Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2013 Newsletter
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------eTwinning Annual Conference 2013 –
Citizenship and School Collaboration
by Seraphine Francoise Altamura
Partner
As soon as I learned that the annual eTwinning
Conference would be held in Lisbon (March 14-16,
2013), I thought that I would like to be chosen for
attending.
I already knew it would be a great event as are the
annual eTwinning Conferences, with a large
program, exciting and challenging:
- With interesting speeches like that of Professor R.
H. Fryer on learning of citizenship in the 21st
century;
- With workshops facilitated by experienced
facilitators:
· creative and dynamic as that of Bart Verswijvel
(Belgium) and Arjana Blazic (Croatia) on the
pedagogical value of eTwinning projects where I
found the tools to be used to develop critical
thinking of students, or get them to cooperate and
discuss together on citizenship.
http://instablogg.com/6.qSGqF;
· technical and practical as that of Bettina Zeidler
(Germany) and Dr Marta Hunya (Hungary) "Class
activities - the development of citizenship in an
eTwinning environment" that made me reflect on
intercultural understanding and cultural integration
of pupils in Europe;
- with highly visible personalities such as the
European Commissioner for Education, Culture,
Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, or
the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of
Portugal, João Casanova;
- with award-winning eTwinners, exceptional, full
of talent and creativity, role models and sources of
inspiration.
But what most interested me was to meet my
Portuguese colleague, who in 2007 introduced me
to eTwinning. My first contact eTwinning, the
person who guided me step by step in the discovery
of the portal, teaching me how to use the
TwinSpace, making me discover the tricks of the
trade in creating my first eTwinning project.
Fernanda Pereira is one of those passionate
teachers, able to communicate passion and
enthusiasm, patients, and available at all times,
those who have an innate sense to transmit all they
know. During all these years we stayed in touch,
sharing work experiences and bits of everyday life.
Six years have passed and the professional contact
has given way to friendship, we have gradually built
a solid and respectful relationship.
I recognized her right away when I looked for her in
the hall in the middle of all the others, it seemed to
me just to find an old friend, all that we have
exchanged through the mails, and chats had
become tangible.
For me it was a great emotion to meet Fernanda. I
was not disappointed but I was immediately in
harmony with her.
Our virtual life, that Saturday, has become a
real life.
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