Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group Newsletter 2017 No. 7 | Page 102

Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2017 Newsletter
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
prompted you to try the unknown: a partner you do
not know, a school that you do not even know in
what corner of Europe is, pupils, probably with
different interests. And then, gradually you begin
to feel this strange world at your side. Even the
different language of travel companions, little or
nothing known, becomes familiar to you. Because
you understand enough with your partners from
the other school, that from virtual becomes real.
Nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, everything
is transformed into school. This possibility is given
with eTwinning. You feel yourself the protagonist.
The project will or will not have a success , it
depends on you, your partner, and the involvement
of the pupils. Trying an adventure not to the
unknown, but building something that you have
chosen and following in your process, not alone but
in company.
Verifying the goodness of work is the satisfaction of
seeing it accomplished; without judgments and
without external evaluations. Self-reference? I do
not believe because it is like in daily work; if at the
end of the day the result is poor, it means
something has not been done well. And if you do
not feel satisfied at all, look forward to the next day
for "revenge": just like in the game. And you do not
even find out who to download the disappointment
upon, since there has been no one who has placed
obstacles or impediments to you. Because if there
was, it would be to hire a fight against someone or
something.
In recent years, I do not feel far from the school. I
live the reflection (but not so much) thanks to my
grandson Stefano who is attending primary school.
It is important and interesting to understand his
perception of the school, to listen to things that he
likes and those that just do not go down. And to
understand why.
A few months ago, he asked me to accompany him
in a neighboring village where there was a fair
inspired by the Middle Ages. There was the falconer
showing birds, there were rooms equipped with
armor and other war instruments. Without my
attention, he was filming what he was interested in
with his cell phone.
Back at home he asked for help to transfer images
to DVD. He was content. The next morning at
school he brought the DVD to his teacher and
pupils. They saw it in the classroom. For about
fifteen minutes (so much the length of the film) his
companions saw his "fair", the things that had
raised his interest. And now he was acquainted with
his comrades. He did not have to perform any
assignment; but had freely chosen to translate
practical things into things that were taught about
history, animals, the environment, and medieval
warriors.
Interest, creativity do not have precise rules to be
respected. However, when school transmits
students not only knowledge, but can create
interest in creativity in them, then it becomes
"alive". And for me, eTwinning is a live school.
Virgilio Iandiorio is a teacher of classical languages
in high schools, then headmaster of liceo classico
and scientifico in several cities of Italy. He has
made important projects of cultural exchanges with
several European schools. He has joined the
eTwinning program since its start. Currently, he is
in quiescence for two years; he collaborates with
provincial newspapers, with weekly articles. He has
published several books, four in the last year. In
eTwinning, in December 2006, together with pupils
and teachers of three other European schools, he
published the book “The Tales of Europe”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
102