Introduction

One of the possibilities of taking part in an international project is a digital project with one or more schools abroad. This module presents you with a number of possibilities.

With digital internationalisation English will mainly be used as language of communication. Of course you can also communicate in German, French, Spanish or another language.

The following factors are important when choosing for an international digital project:

-          Subject

-          Target group

-          Subject or field of interest

-          Level of your students

-          Time differences between participating countries

-          Native language

This module offers you a number of possibilities of international digital projects. Very often internationalisation will start by putting together a virtual cooperation; you will work together using modern communicationtools. This can be done in different ways:

-          Emailproject

-          Chat

-          Videoconferencing

-          Learning Circles

-          Etwinning

Emailprojects

Students from different countries email each other. Students learn to communicate together about different subjects. The aim is of course to improve their language skills but besides that it improves the students’ computer skills. 

The teachers from participating countries match each others students. Every week emails will be send about different subjects or about a certain theme. The teacher gives feedback to the pupils.

An emailproject consists of four stages:

• Stage 1, brainstorming: Teachers make arrangements about subject or theme that the emails will be about.
• Stage 2, setting up project plan: Students will be matched. Arrangements will be made on how often an email has to be send, what the emails will be about, when the mails will be send, and the language that will be used.
• Stage 3, implementation, evaluation, adjustment: The teacher is the central figure within the project. The teacher makes arrangements with the students and colleagues if something must be changed or if there are new ideas.
• Stage 4, evaluating the project: the project will be evaluated with the teachers and students of the partnerschool. 

Chat

Talking to each other using the computer, quick and easy. This popular way of communicating used by teenagers is not cheered on by everyone. Prejudices that are mentioned on chatting are: pupils don’t learn anything from chatting, chatting is supeficial, chatting happens so quickly you hardly have time to think, you cannot control chatting and the list goes on.

When students log in the chatprogram they can immediately see whom of their friends is onlone. Then they can try and see if one or more of their friends would like to chat. Chatting is very quick. You type in your messag, press send and your partner’s reaction will be quick.

If you want to learn a foreign language it is important to:

• read and listen a lot
• understand the meaning
• pay attention to forms
• to speak and write
• if you don’t know something you try to solve it by using what you know

By regularly chatting in a foreign language you will have to deal with a number of points mentioned above. You have to read what the other person has written. You must understand the meaning. The next step is that you will write a message for someone else and if you don’t know how to say something you have to try and explain in in a different way so that it becomes clear what you mean.

Besides increasing the languageskills chatting can also have other aims. Chatting is very suitable for letting the students look further than they direct surroundings. Within the scope of internationalisation a chatproject can be done within a certain subject or theme. Chatting can offer a positive contribution to the computerskills and the success experience of a good chatproject can work very motivating.    

When starting a chatproject it is very important to set the most important learning aims.

Points of interest when starting a chatpoject are:

-          Small scale: When you want a project to succeed it has to meet with a number of preconditions. The availability of enough computers is very important. If you have no experience with working on a chatproject it is wise to start with small groups, this to prevent disappointment. Furthermore in these small groups it is easier to chat at home.  

-          Chatting time: The time of when to chat is very important if you want a project to succeed. The chatpartner has to be online at the same time. Chatsessions mostly have to take place after lessons. Of course you have to take into account the time differences between different countries. It is wise to reserve one or two afternoons a week to spend on these chatsessions and arrange a time in advance.

Videoconferencing

Through a live connection with image and sound students can communicate with their peers from abroad. To understand each other it is of course necessary to speak the same language. Videoconferencing can be prepared and supported by emailcontact. The starting point for videoconferencing is often a task (prepare and exchange, make a report about surroundings) where language is combined with subject-content. Therefore videoconferencing is also useful for exceeding subject content education. There is student- and teachermaterial available that is suitable for language videoconferencing as well as subject conferencing. Besides this all language skills will be dealt with. The material can be used besides the method.

Learning Circles

A Learning Circle is a temporary learningcommunity where students and teachers work and learn together during a certain period. Communication takes place by means of Internet, email and chat. Every school has a group that participates, this can be a whole class or small groups of pupils. The Learning Circle will be about a certain subject or theme. This subject or theme is determined by the teachers in advance. Every class or group poses one question about the theme to one of the Circle-participants. The teacher has to help the students when forming the question. Several work forms can be used but eventually you will jointly formulate one question per group/class.

After asking the questions the students will get to work. The questions will be answered as well as they possibly can. After putting down the answer this will be send to the person who asked the question.

All questions will be formed as a whole. Dependent on subject, group size, study aims, etcetera a lot of different ways of working can be used to let the students process the answers.

The period of time of a Learning Circle is 6-8 weeks. The following stages can be mentioned:

getting acquainted

-          Forming a question and posing it

-          Answering the questions

-          Hand-in answers

-          Processing answers

-          Exchange results

-          Evaluate

Before starting a Learning Circle it is important to communicate well. The made timeplan has to be feasible for every participant. Take into account holidays, feast-days etcetera. If a participant, for whatsoever reason, finds out that he has to stop doing the project because of a lack of time this will not benefit the results of the project.  

Etwinning

Etwinning is an accessible way to get students into contact with their peers in another European country. Many students enjoy working with ICT. By making use of ICT, which overcomes distances, you have the right recipe for an international project.

Etwinning offers you three important elements:

-          a school partner

-          inspiration for a project

-          online workspace to carry out a project

Through the website www.etwinning.net students can email, chat and work on joint projects.

You can e.g. give students the assignment to let them make a short film (of a couple of minutes) in small groups or duos. The fims will be placed on TwinSpace, your own online projectspace.

Five possibilities of digital international projects have been mentioned.

If you want to let a project succeed a good preparation is very important. To prevent disappointment it is wise to answer the following questions in an early stage of your preparation:

1. How can I find a suitable exchange partner and how can I approach him/her?
2. What type of students are best for my own students to communicate with?
3. Which websites are reliable if I want my students to chat?
4. Where can I find more information about the language, current events, social life and culture of partner country?
5. What kinds of cultural differences do my students have to be prepared for in case of a virtual exchange with a certain partner country?

The answers to these questions of course depend on your own situation and learning aims. The Internet is a simple and important medium to answer a large number of your questions. There are a number of authorities and organisations that would like to help you to get into contact with the right partner school. One possibility of finding a partner school is by going to the following address: http://www.epals.com/index.tpl.

Make enquiries at fellow schools or visit an education exhibition, this can help to answer your questions

Sources

• http://www.e-changes.nl/
• http://www.cps.nl/engine.php?Cmd=see&P_site=840&P_self=6438&PMax=&PSkip= 
• http://www.europeesplatform.nl/sf.mcgi?642
• http://learningcircles.kennisnet.nl/lc
• http://www.ict-edu.nl/sjablonen/ictene/index.asp?subsite=139&aqua_main=139&aqua_sub=92&pagina=708
• http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:euuGAj5tlJ0J:www.nabmvt.nl/publicaties/00011/+chat+projecten+onderwijs&hl=nl&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=nl

Case

·         http://www.intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Technology/4/4.html

Links

to other PD-module Technology