KUDOS!

Find below a number of lovely comments and feedback moments on this great conference. If you were at the conference and would like to be added to this page - write to me or add a comment yourself.

An amazing conference!

Hello Janice,Amazing conference. One of the best I’ve attended in a long time. Congratulations! The teachers from here who attended were equally thrilled. Lesley

Bravo!

Bravo to Janice and her team for hosting an incredibly successful series of events. It was a non-stop, quality experience that will resonate for a very long time. The buzz among delegates was very positive, and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of being there.
You've set the bar high for the next national conference.
Chapeau!
Wendy

Hello IISLE staff,

I have been meaning to send you all a fast note all week to thank you and congratulate you on the fabulous conference!

So many great speakers and so well organized. It ran so smoothly. It was fun too! I really enjoyed myself, learned a lot and heard so many great people. I cannot begin to think how many hours went into organizing that conference.

Thanks again!

Catherine Boyd

Consultant

Congrats from the Council of Arabic Teachers (CAT)

I would like to extend my congratulations on a largely successful conference. I speak on behalf of CAT when I say THANK YOU for all the efforts of the Conference committee members to provide this professional learning opportunity in the area of second language education.

Nahida Teliani

Greetings from CLA

A quick note of thanks...
Greetings Janice, Melody and Valerie:
On behalf of the Canadian Languages Association, I wanted to express our thanks for the opportunity to present at the recent Languages Without

Borders conference in Edmonton. Our panel members, including Shakeel Akhtar, Josephine Pallard, Michael Embaie, Michael Gretton and myself appreciated the opportunity to share information about the CLA as well as provide participants with insight as to the status of international / heritage language education across the country. Congratulations as well on the organization component of the conference. The keynote speakers shared both enthusiasm and optimism for multiling

ualsm and provided words that encouraged all and the workshops certainly offered a wide and informative range of information.
Many thanks again and we certainbly look forward to staying in touch.
Best regards,
Bernard Bouska
Executive Director,
Canadian Languages Association
www.canadianlanguages.ca

Teacher Comments

I really enjoyed volunteering on Saturday and wanted to say thank you again for all that you and your committee did. It was a well organized and run conference.
Have a great end to the school year,

Charlotte

FSL Teacher.

A World Class Event

... or the recipe for a national conference for second languages educators.

It is a quiet and relaxing Sunday afternoon, at my corner of the world, and every inch of my body tells me it is time to just sit back and re-energize. It has been a great weekend, without a doubt. An adventure that I run into almost by chance, a bit more than a year ago, 

when Janice called me to invite me to be part of this national conference event, as a facilities chair. 

Not sure what made it all happen then, but I said yes and now I am reflecting, with fresh sounds and images of the conference just passed, to fill in my mind and the heart of a special memorable experience. This was more than I ever bargained for (and trust me - I  am a bargainer by nature!), and even though my feet still hurt and my eyes can barely remain opened, I know I received tenfold what I was able to contribute. And since I do not wish to easily forget what just went on this past weekend, I can keep you company for a a few more moments with these shared thoughts on my blog.

As Dr. Milton Bennet indicated and pointed out to all of us during his address, being in the vicinity of an experience is not the same as actually experiencing the event. Let me share with you some of the ingredients that went into this particular event that

 made many like me, feel it was real, great, filling  our bodies with excitement, joy, enthusiasm and admiration. An experience to energize language educators in Canada and around the world!

First of all the organization that went into this event was a process and an experience on its own. The committee was filled from day one with leaders in so many different fields and who brought on board so many expertise that made the planning a rich and vibrant, colourful and dynamic setting, from practically day one.  Under the leadership of the IISLE bunch and the connection with CASLT members and the support of may other add ons, such as myself and Josie, we all felt part of a special group of people, who had one great goal in common: making this conference an event to remember. I truly believe this goal was well achieved surpassing everyone's highest expectations! 

The second ingredient of this well cooked recipe was the selection of great presenters, from the leaders in the field, highly known professionals who take research in SL and culture education to new horizons with their inspired knowledgeable minds, to leaders of world-known organizations from different corners of the planet, to Canadian and local presenters who shared authentic and contextualized experiences all meaningful to the delegates who joined the conference. The selection of presentations, language lessons and discussion panels, together with keynote addresses was amazing, and many left with the wish they had had more time and opportunities to see everyone - this is what good conferences are all about, right?

A third ingredient has more to do with the size of the delivery of the conference as a service to second language education, with Languages Without Borders being a first for Edmonton-based events in SL education. A conference with over 650 delegates is something our community will continue to talk about for years to come. An opportunity like this one does not happen often to our language education setting, even if we all seemed to crave the chance to come and be part of it, by the size of our final count.  Make it happen and they will come! We all look forward to the next spectacular event in Quebec in 2011! Mark your calendars! 

I would like to mention an additional ingredient from my end, as the coordinator of IHLA International Languages Association) which many discovered for the first time at this conference. Our organization contributed with the commitment of over 60 volunteers who permeated the happenings around the event, under the leadership of our President, Josephine Pallard.  Through the guidance of the conference committee leaders, volunteers support

ed the smooth run of all events at the conference, from the registration to the sessions to the helping delegates find their way at the special events. Together with the support of the hotel staff, who also outperformed everyone's expectations of high quality service, everyone was connected by this authentic desire to show the best face forward for all the word to know about Edmonton and the language education field. I had the pleasure of asking several delegates about their comments on the conference experience (you can check a couple of clips right on this page!) and everyone told me the same positive and uplifting message: a fantastic venue, great presenters and unforgettable experience! Kudos to all!  

The presence of important guests gave the event a whole new level of meaning and importance which will hopefully be remembered for years to come, allowing everyone to feel part of a unique and positive part of a global interest around the enhancement of language and culture education for students of any age.

Even the entertainment opportunities at this event were not only many but of high quality, from local and international talents. In other words, all possible elements for a great recipe were included at some level to give everybody the opportunity to fully experience multiculturalism, multilingualism and high quality language education of the highest standards!

This brief commentary only begins to describe how great the event has been and what an honour and pleasure it has been for me, personally, and I am sure for many alike, to be part of the first Languages Without Borders national conference.  If you were there, I am sure you will enjoy these comments and I invite you to add of your own and build a common thread around this fantastic experience before time takes over our memories and colours of grey our emotions and learnings.

If you were inspired by this event, I invite you all to share and talk about it in your own learning environments, to carry on with the positive fuel we all received during the conference to fill in our plans for the future of second language education.

Check the photo collage at the bottom of this page and add any comments you wish!  have a great rest of the year!

Valeria