LANGUAGES

AN ON LINE MAGAZINE CREATING TIES WITH 16 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

1. Project summary

Summary:

THIS PROJECT WAS CREATED AS AN ETWINNING PARTNERSHIP AND IT AIMED GETTING YOUNG PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER EUROPE CONNECTED IN A MONTHLY ONLINE MAGAZINE EDITION. AS A FOUNDING MEMBER AND MENTOR OF THIS PROJECT I INTENDED TO GIVE MY PUPILS A LARGER VIEW OF THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SO THAT, IN THE FUTURE, THEY MAY BE MORE RESPONSIBLE AND FRIENDLIER. I FIRST STARTED WITH ONE PARTNER BUT THE INTEREST IN THIS PROJECT GREW AND WE ARE NOW 16 COUNTRIES SENDING ARTICLES AND PICTURES TO PUT THE MAGAZINE ONLINE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH. MY PARTNERS ARE: SPAIN, ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, IRELAND, ROMANIA, BULGARIA, CYPRUS, GREECE, SLOVENIA, SLOVAKIA, ICELAND, GERMANY, BELGIUM, ITALY AND LITHUANIA.
WE USE THE HTTP://ISSUU.COM SERVER TO PUT THE MAGAZINE ONLINE AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE MAIN POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE PARTNERSHIP AS WE DO NOT HAVE TO PRINT THE MAGAZINE AND SO WE ARE LOOKING AFTER OUR NATURE AND PLANET.
EVERY MONTH THERE WAS A SPECIFIC TOPIC AND ALL THE SCHOOLS WROTE ABOUT IT, BOTH IN THEIR MOTHER LANGUAGES AND IN ENGLISH: IN DECEMBER WE WROTE ABOUT OUR CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS, IN JANUARY WE WROTE ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS, IN FEBRUARY OUR TOWNS, IN MARCH OUR NATIONAL SYMBOLS, IN APRIL WE WROTE ABOUT EASTER, IN MAY OUR PAST PRESENT HEROES, AND IN JUNE WE ARE WRITING ABOUT A NATIONAL TOURISTIC GUIDE.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT ALL THE PUPILS HAVE LEARNT A LOT ABOUT USING ICT IN THEIR LIVES, AS WELL AS RECOGNIZING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NATIVES OF OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ALL HAVE TO SHARE THIS CONTINENT AS UNITED AND RESPONSIBLE.

2. Country (City / Region)

State:

Portugal

City:

TROFA – PORTO

3. Company/organization/institute presenting the project

Organization:

ESCOLA BÁSICA DO CASTRO - TROFA

4. Type of organization

Select type:

School

5. Project coordinator

Name and Surname:

ANTÓNIO SILVA

E-Mail:

silva.antoniom@gmail.com

6. Website

The website of the project:

http://issuu.com/antoniomonteiro

7. Please select the category in which you candidate your project

Youth Education Project. Select Project Users by age:

Up to 15 years

Helping youth step in the job market:

NOT Helping youth step in the job market

Creativity and Social Innovation:

NOT in Creativity and Social Innovation

8. How long has your project been running?

From:

01/11/2008

9. Targets and Elements of Innovation

Please explain the targets and the background of your project:

THE MAIN TARGETS WERE USING ICT AND A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AS TOOLS FOR COMMUNICATION AND GETTING TO KNOW THE TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND WAYS OF LIVING OF OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. WE USED TWO PLATFORMS: THE ETWINNING PORTAL AND ISSUU.

What does it try to achieve and how:

THIS PROJECT AIMS GETTING PEOPLE TOGETHER WITHIN EUROPE BY WRITING ABOUT WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT AND WHAT MAKES US EQUAL IN EUROPE.

Which opportunities/problems does it address to:

WE ARE NOW 27 COUNTRIES IN EUROPE AND THE MAJORITY OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE NOWADAYS DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THOSE WHO LIVE IN THIS CONTINENT. SO, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR PARTNERS AND MAKE FRIENDS THAT MAY LAST FOREVER, BRINGING PEACE TO EUROPE AND TO THE WORLD.

Please explain what is unique or special in your project:

I FIND THIS PROJECT SPECIAL DUE TO THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES THAT WERE WILLING TO TAKE PART IN IT. WE ALSO USE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AS A MEANS OF PROTECTING NATURE. AT THE SAME TIME WE ARE ALL SHARING OUR MOTHER LANGUAGES AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, IN THIS CASE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

10. Results

Describe the results of your project as per today:

WE HAVE PUBLISHED 6 ONlINE MAGAZINES SINCE DECEMBER 2008.

How does it fulfill the users’ needs:

ALL THE ARTICLES SENT TO ME ARE PUBLISHED AND WE FEEL BELONGING TO A GREAT GROUP OF TEACHERS AND PUPILS COMMITED IN CREATING WHAT WE SAID WE WOULD.

How many users interact with your project per month and what are the preferred forms of interaction:

AS I SAID BEFORE THERE ARE 16 TEACHERS FROM 16 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. THE NUMBER OF PUPILS VARIES BUT WE ALL WORK WITH A CLASS EVERY MONTH, SO THE AVERAGE OF PUPILS PER MONTH WILL PROBABLY BE 160.

How has it improved the quality of educational and/or training services:

THIS PROJECT BROUGHT GREATER INTEREST IN LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AS THE PUPILS KNOW THAT WHATEVER THEY WRITE WILL BE READ BY THOUSANDS OF ONLINE READERS IN THE WORLD. AS TEACHERS WE CAN INTEGRATE THIS PROJECT AS A TOOL FOR TEACHING PUPILS HOW TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION AND HOW TO WRITE IT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES.

How has it improved the participation of professionals, children, youth and other stakeholders:

AFTER SOME MONTHS OF HARD WORK WE FEEL OUR PUPILS MUCH MORE MOTIVATED TO LEARNING AND ALSO TO KNOWING FACTS ABOUT EUROPE.

How does it promote the use of ICT for the educational and cultural development by professionals, children and youth:

THIS PROJECT IS BASED ON ICT AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING. IN PORTUGAL MANY TEACHERS WERE NOT USED TO WORKING WITH THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THEY FELT THAT THE PUPILS KNEW MORE THAN THEM. WITH THIS PROJECT THAT FEELING HAS CHANGED AND TEACHERS FEEL NOW MUCH MORE CONFORTBLE IN USING ICT IN THEIR CLASSES. CHILDREN ARE JUST LOVING BEING ABLE TO USING THOSE TOOLS THAT THEY WERE BORN WITH.

Describe how you measure (parameters) these results:

THE USE OF ICT BY TEACHERS – VERY GOOD
THE USE OF ICT BY PUPILS – VERY GOOD
THE USE OF A FOREIGN LANGUAGE – VERY GOOD
THE SEARCH TECHNIQUE – VERY GOOD
COMMITMENT – VERY GOOD
RESULTS – VERY GOOD

11. Sustainability

What is the full duration of your project:

From 1 to 3 years

Is your project economically self sufficient now:

Yes

Insert date:

11/01/2008

12. Transferability

Has your project been replicated/adapted elsewhere:

What lessons can others learn from your project:

I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME LESSONS THAT MAY BE TAKEN FROM THIS PROJECT. FIRST, THAT IT IS WORTH TO TAKE CHANCES; SECOND, THAT WE MUST BE REALLY COMMITED IN TEACHING OUR PUPILS AND NEVER LET THEM DOWN; THIRD, IN ORDER TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE PUPILS NEED TO FEEL THE NEED, AND GETTING THEM IN TOUCH WITH OTHER INHABITANTS THAT DO NOT SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGES IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS.

We are available to help others starting or working on similar projects:

We are available to help others starting or working on similar projects.

13. Background information

Background:

THIS PROJECT WAS STARTED AS ONE MORE PROJECT ON ETWINNING THAT I’VE BEEN DEVELOPING SINCE 2006. I’VE ALWAYS TRIED TO BRING MY PUPILS REAL LIFE SITUATIONS OF USING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND ICT. THERE IS NO NEED OF FUNDING FOR ETWINNING PROJECTS, WE JUST HAVE TO REALLY BE UP TO IT AND KEEP ON WORKING. THE TEAM OF PARTNER SCHOOLS WAS A BIT DIFFICULT TO GET TOGETHER AS I WANTED MANY COUNTRIES TO BE ON THE PROJECT. AFTER TWO MONTHS OF HARD WORK I BROUGHT TOGETHER THESE

Barriers:

THERE WERE NO GREAT BARRIERS. I ONLY WISHED I COULD GET MORE PARTNERS.

Solutions:

I SENT MORE THAN 100 MESSAGES TO ALL THE POSSIBLE PARTNERS AND SELECTED THEM AS THEY ANSWERED ME.

Future plans and wish list:

THERE IS MUCH TO DO TO MAKE US FEEL EUROPEANS, TO BREAK BARRIERS AND TO BE TOLLERANT TO OTHERS. I WOULD LIKE THIS PROJECT TO CONTINUE AND DEVELOP AND THAT WE COULD NOW CREATE FRIENDSHIPS AND EXAMPLES OF TOLLERANCE AMONGST EVERYBODY.

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