Documents 6.a. Other sections in Twinspace. Adding and deleting tabs

We shall end Unit 5 by studying in depth the section entitled Activity page. We shall continue exploring other sections in Twinspace.

6.a.1.- Teachers’ Room. It is the section to the right of the tab “Project activities”.

Each TwinSpace is created in a restricted area for teachers, which is the Teachers’ Room. It is the perfect place to communicate, plan the project tasks or save any data related to classroom management, such as assessment, marks, etc. Only TwinSpace members with a “teacher-administrator” or “teacher-member” profile can access; student or visitor profiles cannot access.

It has a Forum tool, which is useful for teachers to be in constant touch and discuss topics of their interest in private.

6.a.2.- Students’ Corner.

Students also have a "private" area, which is similar to the Teachers’ Room; in the top menu, to the right of the tab “Teachers’ Room”, we shall find the section Students’ Corner. Here, teachers cannot write or modify contents, but they can read them. In this space, students who are members of TwinSpace can introduce themselves to the rest of the members in the project, offer information about themselves, take part in debates through the Forum and work on the project. It is the place where students can interact and exchange materials that are not necessarily connected to their school project, thus enriching their private life. In order to enable these activities, the Students’ Corner has a Forum and a Document library, and more tools can be added if necessary. Taking part in the Students’ Corner promotes a feeling of self-sufficiency and responsibility in students.

Learn more (commitment on behalf of students)

IMPORTANT: In order to guarantee privacy and safety for teachers and students in eTwinning, the “Teachers’ Room” and the “Students’ Corner” are private spaces, which means that only members of TwinSpace with a teacher or student profile can access these sections. In addition, these sections cannot be made public like other activity pages.

6.a.3.- Chat.

It is the next section in the main menu. If we click on this tab, we shall get direct access to the chat tool, where we and our students can talk to the remaining members of the project.
The chat is a tool under constant development and adaptation to TwinSpace. This is why not all the functions are currently available. However, we can take part in the general chat and we shall also have the chance to chat privately with other participants connected to the chat. The main features of the chat are:

1. General chat. In this window we can see the discussion line that all connected users are taking part in.
2. The participants’ window. In this window we can see a list of participants in the general chat.
3. Commands to edit the font. Here we can choose the type of font, the size and the colour. We can also choose if we want the font to appear in bold or italics.
4. Text window. Here you can write the message you wish to share with the other participants.
5. SEND. Once you have edited your message, click here to see the main chat window.
We can also start a private conversation with a participant in the chat. In order to do so, right-click on the name of one of the participants in the window “participants”. Then choose the option “Go private”. In the top menu we will see a new tab that will take us to the private chat.
IMPORTANT: only two users can participate in private chats.

6.a.4.- Guide.

When we click on this tab, the system redirects us to the homepage of the Central Support Service that contains the TwinSpace guide; it can help you make the most of the collaborative space of your projects.
Public and private TwinSpace
One of the main features of the work station in eTwinning is the privacy and flexibility offered to students when it comes to working on the net. When we work with younger students in an "online classroom" many doubts will arise. In general, we would like to publish the contents but not students’ personal data or even their photos, even if they want to exchange them with their partners. In addition, teachers will create documents or assessments that may not be available to students, even if they are working on the same project.
The Twinspace content can be totally or partly made public, depending on those in charge. They must agree on which are the activity pages to be published and which ones will be hidden.
In order to publish a whole activity page, click on the tab for Project Activities so we can Publish/Hide each activity (TwinSpace page) in the project. For instance, we could have a private page (hidden) called Presentation where students from partner schools can safely share their photos, videos or descriptions to help them get to know each other.

Click on Manage Pages and you will see this window:

If you see the word Publish, it means that it is hidden.
If it is hidden and you want to make it public, just click on Publish.

Public and private features within the same page in TwinSpace
In the same page we can find some activities we can share with partners only (hidden) and other public activities. For instance, we could privatize a forum where students discuss the way to organize a blog about their surroundings (behind the scenes) and publish the blog where the task is developed once planned.

To choose the state of an activity, you only have to click on Publish or Hide, as we can see in the image.