Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2014 Newsletter
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------eTwinning for Erasmus+ Programme
by Cinzia Masia
Several policy documents by the European
Commission have highlighted the importance of
learning other languages in order to prepare people
to perceive themselves as European citizens. One of
the main school aims is to support students in
developing their own skills, particularly
communicative competences in foreign languages,
useful to better interact in different situations.
Since 2005 the online community of eTwinning has
been offering teachers several opportunities to
know other school contexts and to give students
from other European countries the possibility to
interact with each other. During the years, this
platform has revealed to be really useful in
supporting school activities. Giving to all the
eTwinners more chances to interact, in 2013 it has
been extended to six countries from the European
neighbourhood such as Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and also Tunisia.
communicating throughout the different available
tools when developing their own ICT and foreign
language skills at school. In fact, this platform can
be considered as a huge “European B ox” full of
devices and chances through which it is possible to
create a new approach to motivate students and
enable them to develop their skills and
competences in an involving way.
…“the community for schools in Europe”, as
suggested in the homepage, it is the suitable
platform in order to find colleagues to cooperate
with at projects or simply to be involved in
Professional development seminar or workshops.
Recently, eTwinning platform has been
recommended in Erasmus+, the new European
programme for Education, Training Youth and
Sports. It is a didactic platform where it is possible
to communicate by speaking 27 languages, so it
really sustains teachers’ interactions! Its tools and
links keep continuous people’s contacts letting them
work together and taking advantages of the
available instruments, particularly the ICT ones. It
is also a web community where partners of different
school levels and roles, such as headmasters,
teachers, school leaders, students etc. can interact
in a safe and easy way because only school
members can access to this platform which is
constantly checked by the National Agency Support.
Plus, it is free. In Erasmus+, eTwinning platform
achieves a specific role in both KA1 (Learning
mobility of individuals) and KA2 (Cooperation for
innovation and best practices) because of its own
opportunities and tools.
eTwinning provides teachers and students the
possibility to create new learning situations by
exchanging information, materials and
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