As a RELO Awardee, participating in the Pre-conference Workshops and the 72nd TEFLIN International Conference was a valuable and inspiring experience for my professional development as an English teacher and researcher. Beyond gaining new knowledge, the opportunity allowed me to engage with current ideas in English language education, exchange perspectives with fellow educators, and reflect on how these ideas could inform my own teaching and research.
Among the many excellent presentations I attended, two particularly caught my attention because they closely connected with my academic and professional interests. In Parallel Room 7, I was especially interested in “Makebeliefscomix: Boosting Pre-Service Teachers’ Creativity,” particularly its use of digital comic and storyboarding tools such as MakeBeliefsComix, Pixton, and Storyboard That. I found this highly relevant to my interests in multimodal writing and digital storytelling, as these tools bring together writing, visual design, characters, dialogue, and story development in ways that can make writing more creative and engaging.
On the second day, during the poster presentation, I was drawn to “The Effectiveness of Multimodal Reflective Practices on Academic Speaking Skills of EFL Undergraduate Students.” This presentation made me reflect on how multimodality can become part of the learning process itself, rather than simply being an additional technology in the classroom. The use of video-based reflection offered a valuable perspective on how digital modes can support language development while encouraging learners to engage more actively with their own learning.
What I valued most about the conference was the opportunity to connect these ideas with my own work. The experience broadened my perspective on how multimodal writing, digital storytelling, collaborative writing, and AI-supported language learning can be brought together to create more meaningful and responsive EFL learning experiences. More importantly, I returned from the conference with ideas that I can bring into my classroom, research, and professional community.
I am sincerely grateful to RELO for making this experience possible. The opportunity has not only enriched my professional knowledge but also encouraged me to continue exploring innovative approaches that connect technology, creativity, and pedagogy in ways that are meaningful for EFL learners.
