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

Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2017 Newsletter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. 29