What eTwinners say:
34
I heard about eTwinning during a regional conference in Katowice, to which I was sent by the director of our preschool. The director thought it was an interesting initiative and just right for someone like me who combined the willingness to carry out non-standard activities with linguistic skills and who could do that as part of the traineeship for the next grade as a teacher. It was 2006 and eTwinning was fledgling, but that was it for me. I heard about international projects that were open even to pre-schoolers, about simple registration procedures, about freedom of the selection of topics for the projects and of planning activities with project partners. This freedom of choice and action was adequate incentive to me. What is more, during the conference break I was offered the tastiest cake ever (please forgive me Grandma!). I just thought that the whole eTwinning was worth tasting! So this is how it started. From one cake to another – or rather from a conference to workshop – over the past nine years I have got strong liking for eTwinning and I hope I will savour it until retirement. I no longer like it for delicacies, but for its unique character, as it stimulates creativity and teamwork (between partners, pupils, parents…). It opens you up to other cultures and lets you spread your wings. It shows how to teach in a modern
way and it is conducive for making friends. I could go on and on like that. I should thank those who sent me to the conference, those who told me about eTwinning and definitely those who made that delicious cake. Anna Krzyżanowska, Przedszkole nr 48 z Oddziałami Integracyjnymi, Zabrze
In January 2007, I took an online course entitled “How to get involved in eTwinning?” Our task as part of Module 5 was to establish contact with another teacher, preferably from abroad. Two teachers responded to my post on the eTwinning forum; one from Italy and one from Norway. Both were interested in starting cooperation in the next school year. Enrica (from Italy) had already had some eTwinning experience and was my guide on TwinSpace. Our project had several stages, and we started to use new tools with new groups. I taught Enrica (via the Internet) how to create a glog and she trained me in using Prezi. We have been awarded a European Quality Label for our project. Cooperation with Linda (Norway) continues to this day. We have implemented one eTwinning and two STF (Scholarship and Training Fund) projects, which involved student exchanges. We use eTwinning as a communication platform in our projects. Joanna Stefańska, Gimnazjum nr 18, Wrocławskie Centrum Doskonalenia Nauczycieli, Wrocław