Professional development on eTwinning.pptx
MARCH 2020: eTwinning groups
More information on: https://live.etwinning.net/support?section=groups
What is an eTwinning Group?
eTwinning Groups are virtual places where eTwinners meet, discuss and share about specific subjects, topics or other areas of interest.
What is not an eTwinning Group? It is not a tool to communicate with your project partners (use the TwinSpace for that) nor a partner finding forum. Submissions for these or similar purposes will be rejected.
How can I join an eTwinning Group?
From the “Groups” section in eTwinning search for a Group you may be interested in. Once you find it, just go to the Group’s homepage and click on the “Join Group” button that appears on the top right corner. If the group is private the administrator will decide if you can be a member: in case you are accepted you will receive the invitation to the group in your eTwinning Live notifications.
What are the eTwinning Featured Groups?
These Groups are sponsored by the Central Support Service and run by an experienced eTwinner or by an expert. You can find them in the Groups’ homepage on eTwinning Live (left column). The topics vary from languages teaching and Entrepreneurship in education to STEM or Inclusive Education. eTwinning Featured Groups are open to anyone who is interested in the topic.
Can anyone create an eTwinning Group?
Yes, you just need to fill out the application form and submit it for approval. However, before creating a Group, please check first whether something similar does not exist already in the platform. You can search other Groups from the Groups’ homepage and if you find something interesting, just join by clicking on ‘join group’ from its homepage.
May 2020: Events that teachers can create on eTwinning Live to promote the results of their projects and share good practices.
Events
https://live.etwinning.net/support
In eTwinning there is always something going on.
Sessions organised by you in your school (or in another physical location), for instance presentation, face-to-face meetings, promotional events, etc. You can share them in the events section and let eTwinners know what you are up to.
It might be a lesson, a project presented by a colleague or a partner finding session. In this section you find a list of ‘events’ organised by CSS, NSS and other eTwinners. Simply check what’s going on today, this week or month or search for a topic.
Remember: all events are listed in the calendar, but some of them may be restricted to specific audiences so you may not be allowed to join. If you find an interesting event, click on ‘Attend event’ so that your interest is recorded by the system. Once the event takes place, you can access the videoconferencing session directly from the event’s page.
The calendar shows all eTwinning events.
On-site events:
- PDWs, national conferences, training sessions etc. They are normally organised by CSS or NSS. If you want to have more information, you should contact them directly or via the specific event’s forum, if present.
- Sessions organised by you in your school (or other locations), for instance presentation, promotional events etc. You can share them in the events section and let eTwinning know what you are up to.
Online events can be organised by any eTwinner (including you) and have the following features:
- An audio and video-conference tool for up to 100 participants.
- A forum to discuss prior and after the video-conferencing session.
- A file archive to share documents.
Online events can be of many types; workshops, lessons, training sessions, presentation of your school or your project, partners finding events. When creating the event select the type you have in mind. Remember that eTwinners will see such events in the eTwinning calendar, so pay attention in writing the title and the description if you want people to join.
When registering the event, you can also define the audience; events can be public (so everyone can join, if they want), or restricted to a specific country, audience or to your contacts only.
Please spend some time in describing your event to make it successful and make sure that you really have something worth sharing.
The date and time of the online event are based on the availability of video-conferencing ‘seats’ (which are limited). You can select a date and the system will provide you with time slots on that day. Pick the one which suits you best. Do not forget that the time indicated is always Central European Time (CET). So if you connect from another time zone, make sure you check what time corresponds for you!
September 2020: Partner Forums
Are you looking for a partner for an eTwinning project or for an Erasmus+ partnership (school to school)? Select the appropriate forum (depending on the age category) and post a message with as many details as possible. Do not forget to search for messages in existing forums; somebody may be looking for an eTwinner with your profile!
There are Partner Forums for eTwinning:
1. Age 4-11: Use this forum to look for eTwinning contacts who work with pupils between the ages of 4-11.
2. Age 12-15: Use this forum to look for eTwinning contacts who work with pupils between the ages of 12-15.
3. Age 16-19: Use this forum to look for eTwinning contacts who work with pupils between the ages of 16-19.
4. General: Use this forum for messages which do not relate specifically to an age group but are still within the scope of eTwinning activities.
5. eTwinning plus: eTwinning Plus offers a platform for staff (teachers, head teachers, librarians, etc.), working in a school in one of the neighbouring countries involved (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Tunisia, Ukraine, Jordan and Lebanon), to communicate, collaborate, develop projects, share and, in short, feel and be part of the most exciting learning community.
There are Partner Forums for Erasmus +:
1. Age 4-11: Use this forum to look for Erasmus + contacts who work with pupils between the ages of 4-11.
2. Age 12-15: Use this forum to look for Erasmus + contacts who work with pupils between the ages of 12-15.
3. Age 16-19: Use this forum to look for Erasmus + contacts who work with pupils between the ages of 16-19.
When you are looking for partner schools for your project you need to take into account your students' age and the type of project you are looking for: eTwinning or Erasmus +.
November 2020: National and European Quality Labels
NATIONAL QUALITY LABEL
https://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/benefits/recognition/etwinning-national-quality-lab.htm
A National Quality Label is awarded to teachers with excellent eTwinning projects and indicate that the project has reached a certain level of quality in their country.
Students can receive the Pupil Quality Label, once their teacher receives a National Quality Label.
The National Support Service (NSS) in each country evaluates applications from schools for the National Quality Label. Labels are awarded throughout the year, however, in some countries, deadlines are fixed, so be sure to consult your NSS for information about the deadlines in your country. Once the application is accepted or rejected, your NSS will contact you.
How to apply
- Log in to eTwinning Live
- Go to Projects
- Find your project and click on Apply for a Quality Label
- Complete all the boxes with all the required information and provide evidence of your work
- You can follow all the above steps for each of your projects that you think deserve a Quality Label.
EUROPEAN QUALITY LABEL
It is awarded by the Central Support Service (CSS) to teachers in a project which:
- has been proposed for the European Quality Label by at least one National Support Service, after a screening process. Every National Support Service puts forward the top third of awarded National Quality Labels based on their quality score.
- includes at least two partners that have received the National Quality Label. The European Quality Label is awarded only once a year and is featured on the eTwinning Portal.
The European Quality Label is a second mark of success and indicates that the project has reached a certain European standard.
January 2021: applying for the eTwinning School label
https://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/benefits/recognition/etwinning-school.htm
What is the eTwinning School Label?
eTwinning Schools’ recognise the importance and values of eTwinning and embed it in the school’s policies, practice and professional development with the support of school management.
What are the benefits?
eTwinning Schools:
- Are recognised at European level as role models for eTwinning and form a network of leading schools to inspire the future development of the action
- Have a high visibility at European Level and are able to show their eTwinning School Label in their promotional and information materials.
- Are recognised as leaders in:
How can your school get the eTwinning School Label?
The process for obtaining the eTwinning School Label has two stages.
Stage one
An automatic check that:
- The school has been registered in eTwinning for more than two year
- There are at least two eTwinning teachers linked to the school who are involved in projects, professional development or other eTwinning activities, at the time of the pre-selection.
- The school is/was involved in at least one European eTwinning project which was granted a National Quality Label within the last two years from application date.
If a school fulfils these requirements, all registered eTwinners in the school receive an email invitation to complete a self-assessment application form through eTwinning Live.
Stage two
Applicants must complete a self-assessment application form on behalf of the school.
This self-assessment form revolves around 4 eTwinning Pillars:
- eTwinning and the development of eSafety awareness in the school
- eTwinning in relation to teaching and learning practices, interdisciplinary teaching, and project work
- eTwinning and the strategic professional development for teachers and other school staff
- eTwinning and the strategic development of the school
How to apply
- Both the school’s principal and all colleagues engaged in eTwinning should be involved in drafting the application.
- The applicant must answer all the questions and meet all the requirements (see them below) listed in the application form.
- The fields related to members, projects, professional development and events are pre-filled with data recorded by eTwinning: applicants must confirm that the information available is correct.
- Upload the required documents and links related to Internet Safety and presence of eTwinning in the school’s policy.
- Upload the application duly signed by the school’s principle and submit the form before the deadline.
- Once the application is submitted, it will be reviewed by the National Support Services/Partner Support Agencies, who may contact applicants for further information.