As I slowly attempt to get back into the blogging swing of things, I was glad to be offered the chance to be a registered blogger for the upcoming IATEFL 2013 Conference in Liverpool.
You can also follow the action at http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2013
For someone in my position, far-removed from the ELT conference ‘hubs’ (while Turkey does have its fair share of events, the majority of them are in Istanbul - not that close to Ankara at all) and lacking an employer or sponsor willing to foot the costs of travel, accommodation and registration (and it seems charging non-keynote speakers to attend is still rife as shown by the one major ELT event to be held in Ankara this year asking for a significant fee from presenters even if it’s just for one day), attending an event like IATEFL remains a distant dream.
However, we can experience a taste of the event thanks to IATEFL and the British Council’s comprehensive online streaming of talks, interviews and other sessions. Over the past couple of years, I’ve enjoyed some great sessions this way and I’ll be looking forward to doing the same this year with the added bonus of being a registered blogger.
I’m aiming (perhaps somewhat ambitiously) to review one session and/or interview per day with the option of catching up on archived footage later on likely to be exercised as well.
So if you are not going to IATEFL, why not join me in watching and discussing online? If you are going, why not suggest a few enticing sounding sessions for me to focus on? :)
It is a shame that it is still common that you have to pay to share with your peers. I can only really afford IATEFL if I'm working, as I have done for the British Council before, or if I've got some help with the fees, which I do this year being a volunteer for IATEFL's ElComm.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to reading your reflections on the sessions you get to experience virtually if not actually physically!
Best,
Mike
Lats year, there was one event in Ankara that didn't charge presenters but unfortunately, it is bi-annual. There is another bi-annual one at a different university, which falls this year, but they ask for something in the region of 80 euros for one day!
DeleteWith other non-fee charging events in Istanbul, I think I'll be sticking to online events and live streaming for the time being.