eTWINNING

GENERATION

Celebrating Ten Yearsof eTwinningForeword
Tibor Navracsics

EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport

It is a pleasure for me to present to you this inspiring book, collecting testimonials fromformer participants in eTwinning projects. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of thisonline platform that connects teachers, pupils and schools across borders, their accountsof how their participation has influenced their lives illustrate just what an accomplishment eTwinning is.
Many of the interviewed young people consider eTwinning to be the most motivatingand enjoyable way to learn.Their experiences with eTwinning have helped them todevelop their language and ICT skills, as well as an understanding of different cultures,in line with the goals set out at the launch of the platform back in 2005. But there ismuch more to it.

Publisher
Central Support Service for eTwinning
www.etwinning.net
European Schoolnet (EUN Partnership AISBL)
Rue de Trèves 61 – 1040 Brussels – Belgium
www.europeanschoolnet.org
Editors
Dorothy Cassells, Anne Gilleran, Claire Morvan, Santi Scimeca
Design Coordination
Claire Morvan
Language Coordination
Danosh Nasrollahi
Original Design
Luke Stephenson
DTP and Printing
HOFI
ISBN
9789491440915
Published in December 2015. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily
those of European Schoolnet or the eTwinning Central Support Service. This book is published under the terms andconditions of the Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) This publication was created with the financial support of theLifelong Learning Programme of the European Union. This publication reflects the views only of the authors and theEuropean Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

2

The power of the experience is reflected in how these young people describe the changes
which they feel taking part in eTwinning have brought to their lives. They recount how
it helped them gain self-confidence and form a positive attitude to change, how it gavethem a better idea of what Europe means and a new vision of the world, and how
it contributed to developing their critical thinking, creativity, and the capacity to takeresponsibility, to become an open-minded person.
What they describe is the development of open and distinctive minds, which we canname the “eTwinning Generation”. Importantly, these individuals gain this experience
while they are young. It thus shapes their lives.
But as the repeated terrorist attacks in the hearts of our cities have reminded us, projects like eTwinning have an impact that goes well beyond the individual. They are at
the heart of our efforts to tackle the root causes of radicalisation. Bringing people fromdifferent backgrounds together and helping to create a sense of belonging, they will
help us maintain an open society. And they will help us ensure that all our young people
find their place in this society and nobody is left behind.
The response to these challenges begins in the classrooms. We need an inclusive
school education system that gives every single child a chance to develop and becomea self-confident, open, tolerant individual. An individual who can interact positively
with others from diverse backgrounds, equipped with a critical mind, and who is well
prepared to find a job.
This will not happen from one day to the other. We all need to join forces to achieve thislong-term goal. This is the spirit of the Paris Declaration adopted by EU Education Ministers and myself in March 2015, which commits to promoting fundamental values, citizenship and non-discrimination, inclusive education, critical thinking and media literacy, as
well as intercultural dialogue.
The stories in this book confirm that eTwinning is a fantastic tool that we can and should
use to even greater effect in the future. I want to thank all the dedicated teachers who
made the emergence of the eTwinning Generation possible. I wish them all success, andI know that they will inspire many more young people to open their minds and hearts.

3

e T W I N N I N G G E N E R AT I O NTable of Contents

405

Introduction

08

Chapter 1: Valuing the diversity of European culture

18

Chapter 2: Enjoying a different learning experience

26

Chapter 3: Growing as a person

34

Chapter 4: Developing new skills

42

Chapter 5: Influencing future direction

48

Conclusion

49

About eTwinning

50

Infographic: How much have we grown

52

Infographic: Where we are now

54

NSS Contacts

Introduction
A few years ago there was quite an active debate on the ‘Erasmus Generation’.
Many of the readers of this book, including myself, benefitted from the Erasmus
exchange programme which encouraged thousands of students every year tospend one or more semesters in a University abroad. As far as I am concerned,
and I am sure I can speak of behalf of the majority of the lucky ones who travelled in the context of this programme, this was the first truly European experience of my life. It was 1992 and I spent a semester in Uppsala, in the oldest andprobably most famous University of the whole Scandinavia. Not only did I learn
about this strange new thing called ‘the internet’, I had my first email address,
and I used to enrich my knowledge of humanities in the aisles of Carolina Rediviva, the library where the philosopher Michel Foucault spent most of his time.
Not only did I study communication and social sciences with excellent professors, but I met young people from all over Europe. During those days in Uppsala,I learnt the difference between a Danish and a Swedish person, and I becameaware of the contradictions of Belgium, where Flemish and Wallonians speak
to each other in a third language and seem to come from different countries.
Erasmus changed the lives of thousands of people, and, as Umberto Eco put it,“it has created the first generation of young Europeans”.
When eTwinning was launched in 2005 not many people would have laid a bet
that, ten years later, we would be celebrating its tenth anniversary. When thefirst ‘school partnership’ was created, during the eTwinning Conference in 2005,
it felt like a revolution. Now, after more than 44 000 projects registered, we canstate that it was just the beginning of a success story which has involved morethan 2 million pupils, driven by hundreds of thousands teachers. eTwinning has
developed over the years into what is now recognised as the biggest teachers’
network in the world.
But figures do not tell the whole story. eTwinning’s flexibility and adaptability, itslack of paperwork and bureaucracy, its capacity to renew itself and yet keep its
spirit unaltered, made innovative and enthusiastic teachers jump on-board andstart networking. What’s more interesting, many of them never left and continue
being eTwinners. As some teachers claim, eTwinning has become a lifestyle,which cannot be measured with statistics and numbers as it moulds new cultural
norms, more open to change, to innovation and diversity.
This book gives evidence to the diverse impact eTwinning has made to the livesof many, eTwinning permeates schools and the whole local community, andall social levels, with the dynamism of a network of teachers who do not physically travel to meet their partners, but use ICT to stay in touch on a daily basis.

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e T W I N N I N G G E N E R AT I O N

We have read the stories of these teachers in previous editions of the eTwinningbooklets, and many of you would agree that eTwinning did make a difference.
After ten years, we felt it was time to take stock and we were ready to forge
the notion of the eTwinning Generation, a sort of “Erasmus Generation 2.0”
where mobility has been replaced by ‘virtual mobility”. This relates not only tothe thousands of teachers involved in the programme, but to the millions ofpupils who have experienced being European without moving from home. A
generation of young people who share the same attitude about common goals:
improving education, feeling part of a community and, ultimately, being part ofthe same, united Europe. They remind their teachers that one can go beyond thelimited horizon of their school’s walls, and this is how you really grow.
This book is about stories of some of the students and teachers who have been
engaged in eTwinning in the past years. We wanted to hear directly from themand we made a call to the whole eTwinning community (incidentally, somethingwhich, for most educational programmes, simply does not exist), asking whether
teachers could contact their former students to share with us their experience ineTwinning. As a result, for the first time, we hear from former students, now inthe real world, how they were influenced.
We have been overwhelmed by the response and this publication can only givevisibility to a tiny part of what we got: 44 students in 11 countries, who throughtheir projects, have worked with students in over 34 countries Clearly there is an
eTwinning generation out there, and our role now is to make it emerge from thesea of memories, in order to inspire whoever is not (yet) engaged in eTwinning.
The book is structured into five chapters which reflect common themes that run
through-out all the different testimonies. Each chapter takes one of the themes
and draws together the specific comments from the students and their teachers
linked to that particular theme, together with some small case studies where we
dig into more details. The chapters are:6

1

Valuing the diversity of European culture2

Enjoying a different learning experience3

Growing as a person

4

Developing new skills

5

Influencing future direction

e T W I N N I N G G E N E R AT I O NThey are all equally important but each of them tells eTwinning stories from a
specific angle. Ranging from individual growth, to the learning experience inthe context of their school, the people we interviewed share the same feeling,that eTwinning did have an impact on their lives. But also, that this change wassystemic and affected them as part of a larger community.
The eTwinning generation believes in values like cultural awareness and tolerance, which are pillars in the definition of a multi-ethnic and multicultural society.
Students involved in eTwinning learnt to speak in a different language than theirown but especially they realised the importance of listening and understanding
others’ point of view. They see themselves as actors of change and their roleas leaders of innovation probably derives from the work done in their eTwinning projects. On their side, teachers changed the way they teach but also theirrelationship with their students, going into the direction of becoming mentors
and facilitators more than transmitters of knowledge, a role which is becoming
obsolete in 21st century pedagogy. ICT is not seen by eTwinning teachers as agoal but rather as a means to develop more meaningful and engaging lessons,going beyond the confinement of the classroom and the curriculum.
The stories portrayed in this book are your stories: stories of your own current
experience, if you are already an eTwinner, or, if not, of your future involvement, if these stories will convince you that you should be part of the eTwinning
Generation.
Enjoy the reading,Santi Scimeca

Project Manager, eTwinning Central Support Service

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CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTERIn this first chapter, we hear from the students how,through sharing experiences while working together on
eTwinning projects, they have come to value the diversity
and richness of the European culture. This, they feel has
helped make them more open-minded and adaptable todiverse environments. It has also brought new interest andenjoyment to their learning which we will read more about
in the following chapters. Following the students, we thenhear from their teachers, who feel the same, that eTwinning ‘builds a bridge’ to Europe and helps students become
better prepared to face the challenges of real life.
We begin with a reflection from Mantvydas from Lithuania,
who started his first eTwinning project in 2005 while atnursery school and is now in Secondary school. His experience has created an interest in different cuisines, which hehopes to take forward in future studies.

gives you a “taste of Europe”

Mantvydas Riskus (age:14)
Student: Kuršėnų Pavenčių mokykla, 9th form.
eTwinning project: Our Living Environment (2005).
Teacher: Rima Klenauskiene & Stasele Riskiene.
School: Kuršėnų Pavenčių Mokykla, Lithuania.
Countries: LV, LT, IT, DE, SK, FR, ES.

VALUING THE DIVERSITY
OF EUROPEAN CULTURE
8“I was involved in many eTwinning projects. I started in 2005 when I was only
5 years old…. Being involved in eTwinning projects helped me to learn a lot
about different European countries and their cultures. I guess it even added to
my interest in different cuisines and cooking different dishes. I think in future I
am going to study cooking and maybe I will study in UK, Italy or France.”9CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

develops cultural awareness at a very early stage

helps you adapt to diverse environments

Pola Orłowska (age:21)

Justina Banyt (age:24)

Student: Oxford University.
eTwinning project: Tolerance (2007).
Teacher: Anna Tobiacelli.
School: 1 STO im. Jana Nowaka Jeziorańskiego, Poland.
Countries: ES, PL.

Masters Student: Vilnius University and Bank teller, SEB Bank.
eTwinning project: Talking Images (2007-2008).
Teacher: Staselė Riškienė.
School: Kuršėnai Pavenčiai school Lithuania.
Countries: LT, IT,EG.

“When I started, I was only 11 or 12 and yet able to connect with students from aroundthe world to share my experience with them. It definitely opened my eyes on differences
between education systems between the countries and as a side effect improved mywritten English.
Since the experience with eTwinning I have participated in many other projects that
required great communication skills with international students. I attended manyexchanges with various schools (Hungary, Italy, Spain, Australia and Germany), I participated in debates, model united nations conferences.”“I have developed cross-cultural skills, which enabled me to grow into an open-mindedperson with a positive attitude to changing environment. Not forgetting, the confidence
I have gained in expressing myself in English language. Lastly, I have become a teamplayer and understood the importance of collaboration between people which usually
results in a positive synergy effect.
The cross-cultural skills I have gained earlier in my life definitely have helped me to adapt
in this diverse environment, develop friendships with people from all over the world andenjoy my stay to the fullest. Furthermore, being able to work with others is one of thequalities that make me so good at what I do in my current workplace. Not only has it
helped to reach common organisational goals, but also individual ones.”

helps you become a European citizen

a joy to learn about diﬀerent countries and cultures

Arzu Nizam (age:18)

Viola Barbisotti and Linda Bruschi (age:23)

Student: Ortadoğu.
eTwinning project: Intercultural dialogue through fairy tales,
drama and art (2011-12).
Teacher: K.Belgin Saka Üstünel.
School: Yeni Turan Primary School, Turkey.
Countries: TR, BG, AM, AT, HR, CY, CZ, UK, EE, FI, FR, GE, DE,
GR, HU, IS, IE, IT, LV, LT, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RU, RS, SI, SK,
ES, SE, UA.

Trainee Journalist (Viola), Social Worker (Linda).
eTwinning project: Sharing Culture (2008).
Teacher: Rossana Maglia.
School: Liceo delle Scienze Umane ed Economico sociale“S. Anguissola”, Italy.
Countries: ES, SK, IT.

“We created a theatre play. Through Skype meetings, common lessons, and art works, wetalked to our European friends and learned lots of things about them. In the project, I
realised that people can reach the same aims by working together.

“In 2008 our teacher asked us to participate in an intercultural project. It involved us andstudents our own age from Catalonia and Slovakia. We started exchanging emails about
ourselves, our lives, our cities and our traditions.

This project helped me to improve my self-confidence as our project won quality label. It
made me very happy. I improved my foreign language. I learned how to be a European
citizen.”

We found out new information about the other countries ..and learned to accept others
traditions and thoughts. We improved our English and our communication skills.

10

eTwinning is an interesting project that lets you learn new things from different countries
and different cultures. You meet new people and get to know all kinds of new information about a lot of different European countries.”11

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

breaks down barriers and makes you lifelong friendships

encourage others to join eTwinning projects to realise
what wonderful cultures we haveJoão Cardoso (age:28)
Technical Supervisor.
eTwinning: 2005/06.
Teacher: Miguela Fernandes.
School: Agrupamento de Escola da Batalha, Portugal.
Countries: PT, IT.
“eTwinning was my first experience abroad. For the first time, I had the opportunity
to interact with people outside of my own country, breaking down language barriers
and using English. Thanks to it I was able to exchange views with other students fromdifferent countries and it was fantastic: we got to know a reality that is different from ours,
different customs, and share information and exchange views.
Looking back after 10 years, eTwinning is not only about conversation, it is much more
and better. eTwinning has become a life experience which allows you to live and see moreof the world, essential for a better personal development and ability to adapt to different
realities.”

breaks down barriers and makes you lifelong friendshipsJoão Silva (age:26)

Gülüç Ibrahım Izmırlı Anatolıan Hıgh School, Turkey.

Telecommunications Technician.
eTwinning: 2005/06.
Teacher: Miguela Fernandes.
School: Agrupamento de Escola da Batalha, Portugal.
Countries: PT, IT.

eTwinning project: “What’s up in Europe?” (2013-2014).
Teacher: Elif Büyükuysal.
Countries: IT, BE, RO, TR, GR, PO, SE.

“As far as school projects go, eTwinning was the one that motivated and sparked myinterest the most. The opportunity to interact with students of different schools anddifferent realities is amazing.
For me, the project unfolded with students of an Italian school, there were exchanges ofideas and points of view that fostered a more permanent contact with foreign colleagues,
even after finishing the project.
Keeping in touch is very important in the global world today, as we never know when we
will need help from someone abroad. I know that, when I go to Italy, I’ll have someone
who will help me with what I need, and he knows that he can count on me as well.

“The main goal about this project was introducing our own culture and obtaining
information concerning other cultures….. Recording our voices and listening toother countries’ accents in English was really amazing and interesting.. It was
useful for each person joining this project. After this project, I had a lot of friends
from other countries and now I want to take part many projects rest of my life.”“eTwinning project taught us many things. We learned a lot of information about
the culture in different countries and developed our Englısh. Thanks to thisproject, I have more self-confidence, and learned to take more responsibility. It
is a wonderful experience.”

I advise the students that are currently engaged in eTwinning projects to take advantageof what eTwinning offers. Establishing contacts is not easy, but the platform helps a great
deal and you can make friends for life.”

1213

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

opens up your mind

Elisa Paolicelli (age:26)
Doctoral Student: Université Paris 7 Diderot andUniversité de Valenciennes et du Hainaut-Cambrésis, France.
eTwinning project: Europe Éducation École, Fête del’Europe (2005-2008).
Teacher: Professor Raffaella Lodi.
School: Liceo Classico Statale L.A. Muratori, Modena , Italy.
Countries: DE, GR, IT, RO, CZ, SK, FR.

eTwinning: my intercultural experiencea ‘Bridge to Europe’ for students

Introduction: As part of the eTwinning project, I participated as speaker andproduced texts in Italian and French. The aim was to encourage interculturaldialogue among 7 European countries through discussion of themes such as
European philosophy and literature.

Silvia Malegová

Benefit of being involved in eTwinning: This experience allowed me to develop
my critical thinking, my social and cross-cultural skills, as well as the ability tointeract and cooperate in an interdisciplinary and international environment.
How you have used your experience: Thanks to eTwinning, and particularly
the participation to the 2007 Fête de l’Europe in Rimini, I discovered howinteresting and challenging were team work and intercultural experiences.
I particularly appreciated the possibility offered by the project to attend live
debates through videoconferences, prepare, develop and comment the themespresented. All this contributed to my following choice of getting involved intheatrical group projects at university and pursuing my studies abroad after my
Bachelor’s degree.
Advice to others to get involved: Getting involved with eTwinning taught me
the value and richness of the European culture. I am happy to have been part ofthis experience and I think students and schools should be encouraged in taking
part in it and seize each intercultural opportunity eTwinning offers.
Summing up eTwinning: Being involved in eTwinning is great because it opens
up your mind.

14

And from the teachers themselves, we hear how they agreewith the students that the experience of eTwinning helps
to build bridges across Europe, supports debate amongst
students, helps prepare them for life and importantly builds
lasting friendships.

German, Biology, and Physical Education Teacher.
School: Základná škola, Ulica P. Dobšinského 746/5,
97101 Prievidza, Slovakia.

eTwinning member since 2006, running 11 projects involving 150+ students.
“This activity opened gates to Europe for my students, it gave them opportunity
to communicate in foreign language, it provided them knowledge from various
fields of science, culture and so on.
My students were looking forward to virtual contact with partners. They
improved their foreign language knowledge level and use of ICT. They madenew friends and learn a lot of new information on partnership countries. The
most favourite were the Skype conferences, where they could get to know eachother. We discovered new possibilities of cooperation in the course of time, welearnt to use external tools. Our work came to a head by gaining of financein Comenius project, which enabled students to experience life in partnership
families, they got to know thanks to eTwinning.”

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CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE‘opens minds’ and makes students better prepared for life

Teresa Lacerda
Biology and Geology Teacher.

School: Escola Secundário da Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal.

eTwinning member since 2006, running many projects with her students“eTwinning has helped me to know teachers and students from different parts of theEurope and work together. I tried to show my students different cultural and social
aspects and the importance of interdisciplinary work to promote the European citizenship. I think my students have learnt the importance of media and ICT literacy and they
have developed many communication skills. If we want we can learn and communicate indifferent languages. This way, students prepare their future life and their career.
eTwinning has promoted the “open minds” and I think my students are better preparedto life because they have the possibility the communicate with different people around
Europe, make friends and reflect about other visions of the world.”

breaks down barriers and makes you lifelong friendships

Anna Tobicacelli
Librarian.

School: Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących Nr 1 Społecznego
Towarzystwa Naukowego, Poland.

eTwinning member since 2006, running 40 projects involving over 200 students“It allows you to work with friends all over Europe and makes your students happy andopen to others.”

16

The final word in this section is from Czeslaw, who has been involved in eTwinningsince the beginning, co-founding ‘Project Europe, Éducation, École’ in 2005 with hiscolleague, Jean-Luc Gaffard. The project, which won 1st Prize for Education Innovation in 2006, has been running ever since. Each year students experience a unique
opportunity to debate with each other problems of the world. Over the 10 years, anestimated 12,000 to 15,000 students have been connected together in the debates.
Elsewhere in the book, we hear from some of the students involved in this project,inspired to go on to study Philosophy at University and inspired to stay involved in
the project after leaving school to continue to enjoy the debate and sharing of views
across Europe.
encourages debate amongst studentsof the problems of the world

Czeslaw Michalewski
Associate Professor of Philosophy.
School: Lycée Jean-Pierre Vernant, Sèvres, France.
eTwinning member since 2005. Running weekly
debate through project Europe, Éducation, École“Since the beginning, participation of many French and other European high school
students (Lithuania, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany,
Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, etc.) are encouraged in this project. We wanted tosuccessfully interface the practices of teaching, reflection and interactive debatingwith the digital era, so as to consolidate as much as possible the interdisciplinary
educational resources of the partnering high schools and favour as much as possible
the creation of a free and cultivated insight, the learning of public expression anda direct sharing with entities of academic, cultural and political everyday life inEurope and around the world.
Project Europe, Education, School, to whom the European Commission gave the
1st Prize for Educational Innovation in 2006, has always been faithful to the initial
spirit of the eTwinning movement, open to the creation of digital partnerships inEurope and around the world to allow teachers and students, firmly integrated ina videoconferencing teaching group, to confront their point of views with differentiated educational approaches, speaking out in public for everyone to understandand becoming more familiar more with the increasingly widespread work methods
in higher education and professional training.
Inspired by the eTwinning movement, Project Europe, Education, School is a kindof prototype of a diversified educational community, of international scope, able
to warrant the teaching of philosophy and general knowledge for those attending
secondary education, and even higher education, on a national and European scale.”17

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTERIn this chapter, we read how students have been inspired
and motivated as a result of their experience in an eTwinning project. Both the students and the teachers share thebelief that there is something in eTwinning for everyone.
In the cases of both Michele and Yulia, their project experience motivated them to learn more. For Michele, theexperience helped him understand and work with different
and older people. For Yulia, involvement in the projectgave her new responsibilities, which motivated her to set
new goals for herself and continue her learning.
We also hear how the different learning experience has
affected the teachers themselves. How the experience ofworking more closely with their students on projects has
motivated them to change their own teaching styles andinvolve more of their colleagues in their schools.

the practical aspects of the project are particularly
motivating

Michele Larini (age:22)
Student, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano.
eTwinning project: ‘Learning through Generations’ (2012).
Teacher: Liliana Rossetti.
School: : Istituto E. Fermi, Italy.
Countries: Poland, Italy, Germany, Spain.

ENJOYING A DIFFERENTLEARNING EXPERIENCE
18“I think that this alternative way of learning finds a strictly practical applicability
in the students, who are more motivated to learn. In the project, we developed social and cross-cultural skills. Instead of being the passive recipients of
information like with the traditional learning format, students were encouraged
to be more proactive in the activity and to participate in the discussions anddebates. It provided me the chance to experience at first hand what it is like tocooperate and collaborate with people with so much experience compared tome. I think this will be a key factor when I enter the job market.”

19

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

there is something for everyone no matter
what your grades area more enjoyable way to work and learn

Yulia Lyulchuk (age:18)
Student: Vehicle Maintenance.
eTwinning project: “Midas” (2011-12).
Teacher: Alison Allen.
School: Gloucestershire College, UK.
Countries: Turkey, Spain, Estonia, Italy and Poland.
“I found out about countries in Europe, made friends, and learned more about Human
Rights through the project. This was very interesting for me, as my family is originallyfrom the Ukraine and I follow the concerns of Eastern Europe and social problems
Lessons became more fun, we were give projects that took us out of the classroom. I
became the student eTwinning Ambassador which gave me responsibility. I made lots of
new friends, some of whom I still keep in contact with now.

Asier Soria Fernandez (age: 17)
Gabriel Perez (age: 14)
Oscar Perez (age: 17)		
Javier Marco (age: 17)

It made me want to study and learn more. I was expelled from school and spent some timein a pupil referral unit. I am now following my dreams and I will one day work for BMW!”

it’s involving, motivating and inspiring for children of all ages

Roneta Chaliulina (age:22)

CPEIP “San Babil” – Ablitas, Spain.

Doctoral student (Chemistry), University of Aberdeen,
Scotland, UK.
eTwinning project: “ Our Cities’ legends” (2005-2007).
Teacher: Nomeda Vykertiene.
School: Tarailiai Progymnasium, (formerly known as
Tarailiai Lower Secondary School) Lithuania.
Countries: Lithuania and Poland.

eTwinning project: various from 2007 onwards.
Teacher: Juan F.Penas Viso.
Countries: England, Poland, Spain, Portugal.

“My classmates and I took part in eTwinning projects over three years. We
carried out projects about our villages and went more deeply into the relationship among members of different countries. The most outstanding skill that one
acquires is getting along with people.” Javier Marco, Journalist, Spain“eTwinning is a fun, involving way to learn and further develop your skills and knowledgeof the English language; as well as to collaborate with other students of your age group,that may come from a different country.
It developed my teamwork, translation, and computer skills, as well as stimulating my
imagination. It increased my English vocabulary; as well as my general knowledge
and understanding of the English language. It motivated and encouraged me to learn
languages.”20

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CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO‘classes + eTwinning = Happy students’

Miguela Fernandes

Zuzana Mészárosová

IT Teacher.
School: Agrupamento de Escola da Batalha, Portugal.

English and Civics Teacher.
School: Obchodná akadémia, Levice, Slovakia.
eTwinning member since 2005. Number of eTwinning projects: 26 (c500 students).

eTwinning member since 2005, running many
projects involving over 400 students.

“eTwinning helps me to give a meaning to my students learning, contextualising
their learning in many different subjects. It´s much easier for them to share theirknowledge. We learn with each other.
eTwinning is for all students, not only for students with greater grades or betterin foreign languages. With this project all students are equal, each different skills
are needed and this is something really different to achieve in other project.
With eTwinning all the students have the opportunity to “travel” in the sameway, what is great!

“The relationship between me as a teacher and my students involved in theeTwinning projects have become better, students are more enthusiastic andwilling to do the work, to study new things and get information direct fromtheir partners. They become more open in communication with me, which has
broken down the traditional roles of teacher and pupil. eTwinning lessons are
more enjoyable and relaxed than other lessons, with two-way communicationand discussion as a group.”

Most of my classes are students from professional and vocational education
and I truly believe that eTwinning can help them to acquire self-esteem andhelp to reduce students dropout. Step-by-step eTwinning became an integrated
project in my school. Now we have a bigger community of students, teachersand parents involved. eTwinning open our school to Europe.”
All teachers agree….. the relationship with theirstudents has changed and got better… making
it more enjoyable for them as well.

Irina Vasilescu

Paola Arduini

Mathematics Teacher.
School: no. 195, Bucharest, Romania.

Modern Foreign Languages Teacher.
School: IC via Ferraironi , Italy.
eTwinning member since 2007. Number of eTwinning projects: 15 (c150 students).

eTwinning member since: 2007. Number of eTwinning projects: 12 (c250 students).

“The relationship with my students changed, as they saw my subject as a friendlier one and we became “partners”. They grew more curious, more responsible,
they noticed Math’s usefulness and its cultural aspects.”

22“Observing how those children were passionate about working with their friends
in England and how they constantly thought during their school activities about
the way they could use to share their experiences and their learning with theireTwinning partners made me realize that was the right way to go on, eventhough it is sometimes a bit “off the beaten tracks” of the standard curriculum.”23

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

It’s led to more involvement in the schools themselves

Anna Szczepaniak

Stasele Riskiene

English Teacher.
School: Szkoła Podstawowa, Poland.

English Teacher.
School: Kuršėnų Pavenčių mokykla, Lithuania.

eTwinning member since 2005. Number of eTwinning projects: 20(c600 students).
“Over the years more and more teachers take part in the projects and more andmore teachers can see how much they can make their teacher work more interesting and valuable. Teachers have realised they can learn something new frompartner schools.”

Alessandra Pallavicini
English Foreign Language Teacher.

School: , I.S.I.S. Galileo Galilei School, Italy.

eTwinning member since 2005. Number of eTwinning projects: 14(c500 students).
“Due to eTwinning, several Comenius and later on Erasmus projects were born at
our school. More and more teachers are getting involved in international activities as they clearly see the benefits and fun they bring to school life. Teachers’interest in learning a foreign language is the best proof of this. Last year 26
teachers out of 48 at our school enrolled on the English language courses. Of
course, all this wouldn’t be possible without the support of our school leaders!
Every eTwinning initiative and international activity is welcomed with great
enthusiasm not only from the school management team, but also from otherteachers, pupils and parents. As the most important benefit of international
cooperation I see the stronger relations among teachers at our own school,
their willingness to learn from each other, to share and to create new initiatives
together. This, of course, is later passed onto students so in the end everybody
wins with eTwinning.”

eTwinning member since 2005 running many projects involving over 400
students.
“Working with eTwinning means to work with much larger classes than usual
because you deal with your own students but also with all the students whoare involved in a project from other countries and this is really exciting. Working
with eTwinning means to learn how to share and work on project-based learning,which is so stimulating and motivating for students. Working with eTwinningmeans for the students to learn to work in groups and organize their work which
gives them more meaning and sense to CLIL classes. In my school now more andmore teachers seem to understand this and have registered on the site.”24

25

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER

Involvement in eTwinning projects has many benefits. Herea number of the students tell how getting involved in the
projects, helped develop their self-confidence and theirability to deal with different situations and people.
Read how Olivia and Louis, through their different
eTwinning experiences, both gained in self-confidence.
For Sofia it helped make her more adaptable. While for
Marion, eTwinning is a once in a lifetime adventure. We
start first with Martyna, who like Mantvydas from whom
we heard in the first chapter, started her first eTwinning
experience at nursery school in 2005-06.

gives you a lot of self-confidence anddevelopment opportunities.

Martyna Flieger (age:16)
Student
eTwinning project: “Playing and Learning” (2005-06).
Teacher: Ewa Matuszczak.
School: Gimnazjum nr 4 im. Polskich Odkrywców w
Głogowie, Poland.
Countries: Spain and Poland.

“When I was in nursery school I took part in an eTwinning project. I liked the
project very much because I learned a lot about the computer and the best
was playing with the computer.

GROWING AS A PERSON
26

My involvement in eTwinning has given me a lot of experiences that are helpful
till today. For example it helps me in school and making new friendships. It
also taught me how to communicate and collaborate with other people.”

27

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

helps you to think on your feet, gain theconfidence and speak to an audience.

helps shape you as an individual

Lois Pape (age:18)

Sofia Daniela Gonçalves da Silva (age:27)

Student: University of Cambridge, UK.
eTwinning project: “Europe Education Ecole” (2009-11).
Teacher: Czeslaw Michalewski.
School: Lycée de Sèvres/Jean-Pierre Vernant, France.

Geriatric Nurse, Lar João Paulo II.
eTwinning project: “Dagli autoritarismi alla Democrazia
europea” (2006).
Teacher: Maria da Luz Sampaio (principal coordinator),
Teresa Lacerda (coordinator).
School: Escola Secundário da Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal.

“During my last two years of high-school, I participated and attended philosophy conferences which were broadcast online. Usually, I would listen to a presentation and, if
possible, do my best to formulate an opinion on an open philosophical question in frontof an audience. One time, I attended a session at the Centre des Nouvelles Industries
et Technologies at La Défénse where I was asked to discuss the educational benefits ofdiscussing philosophy with students from other countries.
As a rather shy person, this experience gave me the opportunity to learn how to thinkon my feet, gain the confidence to develop my own opinion, and speak to an audience.
Learning how to communicate in public or/and online are skills that are hard to develop
elsewhere but which are ultimately required everywhere. It gives the chance to learn andthink without being forced to.”“It’s been almost ten years, but I still remember this experience as if it were today.
Being part of the eTwinning project increased my ability to communicate and share information in order to adapt myself to all possible circumstances. The online sharing allowed
me to develop and apply my critical thinking skills to the situations, and also increased
my ability to deal with computer technology.
I continue to keep in contact with at least two Italian students via online. We share someideas and question how is our life after all these years.”

makes you more self-confident and eager
to develop language skills

Tomasz Stasiński (age:18)

Gil Fernandes de Sousa (age:25)

Student: Wroclaw University of Technology.
eTwinning project: “Enjoy your meals and festivals”(2006-2008).
Teacher: Anna Szczepaniak.
School: Szkoła Podstawowa nr 9 im. Mikołaja Kopernika,
Dzierżoniów, Poland.
Countries: Poland, Portugal, Italy and UK.

Football Coach, FC Tirsense.
eTwinning project: “ClimaSOS” (2007 to 2009).
Teacher: Teresa Lacerda.
School: Escola Secundário da Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal.
Countries: Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden.

“This project helped me to take my first steps in my way to reach a fluency in speaking
English. It gave me also first serious opportunity to meet people from other countries, who are at the same age and who share similar views
Thanks to eTwinning I think I became more self-confident, because I realised, thatlearning foreign languages is really useful. Such confidence made me even moreeager to develop my language skills, so that I try to set myself different goals. The
last one, which I managed to achieve, is awarding a positive grade in the Cambridge
Certificate in Advanced English. eTwinning project definitely help me in it.”28

“I started developing competencies while working in multi-cultural group. I understood that what I see in life is very different and dependent on how you live, where
you live and who you live with.
I felt I developed the skills and capacity to communicate and to discuss ideas. But
more important that the skills, was the timing of the opportunity that I had for doing
this. Its different when you are 15, 16, 17 years old, than when you are 30.
My experience resulted in me accepting better new adventures. Also to know thatsociety is an open window. We can’t close doors or windows. We need to be able
to live new experiences.”29

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

eye opening, exciting and helps to build important bridges between oursocieties. It brings friendships and experiences for the future.

builds self-confidence to talk in another language

Nisan Bal (age:17)

Jessie Lenton (age:19)
Student, University of Birmingham. eTwinning project: project 2010.
Teacher: Liz Willey. School: Hawley Place School, UK. Countries: UK, FR.
“One of the main benefits I experienced from my time with eTwinning was improving mylanguage skills. I was able to achieve high grades that I needed, and I am sure that the greater
confidence I gained while being put in the deep end helped limitlessly. Trying to follow a fast
moving conversation between teenagers can be quite difficult- but once you can get a gist,
it is quite satisfying!
The experience helped open my eyes to different kinds of people and cultures and has taught
me how to relate to others of different backgrounds; because of this, I have had the pleasureof finding solid friendships in people from all over the world, from Hong Kong and Singapore
to Poland and Russia! The language skills I have been able to develop over the years has also
put me at an advantage when applying for jobs at and after university, as it is a desirable
attribute for employers.
In my opinion, immersing yourself into different cultures and familiarising yourself with otherlanguages is such a privilege, one that I am grateful for every day. It teaches you to have an
open mind, and increases opportunities for your future; I recommend getting involved eTwinning one hundred per cent. Treasure the friendships you make and learn from them!”a challenge, a learning experience and a humanadventure!

Marion Durand (age:25)
Doctoral student, University of Toronto, Canada.
eTwinning project: “Europe, Education, Ecole”(2009-2010).
Teacher: Czeslaw Michalewski.
School: Lycée Jean-Pierre Vernant, Sèvres, France.

Student: Özel Bilim College
eTwinning project: “Intercultural dialogue through fairytales, drama and art” (2011-2012).
Teacher: K.Belgin Saka Üstünel.
School: Yeni Turan İlkokulu, Turkey.
Countries: TR, BG, AR, AT, HR, CY, CX, UK, EE, FI, FR, GE,
DE, GR, HU, IS, IE, IT, LV, LT, MT, NL, NO,PO, PT, RO, RU, SI,
SK, RS, ES, SE, UA.
“In the project, I communicated with friends from all around Europe. It definitely helped
my self-confidence. Before eTwinning, I had grammar knowledge but I couldn’t talkfluently. I got over this difficulty by the help of eTwinning projects. The project is full ofnice experiences. Our Skype meetings were at a set hour, and we were always impatientfor our classes to begin.
Since the project, I follow youth projects and I try to improve my foreign language. In
future, I want to travel to abroad. For me, the experience of eTwinning can be summed
up as: Discover the best part of this small world.”“Once a week, we would hold class conjointly with students across Europe, and regularly
chat online or through video-conferencing to discuss philosophical texts or ideas which
we had been studying.
Discussing philosophical ideas with individuals from different countries and cultural
backgrounds was incredibly enriching. It forced me to consider difficult questions fromdifferent perspectives and through different approaches. The debates challenged myown views and often forced me not only to formulate them as clearly as possible but
often to reconsider them entirely by pointing to issues or unjustified assumptions which
my peers, in my own class, may have shared and therefore not questioned.
My experience in the Europe Éducation École project directly affects the way in which I
approach my work as a researcher and teacher in philosophy. It constantly reminds methat there are different ways to do philosophy and different perspectives on any given
subject, and that all can be valuable in their own right.
eTwinning is a really unique opportunity for students of any age to open themselves
to a variety of learning and teaching styles and to others from communities which may
significantly differ from theirs.
Make the most out of these invaluable exchanges and relationships. it is all at once achallenge, a learning experience and a human adventure.”30

31

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

taking responsibility for your present and future life

Olimpia Copăcenaru (age:22)
Master’s Student: (Master of Geographic Information
Systems) University of Bucharest – Faculty of Geography.
eTwinning project: “The Place We Live In” (2006-08).
Date of project involved in: Nov. 2006 – Oct. 2008.
Teacher: Irina Vasilescu.
School: Lower Secondary School no. 92, Romania.
Countries: Spain, Poland, France, Italy, Romania.

eTwinning today – open doors tomorrow
Introduction:
Our project’s main goals were exploring the natural and cultural heritage ofthe towns or provinces we came from, promoting them through electronic andtraditional tourist guides, pictures, publicity spots, a multilingual dictionaryof essential communicative phrases, an online magazine, and highlighting thesimilarities and differences regarding each country’s traditions. Our school wasamong the first ones in Bucharest which tried this method of informal learning.
Being in the first group of pupils from my school to go on an exchange and also
the youngest of them all, it was not clear for me what to expect and before
going to Spain most of things I knew about eTwinning were theoretical, but
soon things changed as I got more and more involved.
Benefit of being involved in eTwinning:
Looking back, I now realize how taking part in eTwinning allowed me toimprove my personality by gaining self-confidence, responsibility and also
flexibility when adapting to new conditions. Each experience was different
and each visit brought something new and challenging for me, as every time I
returned at home more independent and positive. Although at first I was rather
shy, collaborating with people from different parts of Europe improved mysocial skills and made me understand how intercultural situations can have an
impact on partnership and team work.

32“Getting involved with eTwinning means responsibility towards
your present and future life as you get you a new vision of theworld. There are no disadvantages and you will remember thetime spent in those projects for the rest of your life.”
How you have used your experience:
Being involved in eTwinning has had an enormous impact for me. First of all,eTwinning transforms both teaching and learning methods as it turns teachersand pupils into powerful and responsible European citizens. Since the project, I
have been involved in many NGOs regarding the protection of the environment
or promoting local tourist attractions or cultural heritage, thus being part of thedecision-making process at a local scale. When it comes to language, besides
the fact that I really improved my English knowledge and especially my oral skills,
overcoming previous difficulties and gaining greater self-confidence, my visit to
Spain and the fact that I stayed in touch with my exchange partner, helped
me in my decision to learn Spanish language. Nowadays, I can realize how
lucky I have been, as in 2016 I will be involved in a half-year Erasmus+ mobility
at the University of Cordoba, where all the courses will be taught in Spanish.
Moreover, all the articles I wrote for the project helped me improve both my IT
and journalism skills, which were later used in my projects at University.
Advice to others to get involved:
Getting involved with eTwinning means responsibility towards your present andfuture life as you get you a new vision of the world. There are no disadvantages
and you will remember the time spent in those projects for the rest of your life.
Summing up eTwinning:
Being involved in eTwinning is great as it broadens your horizons, it provides
unforgettable memories and opens new doors for your future personal
development.

33

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTERAs well as growing as a person, eTwinning gives students
and their teachers, the opportunity to enhance and develop
new skills and competences. For more information on how
eTwinning supports the development of 21st century skills
and competences, please refer to the 2014 eTwinning book
“Developing pupil competences through eTwinning.”
We have already seen reference to new skills andcompetences in the student testimonials featured in theprevious chapters. In this chapter, we highlight somespecific examples of how useful these new skills have
proved valuable to both students and teachers, as they
have moved forward in their lives and careers

Leadership skills invaluable for work

Margarida Gonçalves Fonseca (age:25)
Kindergarten Teacher
eTwinning project: “ClimaSOS” (2007-2009).
Teacher: Teresa Lacerda.
School: Escola Secundário da Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal.
Countries: Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain and
Sweden.

“Throughout the project development, there were many skills developed, highlighting,in my view, communication skills, collaboration, leadership and responsibility.
Thanks to the tasks we had to do, we were exposed to completely different audiences, in formal settings, which forced us to use formal language and in the case of
Sweden, a different language.

DEVELOPING NEW SKILLS
34

As there were four people working for the same purpose, it was necessary forsomeone to take the leading role (in our case, we were two), which defined worktasks and owners. The skills of leadership and sharing the diﬀerent responsibilities
were the skills from this learning process that had the most impact on my work
method.”35

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

Critical thinking skills helping with University

creativity skills useful in so many ways

Federico Gallo (age:22)Doğa KAMUTAY (age:14)

Student: University of Udine.
eTwinning project: Pek, the Traveller Flea” (2011-12).
Teacher: Alessandra Pallavicini.
School: I.S.I.S. Galileo Galilei, Italy.
Countries: Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Czech Republic,
Bulgaria, Turkey.

Student: İzmir Kız Lisesi.
eTwinning project: “All equal, all different, all European
taking eco-friendly actions” (2014-15).
Teacher: Ceren TEZEL KELEŞ.
School: Escola Secundário da Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal.
Countries: PT, BE, PO, IT, FI, RO, HR, LT, TR.

“Being involved in this project increased my creativity and innovation, and also helped mewith problem solving and critical thinking, and this last thing is very important for myuniversity studies!
I used the experience of being involved in one eTwinning project for my studies, because
it represented the opportunity to improve my English, and also it helped me with thecapacity to co-working with other people
eTwinning is great because you can confront yourself - challenging your ideas and yourassumptions with people from other parts of the world.”

This project was very important for me in terms of my creativity. I worked with Animato, Glogster, Voki,
Prezi for my presentations. I’ve learnt a lot of web tools that I’ve never heard before. I made live conversations with my foreign friends using Skype and Viber.
At school, I introduced our Project and I gave information about eTwinning to the whole school members
both for the teachers and the students. And now my teacher is making an interview with me about myeTwinning experience. After my university education I want to go abroad for my doctor’s degree. So thisProject’s helped me improve my English and make a lot of friends from 9 different countries.”

Technical and presentation skills useful in
University projects

Confidence in public speaking proving soimportant in study and work

Szymon Czerniawski (age:21)

Gil Fernandes de Sousa (age:25)

Student: Uniwersytet Medyczny im. Piastów Śląskich we
Wrocławiu.
eTwinning project: “Enjoy your Meals and Festivals” (06-08).
Teacher: Anna Szczepaniak.
School: Szkoła Podstawowa nr 9 im. Mikołaja Kopernika,
Dzierżoniów, Poland.
Countries: Poland, Portugal, Italy and UK.

Football Coach, FC Tirsense.
eTwinning project: “ClimaSOS” (2007 to 2009).
Teacher: Teresa Lacerda.
School: Escola Secundário da Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal.
Countries: Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden.

“Thanks to our project I found out how to make multimedia presentations of different
types in a proper way. I also learnt the culture and customs of other European countries
and I have become more open to meeting people from different parts of Europe
Participation in an eTwinning project helped me without a doubt to overcome language
barrier in speaking with students and adults. During my participation in a student
exchange in Portugal I learnt faster and easier to get to know other people. It is thanks
to eTwinning project that now at university I do not have any problems with making
advanced multimedia presentations.
Take part in eTwinning projects, because it develops your personality and skills that will
help you in your future life.”

36“In the project, I created a lot of posters to hang on our school board. I made telephone conversations with
my friends from the other countries. I created my own avatar using Voki tool. I prepared a short video tointroduce my city.

“I have been involved in the EEE project for the past 12 years, first as a student at the Lycee de Sevres and subsequently while a student at Oxford University and in legal practice in London. I have attended and participatedin numerous conferences on various philosophical or European subjects, either in person or by videoconference.
The project has provided me with invaluable opportunities to speak publicly in front of a large international
audience, from an early stage, in relation to topics about which I care deeply. For example, in 2005, I was invited
to share some brief thoughts on the idea of European conscience. More recently, in 2013, I gave a lecture on law
and morality by videoconference to an audience across Europe (which has since been posted on Dailymotion
and viewed hundreds of times).
The project has allowed me to remain connected with a community of people with whom I share a passion for
Europe and philosophical thinking. It has meant that I have continued to reflect on those subjects and gain
exposure to a much wider variety of perspectives than I would otherwise have been subject to over the courseof my studies and professional career so far.”37

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

Communication, language and collaboration skills

Ria Bisba (age:21)

Chemistry Student, University of Ioannina.
eTwinning project: “SOHO: Sunspots Online, Helios Observatory” (2010-11).
Teachers: Eleni Kostopoulou, Miltiadis Leontakis.
School: 5th Lyceum of Veria, Greece.
Countries: France, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, Poland, Turkey.
“Being involved in this project was a great experience. Not only for the things we learned, as
students, such as the sun and sunspots, astronomy generally, but also for the conversations we,the students, had during the implementation of the project. We came closer to each other and
we found out common things interesting and fascinating to us.
The next year of the project I started my studies at university. My experience in eTwinning hashelped me to have a better relationship and cooperation with my university mates during thechemistry lab projects. Also, I was familiar to ICT so I could use them in my new projects topresent my work in a pleasant way.Don’t be afraid to risk to do things different and get involved in
eTwinning projects because you will get a lot of benefits which will be realized later in their future
life and career.”

Natália Patrícia Ribeiro Vieira (age:24)

Nurse, Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Póvoa de Lanhoso.
eTwinning project: “ClimaSOS” (2007-09).
Teacher: Teresa Lacerda.
School: Escola Secundário da Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal.
Countries: Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

“Being involved in eTwinning gives you the ability to communicate in another language; to socialize
with people from other countries and where everyone has a common goal
This project helped me to develop many skills such as the creativity and communication. It also
opens doors to other projects, it makes us more useful and more prepared for working life.”

Martina Karaková (age:20)

Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava.
eTwinning project: “Wir spielen Schauspieler“ (2008-09).
Teacher: Mgr. Silvia Malegová.
School: : Základná škola, Ulica. P. Dobšinského, 746/5, Slovakia.
Countries: Slovakia, Poland and Greece.
“eTwinning helped me to improve my language skills and not to be afraid to speak to foreign students.
It taught me how to respect different opinions and get on well with mates who I got to know. The
most important thing is that I found out the language, the culture and the distance wasn’t a barrier
to make friends and learn something new.
Since eTwinning projects I have improved my knowledge of German and English. I regularly read
German newspapers and magazines or watch German TV programmes. Thanks to that I am notafraid of communication with foreigners. I believe that I won’t hesitate to join the interesting projects or Erasmus+ at university.
I think eTwinning supports idea of the European Union: ”United in diversity.” And advice for future
participants: Try it, you won’t regret it”

38

day to day useful skills such as project management

Zuzana Adámyová (age:28)
Project Manager, AT&T Slovakia.
eTwinning project: “Human Rights” ( 2005).
Teacher: Zuzana Mészárosová.
School: Obchodná akademia Levice, Slovakia.
Countries: Slovakia – Austria.

“The program not only allowed me to meet new people and improve
my English, it also taught me to deliver the ideas to group of complete
strangers. I learned to respect different opinions without feeling theneed to argue every single point. Now, I work as a project manager for
an American company where I use most of my experience on day-to-day
basis: managing the team of people, assigning various tasks, mentoring,training, leading the calls…….these are all areas where I apply the experience I learned in eTwinning.”
What can eTwinning teach you:
Introduction: I was a part of eTwinning program during my secondary school. We organized and took part in various activities in Human Rights. Work on project gave me not
only new and deep knowledge about human rights but also I was given the opportunity
to manage my classmates involved in the project and very close contact with project
partners from Austria.
Benefit of being involved in eTwinning: The program not only allowed me to meet
new people and improve my English, it also taught me to deliver the ideas to group ofcomplete strangers. I learned to respect different opinions without feeling the need toargue every single point.
How you have used your experience: After I finished my A levels I decided to carry on
and widen my horizons in completing my master degree in International relations anddiplomacy. At present I work as a project manager for American company where I use
most of my experience on day-to-day basis: managing the team of people, assigningvarious tasks, mentoring, training, leading the calls…….these are all areas where I
apply the experience I learned in eTwinning.
Advice to others to get involved: My advice to students would definitely be: BE ACTIVE!
If you have an amazing teacher like I had who is willing to go “above & beyond” to show
you and teach you more than school standards propose, appreciate the opportunity andthe best out of it.

39

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

and for the teachers, eTwinning has similarly helped
them develop their technical and collaborative skills.

Juan F. Peñas Viso

Eleni Kostopoulou

Primary Teacher – Spanish, Maths and Art.
School: CPEIP “San Babil” – Ablitas.
eTwinning member since 2005. Number of eTwinning
projects since start: 12 (c200 students).

English Teacher.
School: 5th Lyceum of Veria, Greece.
eTwinning member since start. Number of eTwinning
projects since start: 20 (over 150 students).

“I have learned to change my teaching style using less books and more creativity and collaborative work using ITC and web 2.0 tools.”“eTwinning is a real pedagogical joy!”

Palmira Ronchi

Marina Marino

Mathematics and Computer Science Teacher
School: IISS Vivante-Pitagora BARI - Italy.
eTwinning member since 2005. Number of eTwinning
projects since start: 14 (c500 students).

French teacher.
School: Liceo F. Cecioni, Italy.
eTwinning member since 2006. Number of eTwinning
projects since start: 20 (c1,000 students).

“the possibility to exchange teaching ideas and techniques with other European teachers ofmany subjects changed my approach to the use of I.C.T. tools.”“I have, in brief, taken on the role of facilitator, organizing spaces differently, proposing
common themes and issues in which pupils set their own individual path, working in pairs, orin groups to then share with their peers and teachers.
We have chosen to use ICT to work creatively, at a distance (but distance makes us closer)
and creating a true “virtual class”, an environment in which we can live our “pedagogicaldream”.

Rossana Maglia
Modern Foreign Languages Teacher
School: Liceo delle Scienze Umane ed EconomicoSociale “S. Anguissola.
Twinning member since 2005. Number of eTwinning
projects since start: 12 (c300 students).
“eTwinning…. has affected positively the attitude my students have on studying, because they
are more creative, they can use the language in a real environment and they can learn without
getting bored.”40

Enthusiasm performs pedagogical miracles! Many pupils have changed their lives thanks
to this experience: many now study abroad; others are looking for a job precisely in thosecountries, in those towns they had got acquainted with through eTwinning projects. Many
have still close relationships with the “foreign” pupils but “class mates” with whom they haveshared study and enthusiasm.
eTwinning has changed their lives, it has made them more “open minded” citizens of theworld. eTwinning has changed me, both professionally and as a human being: I am no longer
able to teach as I did before; each class of mine has an eTwinning project each year andeTwinning is my methodology and my curricular planning. I am now more open as a personand stronger; I work with the same joy with which I live because I have seen and I see thatto believe in ideas it is not only possible but also necessary in a world which is increasingly
more fraught and difficult.”

41

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTERIn this last chapter, we hear from students who have been
influenced in their future study and career choices by theireTwinning experience. Similar to the previous chapters,
the richness of their experience comes through in their fulltestimonies. We highlight specific examples from students
inspired by their projects in the choice and location of their
future direction. We finish, appropriately, with the minicase from Morgane, to show this richness and from that,the inspiration to become a teacher!

inspired to study languages

Riccardo Santini (age:24)
Sales Advisor, H&M. Hennes and Mauritz SAS, Master’s
Degree in Science of Language (Didactics of Modern
Languages) at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
eTwinning project: “Planète @dos” (2005-2010).
Teacher: Marina Marino.
School: Liceo F. Cecioni, Italy.
Countries: France, Austria, Belgium, Germany.
“I discovered a new world made by different cultures and points of view. Thanks
to this experience I learned the real meaning of relativity and that diversity is a
resource for our society. I also increased my fascination for French culture, literature and language, for linguistics and for translation.

INFLUENCING FUTURE
DIRECTION
42

I improved my French skills till I reached the C2 level. Thanks to that I have been
accepted to the Advanced School of Modern Languages for Interpreters andTranslators of the University of Trieste and I decided to take part to the Erasmus
project in Paris during the academic year 2011-2012. Once I achieved the Bachelor’s degree, I started studying Didactics of Modern Languages at Ca’ Foscari
University of Venice where I wrote my thesis entirely in French.”43

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

Cecilia Cicchetti (age:15)

Angelarita De Marzo (age:28)

Student.
eTwinning project: “Friendship-Amicizia” (2007-2010).
Teacher: Paola Arduini.
School: Elementary School Iqbal Masih, Italy.
Countries: Italy and UK.

Software Developer, Applicazioni di ingegneria ed
informatica srl.
eTwinning project: “Crop Circles Challenge” (2005-06)
Teacher: Palmira Ronchit.
School: ITC VIVANTE BARI, Italy.
Countries: Italy, Belgium, Greece.

“The eTwinning experience totally influenced my life: thanks to that project I love studying
and speaking English, I love watching films in English and reading books in English

In our eTwinning project we had a challenge with a Belgium and a Greek class based onmath and creativity. We reproduced crop circles forms using a very interesting open
source software called GeoGebra and added them colours.

This experience helped me to start getting English certifications (this year I got the FCE
and next year I’ll try to pass the CAE exam). The eTwinning project also allowed me tocommunicate with many people in different situations, giving me the confidence to speakin English and to manage everyday experiences using my English.”inspired to study software engineeringand programming

inspired to study philosophy

Edmundas Riskus (age:18)

Elise Comte (age:20)

Student: Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
eTwinning project: various incl. Our Living Environment,
Teddy Bear (2007 onwards).
Teacher: Stasele Riskiene.
School: Kuršėnų Pavenčių mokykla, Lithuania.
Countries: Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia.

Student: Philosophy and German, La Sorbonne, PariseTwinning project: EEE (2011-12).
Teacher: Czeslaw Michalewski.
School: Lycée Jean-Pierre Vernant, Sèvres, France.
Countries: DE, GR, IT, RO, CZ, SK and FR.

“eTwinning was the main source of fun learning activities in my school. Our teachers
were constantly trying to involve us in various projects and we got good memories
and a huge amount of experience from them.
In addition to all social skills I developed, I also learnt a great deal about using
computers and creating different media. I saw enormous opportunities computers
open to people all over the world to communicate, present and exchange. I started
wondering how all this works and that was a start of what I am doing now. I am
studying software engineering in a university and this is a step towards my future.”

44

I started studying programming at high school and I liked this subject and went on to
study it at university. I used the software (Geogebra) while I was studying for my first
university math course: I practiced with “study of function” exercises and then checked
the results comparing my graphs with the ones obtained with the software.”“I was a student in my final year of literature at school and it was my first year taking
philosophy. Being involved in this project through videoconferencing truly exposed
me to this new universe, which turned out to be a lot more vivid and captivating
than if I were directly confronted with the texts, for instance.
This project originated from an initial awakening to the world through philosophy;
there I found a tangible diversity across several planes. In fact, with the conferences,
not only was I interested in several areas (art, games, etc., as well as metaphysics,
death), I also found people with different origins and sensibilities and from different
cultures... All this helped me to understand that philosophy is a part of daily life,
a type of daily reflection that is based on its depth, thanks to a certain spirit ofsubtlety (Pascal) and to the thoroughness that the literature demands from great
philosophers, with whom we were also confronted.”

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CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

inspired to become a teacher

Inspired to study abroad

Morgane Avellaneda (age:22)

Natalia Patkiewicz (age:21)

Master’s Degree in Literature, preparing for a teacher’s diploma.
eTwinning project: Europe Education Ecole (2009-10).
Teacher: Czeslaw Michalewski.
School: Lycée Jean-Pierre Vernant, Sèvres, France.
Countries: Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Czech Republic,
Slovakia and France.

Student, Plymouth University.
eTwinning project: “Tolerance” (2007).
Teacher: Anna Tobiacelli.
School: 1 STO im. Jana Nowaka Jeziorańskiego, Poland.
Countries: Spain and Poland.

“my involvement in this project has boosted my studies, both byproviding a rather unusual experience on a curriculum, and by training
me to speak in front of crowds and cameras.”
Thank you eTwinning!
Introduction: Europe Education Ecole focuses on exchanged knowledge and opinions,through videoconferences. Its first topic is philosophy, but it opens up to other subjects
as well – languages, literature, history, education – and people from different countries
are able to discover other views of the world.

“After 8 years I can’t really recall the detail of what I did on my eTwinning project, but
thanks to it I got a better understanding of other cultures. Also student exchanges werethe eye opening experience that helped me to think more globally.
My experience of being involved with eTwinning definitely had a major impact on mystudy choices and helped me secure a place at a British University. I also managed tosuccessfully gain a job as a Student Ambassador which requires contact with international students. The programme also helped me to be more open-minded person which
was invaluable asset when moving to live in a different country as I was prepared for acultural shock.”

Benefit of being involved in eTwinning: Throughout watching these lectures anddiscussions, asking questions, and later on participating as a lecturer, I have learnt alot: from an academic perspective, but also more widely. Mainly, it has improved mycapacity to critical thinking, and my confidence and ability to speak in public; while
opening myself up to the world.
How you have used your experience: My first experience with the project was in 2007.
I have then had the opportunity to be more and more involved, especially as a student
in 2009-2010, but also since then: the experience of this project has, first and foremost,allowed me to stay involved. On that account, having the chance of proposing a lecture –together with a former teacher of mine – is probably the most remarkable example. The
E.E.E. project has also inspired me to become a teacher, and to enable my students
to participate in such projects – seeing as I consider them extremely enriching. Finally,in the shorter term, my involvement in this project has boosted my studies, both byproviding a rather unusual experience on a curriculum, and by training me to speak infront of crowds and cameras.
Advice to others to get involved: To me, an eTwinning project is a great opportunityand I say: if you have a chance to get involved, do! It changes your vision of the world,
your approach of knowledge. It will increase your curiosity of others, and I think it’s anopportunity that you shouldn’t miss.
Summing up eTwinning: Being involved in eTwinning is great because it’s both about
YOU and about knowing the rest of the WORLD.

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47

e T W I N N I N G G E N E R AT I O N P O W E R

eTWINNING

Conclusion

About eTwinning

So our book comes to an end, but not so the story of eTwinning.
These young people will have a mark to make on the emerging
future of Europe. The future Europe will need the capacity ofthese young people to maintain the culture of understanding
and tolerance, to continue to value the diversity of language andculture; to teach their children that a peaceful continent whose
citizens have the right to freedom of many types, freedom towork, to travel, to be cared for is an ideal worth striving for andpreserving.
eTwinning will continue to support the vision of Europe, willcontinue to support all of you who believe that collaborative
project work brings out the best in you as educators, the bestin your pupils, your school and your society. The eTwinning
Community will continue to expand and provide the means forteachers and pupils to work together, learn together and build avision of the future together.

eTwinning – The Community for schools in Europe – is a vibrant communityof teachers from all over Europe, where participants can involve themselves inmany activities, from discussions with colleagues, to carrying out projects together, as well as taking the opportunity to become involved in a variety ofprofessional development opportunities both online and face to face. eTwinning
is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme andover the 10 years since its launch more than 330000 people in 145000 schools
have registered.
The heart of eTwinning lies in a sophisticated digital platform accessible atwww.eTwinning.net and available in 28 languages. The public area is open
to everyone and offers browsing visitors a range of information about how to
become involved in eTwinning, explaining the benefits the action offers andproviding inspiration for collaborative project work. Teachers and school staff
can register to gain access to a restricted area called eTwinning Live. This is theindividual teacher’s entry point to the Community: it enables users to find eachother through partner finding tools, to share resources, practice and ideas via
its social networking features and to interact collaboratively in projects with
their pupils and partners through a special tool called the TwinSpace. eTwinning Live also introduces people to the range of professional development activities described above.
eTwinning rewards teachers’ efforts in activities and projects by a system of
Quality Labels for project work and certification for involvement in professional
development.
eTwinning offers a high level of support for its users. In each of participating
countries (currently 36) a National Support Service (NSS) promotes the action,
provides advice and guidance for end users and organises a range of activities
at national level. At European level, eTwinning is coordinated by the Central
Support Service (CSS) managed by European Schoolnet, a consortium of 31 Ministries of Education. This body liaises with the NSS and is responsible for the development of the platform, as well as offering a range of professional development opportunities and other activities such as an annual European Conference
and a Prize Event which awards teachers and students for their involvement inoutstanding projects.

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49

INFOGRAPHIC

INFOGRAPHIC

How much we have grown.
Registered schools:

Registered users:

138,566

67,450301,9442015
2010

125,455

25,719
8,031

2007
2005

38,041

2005

11,186

2007

2010

2015

2015

24,641

European Quality Labels:

2010

2007

15,479

7,524

Project participants:

668

1,921

3,023

2007

2010

2015

2,141
2005
Free Vectors Designed by Freepik.es

50

51

INFOGRAPHIC

INFOGRAPHIC

Where we are now.
Active Projects:

Language used for projects:

Popular Subjects:
Primary and secondaryEN

40,205

52%

FR

11%

DE

8%

FOREIGNLANGUAGES

18%

ICT

8%

ES

6%

IT

4%

PL

3%

ART

SK

2%

CROSS CURRICULAR

7%
6%

EL

1%

GEOGRAPHYHISTORY

5%
5%Participants per project:

Vocational cycles

Higher Education
26%
Pre/primary Education
30%
Secondary Education
44%

8,7%

8,06%

Catering&
Tourism

ICT

5,6%

5,4%

4,4%

4,3%

Business Audiovisual Food
Nutrition&
Industries Science
MarketingFree Vectors Designed by Freepik.es

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53

N S S C O N TA C T S

P R E FAC E

N S S C O N TA C T S

Get help in your language
The National Support Services represent eTwinning in your country. You can contact them directly for support or training via the contact details below.
ALBANIA
Educational Technologies and Statistics Department
Ministry of Education and Sport of Albania
Contact: Ornela Koleka: okoleka@gmail.com
AUSTRIAÖsterreichische Nationalagentur Lebenslanges Lernen(Austrian National Agency for Lifelong Learning)
Contact: Ursula Panuschka: ursula.panuschka@oead.at, Martin Gradl: martin.
gradl@oead.at, Marcela Alzin: marcela.alzin@oead.at
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.at

CZECH REPUBLIC
Dům zahraniční spolupráce – Národní podpůrné středisko pro eTwinning, Národníagentura programu Erasmus+(Centre for International Cooperation in Education - National Support Service for
eTwinning, National agency for Erasmus+)Contact: Barbora Grecnerova, Pavla Sabatkova
Contact email: etwinning@naep.cz
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.cz

BELGIUM (FRENCH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY)
Ministère de la Communauté française
(Ministry of the French-speaking Community)
Contact: Cécile Gouzee: cecile.gouzee@cfwb.be
National eTwinning website: http://www.enseignement.be/etwinning

CYPRUSFoundation for the Management of European Lifelong Learning Programmes
Contact person: Thekla Christodoulidou: tchristodoulidou@llp.org.cy
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.org.cy

BELGIUM (DUTCH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY)
EPOS vzw
Contact: Sara Gilissen: info@etwinning.be
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.be

DENMARKUNI-C(Danish IT Centre for Education and Research)Contact:Claus Bergetwinning@uni-c.dk, Ebbe Schultze etwinning@uni-c.dk
National eTwinning website: http://etwinning.emu.dk

BELGIUM (GERMAN-SPEAKING COMMUNITY)
eTwinning Koordinierungsstelle in der DG
Jugendbüro der DG
Contact: Michèle Pommé: etwinning@jugendbuero.be
National eTwinning website: http://www.jugendbuero.be/unsere-programme/
erasmusplus/etwinning/

ESTONIA
Hariduse Infotehnoloogia Sihtasutus(Information Technology Foundation for Education)
Contact: Elo Allemann: elo.allemann@hitsa.ee
National eTwinning website: http://www.innovatsioonikeskus.ee/et/etwinning-1

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Agencija za predškolsko, osnovno i srednje obrazovanje
Contact:Žaneta Džumhur: zaneta.dzumhur@aposo.gov.ba
National eTwinning website: http://www.aposo.gov.ba
BULGARIA
Център за развитие на човешките ресурси
(Human Resource Development Centre)
Contact:Milena Karaangova: mkaraangova@hrdc.bg
National eTwinning website: http://etwinning.hrdc.bg

54

CROATIA
Agencija za mobilnost i programe Europske unije(Agency for mobility and EU programmes)
Contact: Tea Režek: etwinning@mobilnost.hr
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.hr/

FINLAND
Opetushallitus(National Board of Education)
Contact: Yrjö Hyötyniemi: yrjo.hyotyniemi@oph.fi
National eTwinning websites: http://www.edu.fi/etwinning www.edu.fi/etwinning/svenska (Swedish)
FRANCE
Scérén-Cndp
Bureau d’assistance national français (BAN)
Contact:Marie-Christine Clément-Bonhomme: contact@etwinning.fr
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.fr

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N S S C O N TA C T S

FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Национална агенција за европски образовни програми и мобилност
(National Agency for European Educational Programmes and Mobility)
Contact: Dejan Zlatkovski: dejan.zlatkovski@na.org.mk
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.mk

LIECHTENSTEIN
Agentur für Internationale Bildungsangelegenheiten (AIBA)
Tel: +423 236 7222
Contact: clarissa-aiba@llv.li, info-aiba@llv.li
National eTwinning website: http://www.erasmusplus.li, http://www.aiba.llv.li

GERMANY
Pädagogischer Austauschdienst des Sekretariats der Kultusministerkonferenz
Contact: Ellen Kammertöns: etwinning@kmk.org
Hotline: 0800- 3 89 46 64 64
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.de

LITHUANIAŠvietimo mainų paramos fondas / Nacionalinė agentūra, atsakinga už Erasmus+(Education Exchanges Support Foundation / National agency for Erasmus+)Contact: Violeta Čiuplytė: violeta.ciuplyte@smpf.lt
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.lt

GREECE
CTI “Diophantus” Computer technology institute & pressΙνστιτούτο Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών και Εκδόσεων (ΙΤΥE - ΔΙΟΦΑΝΤΟΣ)Contact: eTwinning@sch.gr
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.gr
Phone number (only from Greece): 801 11 38946

LUXEMBOURGANEFORE asbl - Agence Nationale pour le programme européen d’éducation etde formation tout au long de la vie
Contact: Sacha Dublin: sacha.dublin@anefore.lu
National eTwinning website: http://www.eTwinning.lu

HUNGARY
Educatio Társadalmi Szolgáltató Nonprofit Kft. - Digitális Pedagógia Osztály(Educatio Public Services Non-profit LLC - Digital Education Department)
Contact: etwinning@educatio.hu
National eTwinning website: www.etwinning.hu
ICELAND
Rannis - Icelandic Centre for ResearchContact: Guðmundur Ingi Markússon: gim@rannis.is
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.is
IRELAND
Léargas, The Exchange Bureau
Contact: Marie Heraughty: koregan@leargas.ie
National eTwinning website: www.etwinning.ie
ITALY
INDIRE - Istituto Nazionale di Documentazione, Innovazione e Ricerca Educativa(National Institute of Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research)Contact: etwinning@indire.it
Helpdesk: etwinning.helpdesk@indire.it
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.it
LATVIA
Valsts aģentūra “Jaunatnes starptautisko programmu aģentūra”(Agency for International Program for Youth)
Contact: Santa Prancane: santa.prancane@jaunatne.gov.lv, info@etwinning.lv
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.lv

56

N S S C O N TA C T S

MALTA
Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education
Department of eLearning
Contact: Amanda Debattista, Jacqueline Frendo: etwinning@ilearn.edu.mt
National eTwinning website: http://etwinning.skola.edu.mt
NETHERLANDS
EP-Nuffic
Contact: Marjolein Mennes: mmennes@epnuffic.nl,etwinning@epnuffic.nl
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.nl+31 (0)70- 426 02 60
NORWAY
Senter for IKT i Utdanningen(Norwegian Centre for ICT in Education)
Contact: Lisbeth Knutsdatter Gregersen: lisbeth.gregersen@iktsenteret.no
National eTwinning website: http://iktsenteret.no/prosjekter/etwinning
POLANDFoundation for the Development of the Education System
Contact: Barbara Milewska: barbara.milewska@frse.org.pl, etwinning@frse.org.pl
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.pl
PORTUGAL
Direção-Geral da Educação – Ministério da Educação e Ciência
(Directorate-General for Education – Ministry of Education and Science)
Equipa de Recursos e Tecnologias (ERTE)(Resources and Educational Technologies Team)
Contact: eTwinning@dge.mec.pt
National eTwinning website: http://etwinning.dge.mec.pt/

57

N S S C O N TA C T S

ROMANIA
Institutul de Stiinte ale Educatiei(Institute for Education Sciences)
Contact: Simona Velea echipa@etwinning.ro
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.ro
SERBIA
Foundation Tempus
Contact: etwinning@tempus.ac.rs
National eTwinning website: http://erasmusplus.rs/
SLOVAKIA
University of Zilina
Contact: Lubica Sokolikova, Gabriela Podolanova: lubica.sokolikova@uniza.sk
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.sk
SLOVENIA
Center RS za mobilnost in evropske programe izobraževanja in usposabljanja CMEPIUS(Centre of the Republic of Slovenia for Mobility and Educational Training Programmes)
Contact: Maja Abramič: maja.abramic@cmepius.si
National eTwinning website: http://www.cmepius.si/etwinning.aspx
SPAIN
Instituto Nacional de Tecnologías Educativas y de Formación del Profesorado
Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte(Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports)
Contact: Carlos J. Medina: asistencia@etwinning.es
National eTwinning website: http://www.etwinning.es
SWEDEN
Universitets- och högskolerådet.
(The Swedish Council for Higher Education)
Contact: Jenny Nordqvist: jenny.nordqvist@uhr.se
National eTwinning website: http://www.utbyten.se
TURKEYMEB Yenilik ve Eğitim Teknolojileri Genel Müdürlüğü
(Ministry of National Education: General Directorate of Innovation and Educational Technologies)
Contact: Mehmet Fatih DÖĞER: mfatihdoger@hotmail.com
National eTwinning website: http://etwinning.meb.gov.tr
UNITED KINGDOM
British Council
Contact: eTwinning Team: etwinning@britishcouncil.org
National eTwinning website: http://www.britishcouncil.org/etwinning58