JNCL Report

Ed Dixon, Georgetown University

Current Representative(s) Ed Dixon

IALL's affiliation with JNCL-NCLIS benefits both our own membership as well as the language faculty and students we serve. Collaborating with the sixty-two other educational and professional organizations attending the Delegate Assembly Meeting of the JNCL-NCLIS, IALL participates in lobbying and discussions for re-authorizing federal funding for language and international programs such as The Foreign Language Assistance Program, all 9 US Department of Education Title VI funded Language Resource Centers, and Educational Technology Programs at the US Department of Education that support professional development, innovative uses of educational technology, and distance learning. In past meetings, I urged the Assembly Meeting to give more attention to technology in foreign language education. I am pleased to report that the agenda of this year's Assembly Meeting included separate talks on Technology and Education by Chuck Lovett from the Dept. of Education, and on grant opportunities with computer technology components for foreign languages by Christine Kalke at the NEH. There was also a breakout session at the Assembly Meeting during which individual member organizations discussed the topic of Research and Technology.

The board asked me to contact Robert Fischer and inquire about CALICO's interest in joining JNCL-NCLIS. Bob has already informed me that he will have an answer in September. JNCL-NCLIS has improved the web site for its member organizations (the link to IALL however needs to be fixed and will be taken care of today). Besides links and information on JNCL-NCLIS and its member organizations, the web site provides easy access to grant funding opportunities and recommendations for grant writing. A particular web site of interest is the one for the Educational Technology Programs at the US Department of Education at www.ed.gov/Technology. I will send soon an LLTI posting with information to our membership on the JNCL-NCLIS web site and federally funded grant opportunities.

I am pleased to report that at this year's Assembly Meeting that I was elected to the Board of Directors of JNCL-NCLIS.

Several of the organizations of the JNCL-NCLIS are looking to apply for grants and obtain money from federally funded programs. Perhaps IALL could join some of these organizations and/or universities/school districts in obtaining funding for projects involving e.g. professional development and distance learning. Please let me know what I can do to facilitate such talks.