eTwinning workshop in Prague

Had a wonderful time in Prague, meeting with teachers from across Europe. The aims were:

To create an international group of eTwinning ambassadors;
To share experience and ideas about international projectsTo form new eTwinning Partnerships;
To practice the use of eTwinning portal and other ICT tools supporting eTwinning partnerships and projects;
To promote eTwinning action in European countries.

I would strongly encourage colleagues who are interested in a European dimension to their classroom (and using ICT to make it real) to apply for the forthcoming workshops. The reason that they work so well, is the significant resources invested in the events. As well as being treated royally, there are many support staff (from Brussels, host nation, and others), and the social events in the evenings allow for genuine friendships and parnerships to form and develop.

Things to think about in eTwinning (or any informal twinning) include:

• Do you have compatible technology?
• Would Skype be a better way of communicating rather than email?
• At what stage do pupils encounter the same curriculum?
• At what time in the year is it appropriate to twin (or to start planning)?
• Will you communicate in English, or a 3rd language?
• What are the pedagogical justifications for the project?
• How will you involve colleagues in your school or members of the community?

With regards to blogs, podcasts and wikis; I heard no mention of usage by colleagues, though there was some awareness. I think that some tools on TwinSpace are wiki-like.

There are two possible Czech links that I will try to develop further: one with younger pupils and cross-curricular; the other with older pupils. I'll use the eTwinning portal in the meantime to try to find partners for the two podcast ideas that I'm keen on.

Whichever project goes ahead, it'll be starting in early September.