Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group Newsletter 8 Visibility of eTwinning Projects Newsletter 8 | Page 83

Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2018 Newsletter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A strong emphasis was placed on the collaboration aspect . Throughout the project students were asked to give feedback to their partners ' works , so that the cultural and language exchange could really take place .
In order to promote students ' engagement we set up a progress chart with emoticons , where we could keep track of their participation to the different activities . It was quite a simple yet effective way to control how the project was progressing and to motivate the pupils . This was a very useful tip I got from an Italian eTwinning ambassador and it proved to work ! Sometimes it is easy to get lost when you have to deal with hundreds of students and different school calendars .
In order to make the project outcomes accessible to the largest audience a series of dissemination activities were done in every country . We published articles on our schools ' websites and teachers ' personal blogs , printed posters and leaflets to distribute at school and for our pupils ' families , gave our students ' certificates of participation and shared the project products online via different social networks .
The project fitted perfectly into their curriculum . The students had the chance to use and expand the grammar and vocabulary studied and to deal with different types of texts , thus developing their listening and writing skills .
Besides , a series of competences were fostered : - social and civic competence : the students have become more aware about their own territory and their partners ' ones and they have known foreign cultures and school systems through the voice and the works of their partners ; - digital competence : students have constantly used technology during the project to make research , share documents and thoughts , communicate among them . They have learned to use new applications that they will be able to transfer also in other areas ; - sense of entrepreneurship and creativity : the students have engaged creatively in several challenging activities and sometimes they had to overcome some difficulties , as for example , the necessity to collaborate at distance or to use unknown digital application - soft skills : all the activities were designed in order to promote students ' ability to work in group , take decision , communicate effectively and to develop their critical thinking .
The impact of the project on the students has been really positive . They were motivated and engaged and they gave proof of a high level of autonomy in doing their activities . The final feedbacks showed that each student appreciated different aspects of the project . It was extremely interesting to see how even the simplest task such as personal presentations , which is usually perceived as quite boring in textbooks , were stimulating for them because it gave them the chance to read about their peers ' life and interests . The most loved activity was the production of the final virtual tour , even if it was also identified as the most challenging and time-consuming one . I believe the impact of the project was positive also in my school , since some colleagues became interested in eTwinning and asked me some information about how to get involved in a project . As for me , it was the first time I was coordinating such a big project with 5 partners and a lot of activities to plan . It was quite a demanding task but , as usual , also a very rewarding experience both on a personal and on a professional level .
Francesca Falconi is a teacher of English at Liceo T . Mamiani in Pesaro , Italy . She holds a PhD in Intercultural European Studies and has a master degree in Methods and technologies for e-learning . Her interests include the application of ICT in education , innovative teaching methodologies such as PBL , and developing students ' competences through eTwinning projects .
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