JALT2021: Reflections and New Perspectives

The year of 2020 was epic. A cascading run of events took humanity to a breaking point in so many ways. We had to adjust our lifestyles and behaviors all with the uncertainty of whether we would be able to return the normal we knew, or be forced to embrace a new normal.

Our community of language educators, learners, and administrators met the challenges brought on by the unfortunate circumstances we were living in; professionally and personally we had to adjust. JALT2021 will provide a platform for the stories and voices within our community. What did people go through? How did they persevere? What lessons did they learn? What does the future hold?

Our community created new networks, supported each other, and embraced technology to create transformative new workflows. Learners had to figure out and embrace new ways to learn. Administrators had to find balance between keeping education systems functioning and protecting school communities.

A significant part of our academic lives was spent online, including JALT2020. The vision for the online conference was born out of the reality on the ground. The vision for JALT2021 is for participants,to reflect on their paths, discuss them, and to show the new perspectives they have gained in dealing with all that has been unleashed by COVID19.

Given all the information we have regarding COVID-19 vaccination schedules, we have decided on the following structure for JALT2021:

November 12-15 (Friday to Monday), ONLINE at the Edzil.la JALT2021 conference site. See the sidebar for all the details and links.