The JALT2021 Annual International Conference is this weekend, and it's entirely online. November 12-15 (Friday to Monday). If you haven't paid yet, please hurry -- the currently low fees end after November 10th, and the fees rise on November 11th! (Details below.) This is a special issue of JALT Talk, dedicated to JALT2021!

Japan Association for Language Teaching pr@jalt.org

We have help desk sessions open this week (see the schedule below). If you're having trouble figuring out something, or if you just want to put your mind at ease before your presentation, please attend:

• Tuesday (11/9) 12PM-1PM
  https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session/2492
• Wednesday (11/10) (1) 3PM-4PM
  https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session/2493
• Wednesday (11/10) (2) 8:30PM-10PM
  https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session/2494
• Thursday (11/11) 7PM-8PM
  https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session/2495
• Friday (11/12) 9PM-10PM
  https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session/2455

If you haven't joined the conference at all yet, here's where you start:
It's a two step process.

1. November 10th is the final day for the lower-priced fees, so hurry if you haven't paid yet. You pay here:
   https://jalt.org/conference/jalt2021/registration-payment
   You'll get a ticket access code "for the Edzilla conference space" that is 6 letters long. Save that.
2. Next, go to http://jalt2021.edzil.la. If you've been to a conference on Edzilla before, just log in. Otherwise, please register for an account, and "join" the JALT2021 event.
3. This next part feels like a third step, but it's just the end of the second step: On http://jalt2021.edzil.la, click "Get a ticket". Click on the ticket price that you have already paid. After that, enter the TICKET ACCESS CODE that you got earlier from JALT.org. If you can't find it, check your email for one that says "Conference Registration Complete for (NAME)."

If you'd like to see this process explained in pictures, see this page:
https://jalt2021.edzil.la/pages/337

The conference starts on Friday, November 12th at 1:30 PM with Technology in Teaching (TnT) workshops and Professional Development (PD) workshops.
TnT: https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session-formats/123
PD: https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session-formats/124
And ends with our first plenary session: https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session/2407
(Also, there may be a last-minute informal social event. Check the schedule for updates, or come by the Friday night help desk from 9 to 10 PM to ask. https://jalt2021.edzil.la/session/2455)

During the conference weekend, we have

• six plenary speakers
  https://jalt2021.edzil.la/pages/304
• five featured speaker workshops
  https://jalt2021.edzil.la/pages/316 and
• hundreds of other sessions, including workshops, posters, forums, and presentations. From the schedule page (click "schedule" in the menu), you can click to see the live schedule, or you can use the quick lookup search link, or use the pull-down menus to search by type / date / format.
• Pro tip: When you see something you like, click the "heart"   under the title (you'll see one if you are signed in) to save it to your "favorites" page (https://jalt2021.edzil.la/dash/session/favorites), which you access by clicking the heart in the top right corner next to your profile circle. 

We also have a Educational Materials Exibit area that's been really improved since last year. Check out textbooks, talk with publishers to find materials that best suit your classes and your teaching style. 

The most-often asked question is, "How do I join a presentation?" Well, about 10 minutes before one is scheduled to start, a "join" link will appear near the title. Click that, and your Zoom program will open. (Download the most recent Zoom version here: https://zoom.us/download)

When you get to the online conference site (http://jalt2021.edzil.la), the front page has several helpful links on where to get started. You'll also see a lot of links in the menu (on a tablet, the menu is accessed through the icon with the three lines in the top right corner) that lead you to pages with particular typs of sessions grouped together (such as networking sessions, poster sessions, SIG forums, and much more) as well as many "how to" pages (how to update your profile, how to use Zoom, etc.).

This is completly optional, but you can join the JALT2021 Discord to participate in live chat with other attendees, presenters, and invited speakers. There are also channels for contacting sponsors, Special Interest Groups, or getting help with the conference.
How to join:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p38-rJqFTQ2mOEpv03shFbWcKYc8lhvgJcGiULnlOlk/edit?usp=sharing
The Discord server:
https://discord.gg/9YFMeMzXPT

It's going to be an amazing weekend, all from the comfort of your own home (or office, or wherever else you get WiFi). We really hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Bill Pellowe
pr@jalt.org
http://jalt.org

PS - to unsuscribe from the JALT Talk newsletter, click here: https://hosted.jalt.org/membermail/unsubscribe-success.php?c=91