Turkey is developing rapidly and we see educational institutions as the driving forces for innovation. In this respect, studying English holds utmost importance for our young population as it provides the link with other cultures and countries.

Furthermore, to connect speakers of English in particular of distant countries with low mobility, technology is ever so necessary as it lets us combine the two concepts of innovation and technology. The world is at our fingertips, so why should the newest breakthroughs and tools for English language teaching and learning remain out of reach? 

On June 7th, Istanbul Aydın University welcomed speakers Bart Bonamie of Onsekiz Mart University, Dr. Birsen Tutunis Ph.D., Dr. Julie Mathews-Aydinli, and JoDee Walters of Bilkent University to the 1st Annual ELT Conference ‘Innovation and Compatibility”. The day’s experienced speakers discussed the newest innovations and the responsibilities of the teachers and learners in that fast-track world; in particular the actual compatibility in the Turkish setting, as each of our speakers has spent considerable time living and working in ELT in Turkey. 

Despite the rainy weather the day was carried off with few setbacks. Thank you to our attendees - the English Language teachers of other fine institutions and the future colleagues of the ELT world in Istanbul… but most importantly we thank the IAU Prep School teachers and staff for their support before and during the conference by their presence and encouragement. To all those who attended, your attendance shows that you truly believe in the progress of your field and share our goal of preparing our young Turkish men and women with the English skills and confidence to participate in the globalizing world.

We hope you took away with you new ideas and initiatives to bring to your own classrooms and look forward to growing and learning with you in the future.

Organizing Committee
IAU ELT Conference 2008