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Please accept my sincere apologies. An earlier draft of the newsletter was inadvertently sent a few minutes ago. This latest version has some important corrections. |
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Welcome to the January edition of JALTCALL News!
Welcome to 2026! We hope you had a restful break and are feeling recharged for the year ahead. There’s already a lot happening in the world of CALL, and we’re excited to kick things off with updates, events, and opportunities to get involved.
🚨 Reminder: The JALTCALL 2026 Conference proposal submission deadline is January 31—don’t miss your chance to present at what promises to be another innovative and inspiring event!
Read on for our latest announcements and ways to engage with the JALTCALL community in 2026!
We're always open to feedback and suggestions, so please don't hesitate to get in touch. We're also happy to include member contributions to the newsletter. If you have anything you'd like to share, get in touch with Bradley Irwin (Publicity Chair) at publicity@jaltcall.org. |
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In this edition of JALTCALL News: JALTCALL 2026 Submission Deadline JALTCALL Spring Symposium (2026 Edition) PIE SIG's Okinawa STEAM Conference (Co-sponsored event) Latest JALTCALL Podcast Inaugural issue of JALTCALL Trends
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1. JALTCALL 2026 Submission Deadline Reminder
The deadline to submit your proposal to JALTCALL 2026 is January 31 (5 more days!). Don't miss your chance to be part of this wonderful event!
JALTCALL 2026 lands at Konan University (Nishinomiya Campus), June 12–14, 2026.
Under the theme “Prevail or Fail?”, JALTCALL 2026 invites educators, researchers, and technologists to explore how digital tools, pedagogical innovations, and AI are reshaping language teaching and learning in an age of rapid change and uncertainty.
We welcome presentations that critically examine both successes and setbacks in technology-enhanced language education: projects that worked, those that didn’t, and lessons learned in between. Topics may include experimental classroom applications, data-driven research, AI and VR integration, assessment and feedback innovations, teacher training, learner autonomy, or institutional implementation.
Whether your project prevailed, failed, or continues to evolve, we encourage honest reflection, rigorous analysis, and forward-looking discussion on what “success” really means in the CALL field today.
Call For Proposals opened Nov 1st, 2025 and closes Jan 31st, 2026. (details below)
Venue Details
Dates: Friday, June 12 – Sunday, June 14, 2026
Theme: Prevail or Fail? Venue: Konan University, Hirao School of Management “CUBE” ( Nishinomiya Campus) — a 5-minute walk from Hankyu Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station (HK08), right between Osaka and Kobe.
*Accommodation near the campus is limited, so staying around Osaka or Kobe Station is recommended for easy Hankyu access.
Call for Proposals
Opens: November 1, 2025 Deadline: January 31, 2026 Notifications + early-bird registration: March 1, 2026 Presenter registration deadline: April 31, 2026 *All presenters must register during the early-bird period.
What to submit: Proposal length: up to 200 words in English or 300 Japanese characters. Clearly state your topic, goals, method, findings or outcomes, and implications for CALL. Session types: 25-minute presentation, 60-minute poster, workshop, panel, or forum. New presenters are encouraged to choose poster for a high-interaction format. Thematic streams: Machine Learning in CALL, DGBLLT, Classroom Applications, Ethics and Policy, XR, Motivation, SLA and CALL, Virtual Exchange/COIL, MALL, Technology-mediated feedback, Social Media, Software Development, or General CALL. If your work uses AI, choose the stream that best matches your application. Review process: double-blind review with clear guidance on minor or major revisions when applicable.
More details on the submission process here.
Fee waivers: We especially welcome teachers of young learners and colleagues without research budgets. A limited number of partial or full conference fee waivers are available. Please note your eligibility when submitting your proposal.
Post-conference publication opportunity
Presenters will have the opportunity to develop their presentations into short papers for the JALTCALL Trends Journal (a refereed, open-access Castledown publication associated with the JALTCALL SIG and a sister venue to The JALT CALL Journal). Submission and author guidelines are publicly available. |
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Keynote speaker
We are very proud to announce one of our keynote speakers for JALTCALL 2026, Mehrasa Alizadeh.
In this keynote, Mehrasa reflects on her past work with immersive technologies in language education, examining not only what prevailed, but also what failed, and how she attempted to address these challenges. By critically engaging with initiatives that did not unfold as planned, she will highlight key pedagogical and practical lessons drawn from these experiences. She will also demonstrate how these insights have directly informed the design and direction of her current project, offering a reflective account of how learning from failure can ultimately help innovation prevail in technology-enhanced language learning. |
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We'll have more information about our other keynote and featured speakers soon! |
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2. JALTCALL Spring Symposium (2026 Edition)
Date: March 7, 2026 (Saturday) Time: 12:30 - 16:30 (tentatively - see note below) Participation: ¥1,000 (¥500 for JALT members)
After the resounding success of our 2025 Spring Symposium (in collaboration with the EUROCALL AI SIG), JALTCALL is pleased to announce the 2026 iteration of this event. This year’s spring symposium, focusing on Teacher Development, will be held face-to-face on March 7, 2026, at Kyoritsu Women’s University in central Tokyo.
For this symposium, we want to do something a little different. While the JALTCALL Conference continues to showcase high-quality research, this event places skills development at the forefront. The focus will be on hands-on, interactive workshops, guided discussions, and collaborative sessions designed to help teachers build skills they can immediately use in their classrooms.
Participants should be ready to roll up their sleeves, dust off their teaching and technology skills, and actively take part. Be sure to bring your own devices! Sessions will emphasize practice, experimentation, and shared problem-solving in areas related to CALL, technology-enhanced language learning, and classroom innovation.
The symposium is being planned in collaboration with multiple JALT SIGs and chapters (more details soon), and is open to teachers at any career stage and with any level of technical experience. Whether you are confident with educational technology or just starting out, this event is designed to be welcoming, supportive, and practical.
To encourage conversation and connection, the event will also have a networking-focused atmosphere, with refreshments and snacks provided. We are currently planning an afternoon programme (tentatively 12:30–16:30), with the possibility to expand depending on interest. Participants are welcome to bring food and gather informally beforehand.
Schedule details and session information will be sent via a special February Newsletter. Stay tuned! |
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3. Join Us at the 2026 Okinawa STEAM Conference!
Date: February 20–22, 2026 Venue: Okinawa Prefectural Gender Equality Center [Tiruru]
JALTCALL is proud to co-sponsor the PIE SIG’s 2026 Okinawa STEAM Conference, happening February 20–22 at Okinawa Prefectural Gender Equality Center [Tiruru], in Naha, Okinawa. This exciting two-day event brings together educators, researchers, and practitioners exploring the intersections of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and language education.
Full STEAM ahead!
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4. Latest Podcast
In this episode of the JALTCALL Podcast, host Brian Gallagher talks with Professor George McLean (University of the Ryukyus) about the evolving landscape of education in Japan. Drawing on his journey from Montreal to Okinawa, George shares practical strategies for engaging students, adapting to diverse classrooms, and leveraging technology like Google Forms, Quizlet, and response units to boost interactivity and feedback.
Highlights include: Adapting methods to support diverse learners Enhancing participation with classroom tech tools Encouraging reflective learning and peer feedback Communicating effectively in online environments
Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on teaching, technology, and transformation in Japanese classrooms.
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5. Inaugural issue of JALTCALL Trends
The first volume of our new peer-reviewed journal, JALTCALL Trends, is now available for download. The inaugural issue contains 30 conference papers from JALTCALL 2024 (Meijo University, Nagano) on a wide range of CALL topics.
Progress with the next issue, which will feature conference papers from JALTCALL 2025 (Tokyo University of Science), is also well underway. Stay tuned for further updates and exciting new opportunities to publish your research!
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