Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tzechuk]

What the subject says!!!!

Costco Yangjae Branch is coming to provide refreshments!! They are going to provide, for free, coffee, tea, juice, muffins, cookies, and pretzels!!!!!

Tomatillo, the Taco place, will come and sell lunch for a discounted price that includes 2 tacos or burritos, chips and a drink!

If you haven't managed to pre-register, you can still come and register onsite!

Here's the info:

Dates: 24th and 25th October
Time: from 7am (registration)
Venue: Sookmyung Women's University

Invited speakers include (in no particular order):

David Nunan
Rod Ellis
Kathleen Bailey
Scott Thornbury
Jeanette Littlemore
John Fanselow
Jerry Gebhard
Marc Helgesen
Jill Burton
Scott Miles
Stephen Andrews
John Flowerdew
Tim Murphey

This is an impressive list!!! It's going to be SO GREAT.

For more information, please visit our conference website:

http://kotesol.org/?q=IC09

and look at these links:

Invited Speakers:

http://www.kotesol.org/?q=IC09InvitedSpeakers

Schedule:

http://www.kotesol.org/?q=IC09ScheduleDay1

Venue (this takes you to Sookmyung Women's University's Website):

http://e.sookmyung.ac.kr/

Directions:

http://www.kotesol.org/?q=IC09VenueDirections

Onsite registration info (it's being updated, we just closed pre-reg):

http://www.kotesol.org/?q=IC09OnsiteRegistration

Onsite Registration fees are:

Member: 40,000 won
Non-member: 65,000 won

Hope to see you there!

[bassexpander]

I would like to know who is presenting this year, as well. I've never gone. Planned to go last year, but had something come up.

[tzechuk]

[tzechuk]

ModEdit

For anyone else reading this - our presenters list wasn't finalised until about 1 month ago. Pre-registration for them is still ongoing. Closing tomorrow. We COULD put up a list of who's presenting and what not, but it would get changed often, and until the presenters have all pre-registered, we have no way of knowing if we really will have him or her. So it could be misleading, too.

Invited speakers (the big names) information has been made available for over a month - again, some names were not confirmed until about 6 weeks ago.

I'd like to point out that none of us who are organising this conference get paid. We are ALL volunteers who have a full time job, who give up our weekends and whatnots to provide a service for the English teaching community here in Korea and abroad. We NEVER have enough people who want to help out because a lot of them are like MOD EDIT KOTESOL Conference.

[yoja]

I went for the first time last year and I was pleasantly surprised. I left wishing I had attended every year that I've been in Korea.

For those who may not know, there are workshops on all different kinds of topics (some more helpful to me/my situation than others, but that's why so many different things are offered, I guess).

It was nice to find tons of free, helpful resources as well. There are publishers, catalogs of resources, free samples given out, and lots of opportunities to network, to find helpful websites and other sources of information, that are great for whatever circumstances in which you might teach. If you or your school decides to buy something from one of the publishers there, many of them offer discounts.

I think if someone is interested in attending, you should ask your school to pay the fee, or part it, as it is really helpful and it's one of the easiest opportunities for professional development available to you. It is held on Saturday and Sunday but you come and go as you please--no one is there to track your attendance.

Anyway, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own experience, but after attending last year I was really excited. I went to some great workshops, got email addresses of fellow teachers, was introduced to helpful websites, and I *definitely* left a better teacher than I was before the conference. This year I've seen improvement in my ability to plan, to create effective curriculum, and to manage my classroom. I'm sure some of that was just me getting past the learning curve, but honestly, a lot of it was due to the information and resources I found at the conference.

I highly recommend it, especially if you are new to teaching ESL, take your job as a teacher seriously, struggle with being as effective as you want to be, or even lack confidence. It can be really, really helpful.

[Fat_Elvis]

Is there a timetable for the speakers yet? There are a few presentations there I'd like to see - Rod Ellis' and Scott Thornbury's in particular - but I can't make it Sunday.

I went a few years ago and found it very inspiring and helpful, but haven't made it back since unfortunately.

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

If you have something constructive to offer to this thread, then please do so. If on the other hand your intent is to engage in or encourage contentious bickering, then your postings will be deleted and you run the very real risk of being sanctioned. Sanctions can include permanent banning along with your iSP.

[bassexpander]

Thanks for the link.

Note to self:

Don't keep using the same photo for 20 years. Update it at least every 5.

[yeremy]

1. Business cards-If you go and wander around the publishers tables, it will help if you have a business card to give them. I suppose it's something they can put in their rolodex and they might think you aren't a big enough of a fish to bother with if you don't have one.

2. Textbook freebies--There is no such a thing as a free textbook at this conference. You'll have to make a small payment of your time waiting in line, for a free autographed book by Jeremy Harmer (2007) and the publishers might choose to send you a copy of something else than what you asked for in the first place.

3. Look at the map and conference schedule very carefully after you have cleared registration. I have found that many of the presentations or workshops I wanted to attend were often at opposite ends of the conference venue. Sookmyuoung University seems to use 2 or perhaps 3 buildings for the conference and the maps and signs can be confusing.

If you want to attend a presentation by a David Nunan, you will might have to forgo going to a presentation or workshop the time block before and get in line. Two years ago at the 2007 conference, Jeremy Harmer's presentations were monitored by a certain publisher, who limited the number of attendees and once Harmer started, no one else was allowed to enter afterwards.

4. Give enough time to clear registration and to enter the conference site. It is better to pre-register for this conference, but if you don't, it's not that big of a deal. Just don't expect to zip through the registration process, so you need to allow enough time for that.

5. First come, first served. All of the KOTESOL presentations and workshops work in this manner. If you want a good seat at the presentation or workshop of a well-known presenter, you might want to plan to attend alternating events, so you can "get in line."

6. Special Interest Groups (SIG)--This is one of the better ways to meet and get to know others with similar interests to your own.

7. Another way to meet and get to know others in your area or with similar interests in TESOL is go to a meeting for the Young Learners group, or the area groups meetings like for Seoul, etc.

8. One of the worst ways, I think, to get to meet a presenter is to stick around after their presentation or workshop and try to chat with them along with the others who want to do the same. Try getting in touch with them on-line instead. It will probably be much appreciated by them.

MOD EDIT

[cruisemonkey]

I may be interested in attending the conference; however, nowhere can I find information on when it is to be held (and I'm not going to register to find out).

When is the conference?

[tzechuk]

[cruisemonkey]

[tzechuk]

You're welcome!

[calicoe]

Thanks very much for posting. This thread convinced me to go. I am going to visit the bank today and become a member and register.

See you there!

[tzechuk]

General schedule for both days are up. You can also download presenters information!!!

http://www.kotesol.org/?q=IC09ScheduleDay1

http://www.kotesol.org/?q=IC09ScheduleDay2