KOTESOL News

Thanks and congratulations to all the organizers, volunteers, presenters, and attendees who made the 2015 National Conference such a huge success! The event, which was held May 30, 2015, at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, boasted 300 attendees, 25 presentations, more than a dozen displays from KOTESOL's Organizational Partners, 7 hours' worth of workshops and presentations, 2 plenary sessions, and 1 featured session.

The plenary speakers were Gavin Dudeney (The Consultants-E) and Dr. Glenn Stockwell (Waseda University, Japan), and the featured speaker was Dr. James Larson (State University of New York--Korea). Members who missed the conference can take heart: a video of Gavin Dudeney's plenary session, which was a webcast, should be online shortly, and Glenn Stockwell will be returning to Korea for the 2015 KOTESOL International Conference.

The organizers would especially like to thank Sookmyung Women's University for hosting the event and KOTESOL's Organizational Partners for their enthusiastic support. The Membership Committee, meanwhile, would like to offer a warm welcome to the dozens of new members who joined in conjunction with the event. 

The Korea TESOL Journal (KTJ) is now accepting research paper submissions for KTJ Volume 12-2. The call-for-papers deadline is September 30, 2015; however, early submissions may be considered for publication in KTJ Volume 12-1, which will be published months earlier. Consider submitting as early as possible.

The Korea TESOL Journal is also planning to include an entire Reviews section in Volume 12 and subsequent issues (in both print and digital versions). Your submissions are welcome. Please check with KTJ on the acceptability of the book or digital material in advance.

Interested in submitting? Learn more here.

The International Outreach Committee invites members to apply to represent KOTESOL at JALT 2015. The selected representative will also be expected to present at the conference, which will be held November 20-23 in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The deadline for applications is June 13. Interested applicants can read the call for representatives here.

The Membership Committee is pleased to announce the arrival of new brochures and business cards! The promotional materials have been distributed to chapters, along with acrylic holders to display them with pride. 

Members are encouraged to help distribute these materials to people unfamiliar with the organization. To receive copies of the brochures or business cards, please email the Membership Committee chair.

Additional information is available online.

 

Remember, if you're planning to join or renew your membership, or if you have ever considered taking out a Lifetime Membership, now is the time to do it! Membership dues rates are scheduled to change on July 1, 2015. Designed to cover the rising costs of operation, this is the first membership dues increase since 1998.

New membership dues rates as of July 1:

The current membership fees will remain in effect for individuals joining or renewing as part of their International Conference registration during the Early Bird registration period (July 1-31, 2015). Note that you can renew before your membership expires; the extension will be added to the end of your current membership term. 

Additional information about the rate changes can be found online.