Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2013 Newsletter
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------collected a lot of information on the traditions of
their respective countries, which highlight
differences and points of contact between the two
cultures. A questionnaire was prepared by the
students to know the preferences of young people
of the two schools on traditional festivals and those
of more or less recent introduction from other
countries.
can work together at European level, and that their
work has specific measurable results, they put into
practice the best way to educate the younger
generation in a spirit of tolerance and sense of
being citizens of United Europe.
Other projects with schools in Greece, the Czech
Republic, Spain have been activated, but with more
modest results.The reason? Methods of
implementation that did not fit well to the two
environments class, because not always what is to
good for a partner is good for the other, the
absence of a corrective action during construction.
The lack of tangible and measurable results
produces disaffection for the project.
In recent years I have experienced the possibility to
"export" eTwinning. The project with the school of
France has involved the municipalities and the
communities of the two towns of residence, mine in
the Campania region and the French partner in the
department of Corrèze. For some years the two
communities have been achieving cultural
exchanges, and very close relations were born
among the citizens.
Another initiative came from eTwinning, but taken
out of the school walls, was the creation of a book
about poet in my area, who lived in the first half of
the last century, and that he had used for his
compositions the Latin language. He had not long
life, he died fifty-nine, in 1961, but immeasurably
dedicated to the study of the classics and the Latin
language in particular.
And so the proposal of a book written by many
hands arrived to the friends of France and Poland,
the friends met thanks to eTwinning projects. From
a common passion for Latin and Roman civilization,
this program of work started. It is a translation
about Michelangelo Petruzziello, author of the
twentieth century who used the Latin language,
becoming aware that there is a European identity is
beyond geographical distances and cultural
differences. In particular, in Poland, country of
Slavic language, but deeply connected to the
classical culture: the national language and the
Latin co-existed for a long time in the expression of
sciences and humanities. The result was the
publication of a book "born" at the same time in
different languages: Italian, English, Polish, and, if
you consider the introduction, in French. It shows
that international cooperation can bring remarkable
results. If teachers show their students that they
How many projects, how many names, heard for
the first time! The enthusiasm spread through the
students, who had new ideas while they were going
on the work. The driving force was this desire to
meet, to communicate, to know each other. We
must overcome the fear of the unknown and the
worry of free labour (by teachers). The students,
however, need to feel gratified in their efforts and
we must convince the teachers and the students’
families that the eTwinning project is not
superfluous, nice but unnecessary, and falls outside
the normal, everyday curricular activities. It takes
patience to explain to the class councils, colleges of
teachers,the school board that eTwinning projects
are fully curricular activities, and should be
evaluated in the same way as all the others. Such
insistence and determination is needed to clarify
doubts and encourage hesitant people.This within
one’s own school. With many of my colleagues from
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