Message from the Coordinator (February 2016)

Dear MW-SIG members,
I hope that everyone has had a great start to 2016. For me, January was a hectic month that flew by! As promised, here is my monthly message to keep you up-to-date with the activities of your SIG. Although a work in progress, we have successfully updated our website. Check it out! It is now fully compatible with smartphones and other Internet-capable devices. Since becoming the Co-ordinator, I have had some great interactions with some of you. A few of you have mentioned that you have been longtime members, but are currently inactive. If you are one of these people who would like to become more active, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Anyways, enjoy your extra-long month of February!

Yours in Service,
Adam Murray
(coordinator @ materialswriters.org)
 
Contents of this message:
1. Future SIG Programming
2. Presentation Opportunity
3. Proposal Deadlines
4. Links/Articles of Interest

1. Future SIG Programming
A short message from Greg Goodmacher, our Programs Chair:
Hello MW Members,
Once again, I am asking for your feedback regarding what type of presentation that you would like the MW group to prepare for you and other MW members. Options are below, but your own suggestions are welcome. Requesting one well-published materials writer to speak on a MW topic. Requesting a variety of MW members to speak on a panel about how they got published. Requesting a variety of editors or other publishing company staff to speak on a panel about what they look for in writers and proposals. I also welcome your ideas for other topics or questions to ask any speakers or panelists to speak about. If members do not respond with feedback to this mail, the officers will discuss this matter among ourselves and decide for you, but wouldn't you like your opinion included in this process? I want to know your opinion.
Sincerely,
Greg Goodmacher
(program @ materialswriters.org)

2. Back to School Conference (co-hosted with Osaka Chapter)
April 23 at Osaka Jogakuin University
Still in the early planning stages, the MW-SIG will be co-sponsoring this mini-conference. For members located in the Osaka area (and those who are interested in visiting/presenting there), there are plenty of presentation slots of available: poster, 25-minute, 45-minute, and 60-minute. The deadline for short presentation abstracts (60 words or less) is March 31. The proposal submission form can be found here at: http://tinyurl.com/zvcmezz

3. If you still haven’t submitted your proposals for PanSIG and JALT International, don’t procrastinate any longer! The deadlines for PanSIG and JALT International Conference are here. The deadline for PanSIG is February 7 http://www.pansig.org/cfp and the deadline for JALT International is February 15 http://jalt.org/conference/call-proposals

4. From the IATEFL MaWSIG’s blog here is an entry that may be of interest for members that want to work with publishers. In this blog post, Sandy Millin gives some tips for finding work and what to do when you are offered work.  http://mawsig.iatefl.org/?p=2036

Thinking of publishing through alternative methods? Here’s some food for thought: http://eflmagazine.com/unconventional-publishing/

Finally, Claire Hart describes converting paper-based materials into digital formats. http://eltjam.com/the-adaption-game-adapting-print-materials-for-digital-contexts/

Message from the Coordinator (January 2016)

Dear MW-SIG members,
Welcome to 2016! I hope that everyone is having a relaxing break, I know that I am making the most of it. In order to keep the MW-SIG members more informed in the activities of your SIG, I have decided to send regular messages to you. If you have information that you think that other members would be interested in, please don’t hesitate to share it with me. For example, if you have just published something or have an upcoming presentation, it would be great to share it with everyone! I hope that everyone has a successful and prosperous 2016.

Yours in Service,
Adam Murray

Contents of this message:
1. Sojo University Teaching and Learning Forum 2016: Engaging Learners with Materials.
2. Calls for papers (Reminder)
3. Articles of interest

1.
Sojo University (Kumamoto) and the NanKyu JALT chapter are co-hosting a one-day event that I think will be relevant for all of us. It is the Sojo University Teaching and Learning Forum 2016: Engaging Learners with Materials. The program has not yet been finalized, but the plenary speakers have been announced. One of our SIG members, Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto, will be giving a plenary talk “Designing Materials that Work.” Also, Curtis Kelly, the co-ordinator of the Brain SIG, will be giving the other plenary talk, “The Neuroscience of Lesson Design.” The deadline for poster presentations has been extended to Friday, January 15th. More details can be found at the NanKyu JALT homepage.

2.
Before we know it, the deadlines for the upcoming PanSIG and JALT International Conference will be upon us. The deadline for PanSIG is February 7 and the deadline for JALT International is February 15.

3.
From TESOL’s English Language Bulletin, here is an article that may be of interest: Modifying traditional ESL materials for classroom use.

From John Hughes’ blog, Writing ELT Materials: Level, context and flow

The No-Nonsense Guide to Writing
A free e-Book for “for all of you who want to become (or continue to be) writers of ELT material, this collection of articles provides a one-stop resource of information about what you need to be able to do, what to be careful about, and how to enjoy it”

Finally, looking for ways to increase interest in your books?
Growth hacking your book sales

2024年11月15日〜2024年11月18日
静岡県・静岡コンベンションアーツセンター グランシップ
November 15 - 18, 2024 • Shizuoka Granship, Shizuoka, Japan