1. ETWINNING A GUIDE FOR LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS

2. OPTIONAL SLIDE
WHAT IS ETWINNING?
ANIMATIO N (2 MINUTES)

3. WHAT IS ETWINNING? eTwinning is the community for schools in Europe.
Students can work with classes in over 40 European and neighbouring countries .
Free and secure online network for teachers.
The website allows teachers to start online projects together and expand their knowledge of other countries and cultures.
eTwinning is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union and is managed by the British Council in the UK.
Delivered by a National Support Service in every country (in the UK it is the British Council) and administered by a Central Support Service based in Belgium
Both teachers and students can store and share their work online in this space and pages can be made public or private.
You could invite other teachers in your school to join eTwinning to help widen the international work in your school.
It’s really easy and very flexible -projects can be as long or as short as you like. Teachers meet peers from over 40 countries and can dip their toes in international projects.
National projects are also an option –work with someone in another school in the UK, possibly even a fellow language assistant

4. WHO CAN USE ETWINNING?
Nursery Schools, Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Sixth Forms and Vocational Institutions (Pupils aged 3-19)
To see which countries you can partner with visit and scroll down to the eTwinning map
Countries highlighted in orange are eTwinning countries and countries highlighted in green are eTwinning plus countries.
eTwinning plus refers to European border countries who don’t currently have EU membership.
eTwinning Plus Countries in green: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Tunisia and Ukraine (extends beyond the 33 countries of Erasmus+).
Jordan joined in January 2018.

5. WHY START ETWINNING?
Give your students a real audience for their work and show how key things like and language learning can be applied in the “real world”.
Develop your project management skills.
Enhance your CV for future teaching applications.
Internationally recognised platform that allows you to network with teachers all over Europe.
Improve lessons and keep students motivated and engaged. Add international dimension, make learning relevant to “the real world”
Well known platform, so experience of using it would be a great addition to any Teacher’s CV. If you decide to go into teaching or are already a fully qualified teacher this is something you could bring to any future schools you work in. Setting up your own projects now will also show that you are able to take the initiative.
Develop project management skills
Support you in delivering the curriculum
Real world application of key things like ICT, language learning - gives students a real audience for their work

6. OPTIONAL SLIDE
SOME RESEARCH from British council. EUROPEAN SCHOOLNET AND Cambridge research stats the impact of eTwinning projects
Students:
Increased motivation, as students have an audience for their work.
Literacy and communication skills increase as students collaborate with students from other countries.
Teachers:
Professional development opportunities are vast – they can take place online or on 2-3 workshops in a different countries.
Teachers up-skill, using new tools and learning from their colleagues in over 40 countries across Europe and further afield.
Schools:
Lots of accreditation opportunities, including a foundation level International School Award as soon as you register an eTwinning project.
You can use the platform to find partners interested in starting a funded Erasmus+ project – and use the free online eTwinning project space to upload and share your project work.

7. MORE REASONS TO START ETWINNING
Schools can benefit from global and local networks by connecting with institutions and peers globally.
Teachers can benefit from a range of professional development opportunities.
eTwinning can facilitate planned or ongoing Erasmus+ partnerships at your school.
eTwinning can be used to help deliver the curriculum and can help schools gain recognition through the International School Award and the eTwinning School Award.
If your school chooses to take this on as a result of your activity they can benefit by sharing best practice across an international, education-focused network
Range of conferences and professional development workshops held across Europe which are completely free to attend. For example last year eTwinning UK sent teachers to workshops in Greece, Malta, France and Spain – in 2018 we will be sending to teachers to as far afield as Armenia, even Martinique
If your school is already involved in an Erasmus+ partnership eTwinning is great tool for supporting this. It can be used before any trips to allow classes to speak to each other in advance. (SEE NEXT SLIDE ETWINNING JOURNEY)

8. OPTIONAL SLIDE
How the eTwinning platform can support your international journey
So eTwinning can be a stepping stone towards the International School Award (ISA) – once you register an eTwinning project, your school will automatically be awarded with the ISA foundation level.
You can also find eTwinning partners who wish to apply for Erasmus+ mobility funding – which means that your school can then apply for Erasmus+funding

9. 1A. WHAT DO I NEED BEFORE I REGISTER?
Permission from your mentor teacher
Your own school address (if your school does not normally issue Language Assistants with a school address, your mentor teacher will be able to register instead and invite you once a project has been registered.
Check if your school is already registered on eTwinning.
Use the interactive map on the etwinning homepage to search for your school
If you have a school address you should be able to register yourself, but be aware that if you start working at another school in a different country you will need to reregister for eTwinning in that country. If you move schools in the UK you just have to add the new school to your profile.

10. 1B. REGISTERING - WWW.ETWINNING.NET1. 2.
1) Start by visiting the eTwinning Portal at This is the eTwinning homepage. Go to login
To register with eTwinning click on the log in/register button in the top right hand corner of the screen
2) POP UP – GET STARTED
3) button will open a box which will ask you to log in. In order to begin your registration click on the orange “get started” link at the bottom of the log in box
WHICH WILL TAKE YOU TO HERE:
NEXT SLIDE

11. 3. COMPLETE REGISTRATION
1C. REGISTRATION STEPS
2. VERIFY VIA
3. COMPLETE REGISTRATION
1. PRE REGISTRATION
This will open the registration form which either you or a colleague at your school will need to complete

12. 2A. FINDING PROJECT PARTNERS
Once you have completed your registration, you can start searching for partners straight away however to start a project you may have to wait a day or two to be approved (this is all part of our security process). Once you have been approved you will be able to access eTwinning Live. eTwinning live is the home page you will see when you log in to the eTwinning platform and is where you will start, find and join projects.
Once you have found a partner and discussed your project idea with them, you can go ahead and start a project.
The best place to look for project ideas and partners is on the partner forums.

13. 2B. FINDING PROJECT PARTNERS
Partner-Finding forums
After clicking on the partner forums tab you will be shown a list of forums dedicated to different topics and age groups. Depending on what you would like to focus on you can look through these forums until you find a project idea you like, or if you already have an idea select the forum that is the most relevant to your chosen topic.

14. 2C. FINDING PROJECT PARTNERS
After finding a project idea that you think would be suitable for your class (such as the one shown here) you can use the options on the left hand side to reply to the post and express your interest. Remember when you feel more confident with the platform you and/or your teacher can also post your own ideas and wait for another teacher to get back to you instead.
If you are looking to join a project suggested by another teacher (such as the one shown above) you will need to send them a message to express your interest. If at this stage the teacher is happy for you to join their project they will send you a contact request and a project invite (you cannot join a project if you are not a contact of the founder and you cannot invite someone to a project if they are not in your contacts).

15. 3A. CREATING YOUR OWN PROJECT
If you are joining a project the founding teacher will submit the project for you. You will receive a notification once it has gone live. If you decide you want to set up your own project with another teacher you will need to add this teacher as a contact and then create a project under the “Projects” tab.

16. 3B. CREATING YOUR OWN PROJECT
After selecting ‘create a project’, work your way through the four separate areas to submit your project.
After finding a colleague to work with, one of you will create the project and invite them as a partner, then complete the various fields of the project submission. These can be as detailed as you would like them to be.
Your project will then need to be accepted by your partner (much like a contact request). Once your project has been accepted by your partner, it will be sent to the eTwinning administrators in each country to be approved
After you have received approval you will be able to begin your project

17. 4A. CHECK OUT EXAMPLE TWINSPACES
My International Garden - the travelling seed
Primary school kids from across Europe send each other some seeds of a traditional plant/flower which can be found in their country. This comes with a ‘’Plant passport’’ in both English and in the language of the school who sent the seed. All partners to plant the seeds.
Teenagers Talk
Teenagers share information about their way of life, thoughts and ideas for their future and learn about the similarities and differences with partners across Europe.
Once you start a project you will gain access to your “Twinspace”. This is where you will carry out all of your project-related activity, and share resources/work with your partner classes.
See two examples above
There are lots of video case studies about projects you can watch here:

18. 4B. USING THIS READY MADE PROJECT
1) Watch this instructional video
2) Copy this template project
3) Use these free resources
Watch this instructional video recorded by an eTwinning teacher with lots of experience on how to use this ready made project space:
Have a look at the ready-made twinspace, you can copy this to help you get started – add your own ideas etc:
3) Free resources and support When you Sign up to before 31 March 2018, you will be posted homework and passport resources, eSafety webcam Patches and a large map for your class.
Otherwise you can download all of the resources here:
The resources help you to start a short starter project with short tasks specific to each key stage - one to five.  

19. PROJECT IDEAS
Peer to peer aural and written exam preparation with your partner school – useful for your GCSE or A-Level classes.
Set up pen pals for your students.
Make videos about your school life and share it.
Present your class’ favourite sports team.
Discuss your favourite films.
Send cultural heritage themed gifts to your partner school.
Create collaborative projects where schools find a solution to an issue that is common across all participating schools.
More project kits and example projects can all be found

20. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? OPTIONAL SLIDE
Film: Example of an eTwinning project
Who do you think you are - come trace your roots with us. Tendring Technology College, Essex, England.
Overview: Tendring Technology College, England challenges perceptions on migration. This eTwinning project highlights how eTwinning and international collaboration can support migrant integration and inclusion. The project helps to pave the way towards students becoming socially-conscious, globally aware citizens fit for the 21st century, whilst achieving curriculum objectives. The project was the overall winner at the British Council eTwinning UK national awards in June 2016.
This project led to Erasmus+ KA2 funding

21. SUPPORT Videos, step by step Guides and quizzes
Find out more:
Contact us:
Follow
There are lots of videos and step by step guides to help you get started:
The eTwinning team at the British Council can arrange for a free eTwinning workshop to be delivered by a teacher who has lots of experience on eTwinning in your area or at your school.
If you would like face to face support or any other help to get started on eTwinning, please contact:

22. WISHING ALL LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS AN AMAZING ETWINNING JOURNEY!