme for the conference is New Horizons in CALL. A wide range of presentations related to current, cutting edge, and future practices within the field of CALL and educational technology is expected. The conference will feature over 100 paper presentations, show & tell presentations, poster presentations, and workshops. There is sure to be something of interest for everybody.
The keynote speaker, Regine Hampel, is a professor of Open and Distance Language Learning at the Open University in the UK. As an Associate Dean, she oversees the research and scholarship conducted in the Education and Language Studies department. Her research interests blend cognitive and socio-cultural theories of learning with the affordances of current and emerging media. She is co-author of the book Online Communication in Language Learning and Teaching (with Marie-Noëlle Lamy) and has published numerous articles and book chapters on task design, learner interaction, and teacher training for online learning contexts.
The plenary speaker, Glenn Stockwell, is a professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the School of Law at Waseda University in Tokyo. His research interests include mobile learning, the relationship between motivation and technology, and how technology can influence the language learning process. He has co-authored the book CALL Dimensions: Issues and Options in Computer Assisted Language Learning (with Mike Levy), served as editor for the book Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Diversity in Research and Practice, and published numerous articles and book chapters. Stockwell is currently the General Editor of The JALT CALL Journal and he edits several other noteworthy publications in the field.
In addition to learning about a wide range of practical and theoretical issues related to educational technology, attendees will also have a chance to attend the much-celebrated networking reception held the first evening of the conference. The reception offers the opportunity to catch up with old friends, make new acquaintances, and develop your professional network. This year’s reception will be held at a venue offering a fabulous view of the city that will recharge everyone’s tech batteries!
The 2014 conference is supported by commercial sponsors who will be featured in multiple presentations and displays which will allow conference attendees to learn about the latest materials and resources on the market.
We received excellent feedback on last year’s conference including praise for the intimate, friendly atmosphere; the effective coordination of conference events; and the “exceptionally useful insight” in our presentations. We expect similar successes this year. Conference details, including the event program, session types, travel and hotel arrangements, and venue information are available at <conference2014.jaltcall.org>. For those who do not register before the deadline, onsite registration is also available. Questions about the conference can be addressed to <jc2014@jaltcall.org>. We’ll see you in June at Sugiyama Jogakuen University, Nagoya for JALTCALL 2014!