Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2017 Newsletter------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lifelong learning and aiming to develop innovation and competitiveness( Uzunboylu, 2006), as it offers many opportunities for teaching and learning through the given tools from which teachers but mainly students benefit from the collaboration they achieve with schools in other countries( Angelopoulos P., Pateraki I., 2014).
Through technology mediated communication it allows the active participation of pupils and teachers in cooperative learning tasks in intercultural cross-curricular prospects with the aim of achieving common goals( Paloff & Pratt, 1999).
The relevant bibliography( Schulz-Zander, Büchter & Dalmer, 2002) supports that e-collaborative learning is a promising educational means as it helps teachers to design activities based on ICT, applying the PBL, putting into use the modern concepts about cross-curricular approach to knowledge. Τhey can support the student-centered, active, exploratory, discovering and collaborative learning, the procedural knowledge, expression and communication activities which contribute to the creation of interaction between teachers, but also between teachers and pupils through authentic activities integrating a feeling of European identity, as well as an awareness of the continent’ s linguistic diversity into the learning process( European Commission, 2013; Crawley et al., 2010a, Raptis & Rapti, 1999; Repousi & Tsivas, 1999; Giakoumatou, 2004; Kavoura, 2004). and the use of new technologies( Galvin et al, 2006) could be directly related to a unit that participant schools are currently studying or have already covered. Thus, students have the opportunity to probe into something, investigate it, and appreciate it more fully, but with some foundational content knowledge that they can use to navigate and enrich the experience. The first step towards realizing a virtual field trip activity to museums is to plan it well ahead as part of an eTwinning project, as teachers should have in mind that there are pre-field activities, during it and after field-trip activities to be done.
An interesting topic while developing a cultural eTwinning project could be the one about the Footprints in our antiquity and the suggested museums pupils could visit virtually are: Acropolis Museum of Athens( Greece), National Archeological Museum of Ferrara( Italy), Hamburg Archeological Museum( Germany).
Cultural context becomes more attractive when pupils are asked to virtually visit museums which, as Cultural institutions, can play the role of social agents by being an active resource and helping to create constructive engagement strategies to support social and cultural change.( Da Milano, C., 2013) Moreover, through a collaborative eTwinning project and the English language, pupils have the chance to communicate to their peers from other countries their own way of viewing cultural social issues.
eTwinning projects within the process of authentic learning, the collaboration, the European dimension
Teachers should organize very well the pre, during and after virtual field trip activities according to the suggested plan:
Pre-field Students of the participant countries will use forum, chat or an organized videoconference to:
� Discuss about their prior visits to a virtual museum
� Review relevant content and vocabulary Students will also discuss in the classroom behavior
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