Sessions /
How to organize and plan your own online event or conference #198

Sun, Jun 21, 12:45-14:05 JST | Zoom B
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JALTCALL2020 was the first major JALT conference ever to be held online. It was recognized as a huge success, bringing together almost 100 presenters and attendees from over 60 countries. Participants talked of the event being ‘historically important’ in the way it brought people together in a time of crisis. Yet the transition online was organized in barely two months. The conference team was faced with many challenges, such as building this online system, organising how presenters share their work, ensuring attendees could navigate the online schedule, managing registration/ticketing, hosting online rooms, communicating with their presenters, and creating opportunities for social interaction. They also needed to consider live and asynchronous options and how to share recordings with a wider audience post-conference.

During this forum, three members of the JALTCALL2020 team will discuss how it became our SIG’s first completely online conference and how it can be replicated - indeed PanSIG2020 itself was planned using the same online system and framework. Whether you are planning a weekend webinar of your own or a conference with hundreds of attendees, this talk gives you a practical framework to make your own event a success.

Gary Ross

Gary Ross

Kanazawa University
Gary is a web developer, designer, and programmer, and the creator of Eventzil.la. He works as an Associate Professor at Kanazawa University where he develops the online learning program at the School of Pharmaceutical Science.
Louise Ohashi

Louise Ohashi

Louise Ohashi is a CALL/MALL enthusiast who has taught English in a wide range of contexts in Japan and abroad. She is currently an Associate Professor at Meiji University and teaches Self-Directed Learning at Gakushuin University. Her doctoral work and much of her other research focuses on learner motivation, learner autonomy, and the use of digital technology for language teaching and learning. She has held various volunteer positions within JALT and worked on conference teams for JALTCALL as well as JALT’s annual international conference. This year she is JALT2020’s Conference Co-Chair, which will be JALT’s first international online conference. Big challenges ahead! Twitter @OhashiLou
Erin Noxon

Erin Noxon

Sagano High School
I've got a Dr. on my name, I'm a Google Certified Innovator, and I teach at Sagano High School in Kyoto. Let's see... I've taught communicative English, life science, integrated science, CLIL science, global studies, and Tech and Media skills during 17+ years of teaching in public schools in the US and Japan. I love doing EdTech professional development (PD) and I am researching EdTech PD, blended learning, and public school edtech environments. Find me @tesolgeek on Twitter.