Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group Newsletter 2017 No. 7 | Page 29

Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2017 Newsletter
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use these can be shared. More experienced
eTwinners can share information about how to use
eTwinning in school, or give practical information
about some of the online tools.
Starting with eTwinning
by Cinzia Masia
The eTwinning program is becoming more and more
exciting for the school world due to its many
opportunities. Besides offering chances for twinning
between European and non-European schools, for
some years now it has become one of the most
widely used platforms, by teachers who want to get
information or to attend training courses so that
they are updated on new methods, strategies, tools
and materials. Recently, this professional social
network has also been providing useful experiences
for the initial teacher training programmes of
several European training institutes.
Quality Label applications
It helps the Quality Label assessors to see the
learning which has been achieved in the project if
the TwinSpace is well organised. At the end of the
project, before applying for a Quality Label, it is a
good idea to check to see if all the project activities
feature in the pages, and to create more pages if
necessary.
The order of the Pages can be altered if needed. If
project partners have contributed to the Project
Journal during the course of the project, this also
gives the assessor a good idea of the activities and
learning which has taken place.
In conclusion
Used effectively, the eTwinning TwinSpace can be a
valuable tool for pupils’ active learning, a space for
the sharing of good practice amongst teachers and
a wonderful showcase of the activities and learning.
Making as many pages public as possible, and the
collaborative use of the Project Journal throughout
the life of the project, will maximise the visibility of
the project.
Both the European Commission and the Council of
the European Union have highlighted how important
initial teacher training is for acquiring appropriate
professional skills to face various school contexts in
which trainees will have to work efficiently but also
effectively (ET2020). In fact, over the years
different European countries have started preparing
future teachers with a complete initial training
program that includes, in addition to theoretical
studies, also apprenticeships in schools in order to
get suitable didactic skills.
Which skills should a teacher and a future teacher
have?
Diana Linford is a teacher and International School
Coordinator at Steeton Primary and Eastburn JI
Schools, West Yorkshire, England, and a UK
eTwinning Ambassador.
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Traditional methodologies have become obsolete
according to pupils’ knowledge and experience in
several educational contexts. Actually, it is
increasingly necessary to know and propose
diversified strategies and tools that will enable
students to develop their skills and competences in
an appropriate way. According to the requests of a
large number of teachers and the needs expressed
by trainees, it is essential to offer them ICT courses
to develop digital skills but also be familiar with
different approaches that encourage pupils to
acquire some of the skills listed in the Lifelong
Learning Program.
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