Etwinning

Create the project

Take all the time you need in this first stage, the success of the project will depend on it. You have to create and clearly define the idea of the project which you have. With this idea in mind you are going to look for a working partner and jointly share the activities, the planning and the end product. These questions can help you:

o Why do you want to do this project?

o What are the objectives?

o What type of project do you want to start?

o How long will it last?

o What ICT tools are you going to use?

Fill in your profile on the platform, the more detailed the better, as this is your identity and is what the European teachers are going to see when they access it. A profile with relevant information about the teacher and the idea of the project which he/she wants to carry out is an advantage and will help the teachers to make a better choice of partners. Give the information in the working language you want to use.

Don’t wait for them to find you! Select the contacts whose profile has a lot of affinity with your idea of the project. Use the forum and the partner search filtering the data to define the search more precisely.

eTwinning is an online community, and like any community, you have to respect some rules and the code of conduct.

Take time to talk with your partner, not only about the project and the activities which you want to carry out but also the calendar for them (a time schedule which includes an evaluation), the organization of the materials in the common work space folders (TwinSpace), the involvement of the pupils and the communications among the partner pupils.

It is essential that you communicate regularly with your partner before and during the project to talk about all the details and avoid misunderstandings.

Once you have agreed upon the contents/description of the project, make a written common document and with this model, register the project on the eTwinning platform.

Development of the project

The TwinSpace is a private and safe environment suitable for the pupils’ participation. Register/Invite the pupils and give them user names and passwords to be able to access the space autonomously and responsibly. In this way they will be able to do the tasks and communicate with their partners. The Pupils’ corner is an informal meeting place.

The teachers have a restricted space called Teachers’ room, which is not accessible to the pupils and in which they can exchange ideas on the development and evolution of the project.

This is the most intense and interesting part with all the actors – pupils and teachers – on stage.

Organize/plan the activity pages in the most convenient way for the partners, (chronological order, type of activities or groups of pupils). The activity pages are in chronological order by default and cannot be changed.

Create a monitoring Notebook /Blog/ to talk about all the details which arise in the project.

Use the Project diary regularly to keep in contact with the NSS.

Use a calendar and write down all the events.

Communicate regularly with your partner. Fix a day and time to meet by e-mail, telephone, video conference, or chat to exchange impressions on the development of the project, even if it is not necessary to make any changes.

Once the activity program has been completed, there is still this stage to continue working in collaboration with the partners to negotiate the publication of the project, do the editing, make the necessary corrections, assess the trajectory followed, evaluate the objectives achieved and why not, apply for a Quality Label.

Assessment and dissemination of the project

Make the material on the TwinSpace available to the public on the school web page, on the National Support Service portal, in the schools and Teachers Centre in your zone, participate in  eTwinning Teachers’ rooms and in eTwinning groups.