7 SECRETS FOR A SUCCESSFUL

ETWINNING PROJECT

(FOR NEW ETWINNERS)

1Theodora Gkeniou

1. TAKE YOUR TIME!

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“And now what?”

As soon as you register in the e-twinning platform you

wonder what your next steps will be. .

How can I start a new project?

How can I find partners? And so on and so forth..

Well you shouldn’t get nervous over launching a new

project from the very first moment! Wait and observe first!

Join groups suggested in the platform, check regularly the

forums and wait until the right opportunity arises for you!

Gradually you will find out how the platform works, what

topics are the most popular etc.

Also each year there are actions organized centrally to

assist new e-twinners. Look out for them!

So don’t rush..Be patient and get accustomed to the e-

twinning conventions.

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2.CHOOSE YOUR PARTNERS

CAREFULLY

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The most important factor in organizing a successful project (as well as in real life) is the

people you work with. However, good chemistry is often hard to find!

There are projects consisting of only two partners and others consisting of many !

Both cases can be tricky! If you are involved in a bilateral cooperation you should be

certain that your partner is a person you can trust and that you have the same goals and

aspirations. Otherwise you have no-one to turn to if something goes wrong.

On the other hand in overcrowded projects, work is done mostly by a few partners and

the others are not really active, so it doesn’t really matter if you have them in your team!

So how do you find the other half?

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Again take your time! Attend online e-twinning

seminars, search the e-twinning platform, join

groups, make friends, join projects as members

to see how things work and how other people

work, make new acquaintances and form

alliances for prospective projects.

It is advisable that as a newcomer you participate

in projects led by more experienced partners so

that you pick up the know-how. Later on you can

come up with your own original ideas and be

experienced enough to lead your project!

3. KEEP COMMUNICATION

FLOWING

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Experienced e-twinners know that success and failure are separated by a

thin red line! It all depends on the kind of communication you have

established with your partners.

As in all kinds of teamwork (face-to-face or virtual) the key is cooperation

among partners. E-projects are even harder because you have to deal with

people you’ve never met before with whom you have to produce a decent

result. No matter whether you have one or twenty partners, teamwork is

vital.

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So build good rapport with your partners! Arrange

regular meeting (eg once a month) to talk about anything

that concerns you relating to the project or have a nice

chat with partners who can become friends!

Clear roles in the team are also necessary. Are you the

coordinator or just a participant?

Don’t forget! Large groups of participants are difficult to

manage!

Relying only one partner may be risky if you work

together for the first time

Always encourage communication among students!

Organise chat sessions, this is what children are mostly

interested in!

4. BE CULTURALLY

SENSITIVE

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Never forget the cultural differences and try to be sensitive!

Don’t forget that schools all over Europe have different

•Educational systems

•Times of exams

•Priorities

•Holidays

•Interests-Orientations

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5. CHOOSE AN ORIGINAL

TOPIC

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Most etwinning projects include some kind of introducing ourselves to

others (our hometowns, schools, favourite music, postcards etc). To make

a difference you have to come up with a theme that is original, interesting,

and interdisciplinary. The main concept is as important as its

implementation.

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6. KEEP IMPROVING YOUR

ICT SKILLS

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A Good command of ICT is essential!

E-twinning projects are created with the use of technology. It goes without

saying that you should be able to use the tools efficiently. However most

teachers have a limited range of tools that they use (eg power point

presentations) continuously thus getting their students bored.

A well designed end product can be the key to success. Here there is a list

of WEB 2.0 tools you can use to broaden your repertoire!

http://www.goedonline.com/101-web-tools-for-teachers

Moreover it is advisable to export your project in a page easily accessible

by anyone interested. The e-twinning platform is not such a page, since

you need to have passwords and usernames to access it. Wikis, blogs etc

are more appropriate to publish your work. This is a prerequisite if you

wish to apply for national and european labels and awards!

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7. KEEP IMPROVING YOUR

LANGUAGE SKILLS

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Needless to say that you need to have a good mastery of at least one

language broadly spoken, such as English, and preferably of others as well,

eg French, Spanish, German etc, besides you native language.

This does not entail that only language teachers can undertake such

projects, but it does explain the reason why such a great percentage of

them do.

Also we should keep in mind that most communication is in written form,

so don’t forget the Netiquette rules

http://www.education.com/reference/article/netiquette-rules-behavior-

internet/

and principles of writing according to different genres (eg. Email, blog

post etc).

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