Tim Phillips is Sales Executive for Cengage / National Geographic Learning in Germany and Austria. Here Tim tells us about his experience at The Image Conference in Munich.
- What did you enjoy about The Image Conference?
The professional level of the talks I attended.
- How was The Image Conference different from other conferences you’ve been to?
Focus on one aspect of ELT – which benefitted discussion, relation between one talk and the next, networking and an overall positive framework for the day.
- What were the main discussion points to arise in The Image Conference?
Image is more than pictures or film – visual literacy in all its aspects is a core communication competence of the 21st century.
- Are there any practical activities you saw in The Image Conference which you’re going to use in your classes?
Not applicable – I was very taken by the augmented reality activities presented by Paul Driver.
- Are there any areas related to the use of images in ELT that weren’t covered in Munich that you would like to see sessions on in future editions of the conference?
Role of teacher generated video (besides published and student generated video)
Balancing the teaching of visual literacy with other key language competencies.
A shift of focus away from “the image” as such to overall skills development using imagery in all its forms – these were the better talks.
- Where would you like The Image Conference to be held in the future?
I would always be happy to see the conference in Germany – Berlin and Hamburg would be appropriate locations. There’s currently a good team in Berlin (ELTABB) – similar to the energy and thoroughness of Panchali and MELTA.
