Italian warmth for EUROCALL annual conference 2025 in Milan

 

Eating out in Milan - Risotto alla Milanese.
Photo by Kate Borthwick    

Admittedly, those who travelled to Italy to participate in our annual conference did experience the odd shower but that didn't dampen the warmth of their experiences in this hugely welcoming venue. Participants travelled from 39 different countries beyond Europe coming from Algeria, Australia, Japan and  Jamaica to name but a few. We had over 300 participants. If you were unable to attend, look out for our recordings which will be shared on our You Tube channel. 

As we have done in past years, we are issuing digital badges to those who presented and to all who attended the conference in Milan. Your digital badge will arrive by email  (do check your spam folder just in case). It can be used to provide evidence of attendance by printing off a pdf. For your convenience here is further information regarding how to pick up, display and share your badge.

Collect your badge- here's a reminder of how to do this

Curate your badge/s using your own Open Badge Passport account (free) 

Print off a .pdf for your institution as evidence of participation using your Open Badge Passport account. You can download the app to use on your phone:

on Apple App store  or Android Play

Show and share your badge online!

Here are just a few of the many photos (nearly 300) shared during the conference in the Whova app. Thanks to all who connected and a special welcome to all our new members. 

Shared by Ana Bumber

Shared by Toni Patton

Shared by Vincenzo Damiazzi

An outstanding conference which will no doubt have created great memories of fellowship and friendship. You participated in academic exchange, sharing and building knowledge and you connected through food, dance and exercise - its the EUROCALL way!

Don't forget you can keep the conversations going through our EUROCALL social media channels. A short poll during the conference showed that many of you are active on LinkedIn:

Poll result from Whova app

Preparing for Milan 2025.

 

Time moves on...this screenshot of the countdown to our annual conference in Milan is already out of date! An enormous amount of work has already been completed in preparation for this important opportunity to get together, share and network. Such physical opportunities are so important as we can draw strength from each other in the face of relentless change and seemingly endless challenges. I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge some of the vital achievements made by EUROCALL recently. 

Firstly, our website has been completely revamped and the new site is so much easier to use and update. Big shout out to Cédric Sarré on our executive commitee who was the dynamo behind this huge improvement! You can take a tour online of the site and the new improved members area on the video guides here.

Secondly, our hosts in Milan, ably guided and inspired by Valentina Morgana have a packed programme for us including our first ever Italian speaking stream of presentations. We will be using the Whova app again to provide an immersive experience for all. Check out #eurocall on Bluesky to stay updated:

Bluesky is our latest social media channel and you can find the Milan conference venue and our EUROCALL HQ on the app. Please say hello!, 

Thirdly you can shop EUROCALL! The profits from this venture help to support our organisation and provide great value gifts which you can customise - ideal for your students or colleagues . Look out for our great offers in the run up to the conference. As I won't be attending in person this year I designed some badges (yes, physical badges!) and I will be looking our for other remote attendees so I can send some out by snail mail. 

The countdown is on, together we can make the world a better place. 

The Graham Davies Legacy: EUROCALL 2024

Image by sandid from Pixabay

EUROCALL 2024 conference is taking place this week in Tranva, Slovakia and on Tuesday it will feature our Graham Davies lecture which will be delivered by Phil Hubbard. Phil's title, "CALL: We make the world better" could not be more in tune with the aims of the EUROCALL founders as described in the History of EUROCALL on our website. The founders of this organisation wanted to support the language community as they dealt with the challenges and frustrations of implementing Computer Assisted Language Learning. They did so by listening without judgement to the human experiences of both educators and students, creating a caring community which continues to grow. 

My  personal journey with EUROCALL centred on the generosity of Graham Davies as I related in this post on my own blog. His willingness to speak through Second Life to my colleagues at Warwick even though he was by that point in his life battling his cancer diagnosis was exemplary. He provided inspiration and encouragement to explore the practical resources he made available online. The ripples spread and nurtured new practitioners. 

Even after his death his web presence remains to help us navigate the wilds of the internet. Of course the web has continued to change and arguably we now face the biggest challenges in our personal and professional lives as our technologies will increasingly be dominated by the use of Large Language Models and Artificial Intelligence. 

Graham's work unpicked what was really happening when we browsed and posted online, he was committed to increasing understanding of the environment and tools so that we could use them with our eyes open to the "magic" behind the code. He understood that the superficial adoption of technology to fix a problem was not enough. That mission is still central to our EUROCALL conferences today, sharing understanding and experiences, looking to improve and enhance our teaching and surface the dangers that can lurk beneath the technologies we use. 

Recent years are showing us the importance of critical evaluation of our tools and methods, awareness of ownership and openness online, the need for greater understanding of how our data is mined and used, the importance of accessibility and equity in global contexts.  

Graham was a caring, professional practitioner and his care and humanity must continue to inform EUROCALL's values and activity. Our President Mirjam Hauck has picked up this challenge through our collaboration with US sister oranisation CALICO on the EDIA agenda (Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility) this is how we can ensure that we, as CALL practitioners, make the world better.