Why Internationalisation?

Do's:

• Take into account the fact that you use computers so you need to know how to work with them.
• Make sure you have the support of the schoolboard and the principal.
• Share about the project at you school, advertise.
• Make sure that you have technical back-up
• Make a program booklet.
• Start planning on time.
• When will it take place?
• Apply for Financial aid on time.
• Regular meetings at own school.
• Regularly contact partner schools.
• Information in advance for parents, pupils and colleagues.
• Make a website for information during the exchange.
• Evaluate the project.
• Find participating teachers. 
• Set individual and joint aims.
• What are (your own) strengths and weaknesses.
• Make clear appointments on communication, tasks, responsibilities.
• Mention target groups of the project, educational level, communication language.
• Facilitate participating teachers of the project
• Listen and look at what your colleagues do.
• Respect the school culture (give each other enough space, time and possibilities)
• Take into account the cultural differences and educational systems.  
• Mention if the project is subject based or not

Don’ts:

• Don’t just think that everyone will do what must be done.
• Don’t push things through
• Don’t let the same teachers go on each exchange

Digital projects

Mobility 

• Apply for the Financial aid for the exchange a year in advance

• It is highly recommended to visit the partner school before hand to make good judgements about your partner school.

•  It is best to make a memorandum of understanding between your school and the partner school. In that case, both school have an obligation to fulfill the common goals.

• Don’t forget to notify the administration and the teachers that you and your pupils will be absent.

• When organizing the programme, take into account that the guests also want some spare time.

• Put a programme booklet in the staffroom / advertise on the school website

• Students can be provided with a certificate of participation in the exchange that they can keep in their portfolios.

• Be prepared for the possibility of an exchange student/hostfamily situation not working out. In that case, you can easily solve this problem without hurting the feelings of the hostfamily, by telling them, the student is homesick. Normally the student can easily be placed together with one of his/her friends.

Technology

Funding and finances

Do’s

• Start fundraising early!
• Use your contacts and of course your colleagues. Your network is larger than you think
• Visit your fundraisers and let them see what you are doing (with images or movies)
• Put an article in your local newspaper, it will be easier to get sponsors
• Inform people that it is about learning in another country; it is not a holiday trip
• Bank your savings on a regular basis

Don'ts

• Even if you have made numerous contacts and have not been successful, don't give up

Communication and PR

• At least one laptop must accompany the group!
• Bring electrical adapters to be able to recharge your equipment.
• Use a good camera and be familiar with how to use it before you leave home.
• Resize your pictures appropriately for a webpage.
• Don't put several pictures of essentially the same thing.
• Don't include photos of ridiculous poses.
• All photos must be good quality (focused, in proportion etc.)
• Mind your language on the website.

Sustainability

Do’s

ICT

• Take into account the fact that you use computers so you need to know how to work with them
• Make sure that the computers work and are available
• Make sure that you have technical back-up
• In advance think of which ICT-tool you want to use during the project (e.g. website, wiki, video conference etc.) and what the extra value is for pupils and teachers.

The basis

• Make sure you have the support of the schoolboard and the principal
• Advertise the project within the school
• Set individual and collaborative goals
• Make sure teachers are involved/ Get teachers involved
• Put a programme booklet in the staffroom / advertise on the school website
• Find out if there is a need for an international project within the different departments of the school
• Ask the ICT-group for ideas

Scenario

• Start planning on time
• Set date and time frame
• Make a programme booklet
• Apply for Financial aid on time
• Regular meetings at own school
• Regularly contact partner schools
• Information in advance for parents, pupils and colleagues
• Make a website for information during the exchange
• Evaluate the project
• Find participating teachers

Selfcontemplation

• What are (your own) strengths and weaknesses and improve these

Organisation

• Make clear appointments on communication, tasks, responsibilities
• Mention targetgroups of the project, educational level, communication language
• Facilitate participating teachers of the project
• Listen and look at what your colleagues do

Project content

• Show the content and programme at school

Cultural differences

• Respect the school culture (give each other enough space, time and possibilities)
• Take into account the cultural differences and educational systems

Financially

• Apply for Financial aid for the exchange a year in advance at the European Platform; under the name BIOS
• Disclose financial costs

Assistance

• Solicit agencies within your communities and abroad who may provide the project with pertinent information, data, and resources such as finance and equipment.

Don'ts

• Don’t just think that all the information you wrote will be read
• Make sure that you get things done
• Don’t let the same teachers go on each exchange
• If you don’t have ICT experience, do not start working on a big ICT-project

Project done...what's next?

Partners and networks