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Here is information about some Irish eTwinning projects:
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Once Upon a Blog
Schools
- Saint Attracta's Senior National School, Dublin;
- St. Joseph, Mater Boni Consilii School, Malta.
Teachers
- Joseph Molloy (Ireland)
- Jacqueline Vanhear (Malta)
Age of pupils: 4-11
Duration: 1 school year
Themes: Cross-Curricular
Language: English
Tools: Windows Live Messenger and Skype.
This project involves an exchange of national myths and legends using Blog and Podcast technologies. The project also compares and contrasts the lifestyles and attitudes of Maltese and Irish children using ICT.
Website: slua.com
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Look at my world
Schools:
Bayside Junior School (Ireland)
Pärnu Koidula Gymnasium (Estonia)
Age of students: 7-9
Duration: two years or more
Theme(s): Foreign Languages
Languages: English
Type of school: Primary Education / Secondary Education
Short description
Change experiences in drawing, natural sciences, language (English), using PC (write about our culture, nature, family, hobbies, cartoons etc.). Change teaching methods
Aims
Work progress
The project started from e-mailing between teachers, then the Irish teachers made a proposal to prepare and organise the videoconference. As preparation, we first had a brainstorming - we gathered ideas, what is the best way to introduce ourselves (national costumes, folk songs), etc. We organised in both classes a competition about ways of introducing themselves. We chose the best student ideas.
Evaluation
The main reason for the success is primarily cooperation between students, teachers and parents. The reason of success of our project is our students' interest of foreign languages and about everything what is going on in the world and also their previously acquired knowledge how to use computers. Also teachers' and parents' thorough support.
Impacts
The project gave for our schools and students practical opportunity to demonstrate their language, performance, singing skills and how they are playing musical instruments. Also, in the videoconference they could hear pure English and see what is going on in other country. We - teachers - got the experience how to organise videoconference and possibility to see and hear our partner school. We participated in very important event of uniting European nations. It was unique experience for both students and teachers.
Short description: The idea was to acquire knowledge about Irish history and discuss specific aspects with students in Ireland.
Aims
We want to show the students that there are two different points of view (external and internal) concerning the nationl history.
Pedagogical value
In Ireland, the Irish students worked with the Austrian students. In Austria, they worked in small groups on the project.
Pedagogical use of ICT tools
We communicated via e-mails and Skype. The students informed each other about which aspects of Irish history they were dealing with, and based on this information the students organised a tour through Dublin for the visit of the Austrian students. The students from Austria planned their project in the same way for the Irish visit.
We also used learning platforms and Weblogs to work together.
Work progress
Before the project was presented to the students, the two teachers decided that e-mails should be the main tool for communication between students. However, it soon became clear that there was a need for simultaneous communication as well, and students therefore began communicating online using Skype. All Austrian students installed it on their labs, and in Ireland, John (the teacher) installed it on the computers at school. So simultaneous communication became possible.
Parallel to the technical improvements we extended the content of the project to include excursions. In May 2005 we flew to Ireland, in October 2005 the students from Wexford visited us. All the students have to work out a day project for their partner school. The Presentation Secondary School prepared a day in Dublin with visits to places of interest referring to Irish history. We prepared a day "Locations that are connected with the history of National-Socialism in the Tyrol" including a visit of the concentration camp in Dachau or Mauthausen.
Evaluation
The challenges were to find the time in a week where we could meet. Communication via email went fine but via Skype it was difficult.
Outcome
For the students the eTwinning-Project is a challenge in many ways:
Project work in the classroom.
Impacts
The students benefited from the points of language, expending their impressions from history. The teacher found future partners where networks could be set up that makes history lessons in schools to real Europe lessons.