eTwinning Projects Research Articles

What Remains in Students from an Etwinning Project: The Case of Şebit Project

The aim of this research is to find out how the eTwinning project prepared to prevent bread waste is evaluated from the students' perspective. The research was conducted within the scope of qualitative research. The research was carried out with 6th grade students consisting of six people who voluntarily participated in the eTwinning project. In line with the main purpose of the research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students at the end of the project and data were collected. The data obtained were subjected to content analysis, and codes and themes were created. At the end of the research, it was revealed that the students found the ŞEBİT eTwinning project educational, instructive and entertaining. In addition, it was determined that the project contributed to awareness of bread waste, learning web 2.0 tools, taking responsibility, teamwork and communication. In addition, it was determined that students had difficulties in using web 2.0 tools and time within the scope of the project. In line with the students' opinions, it is suggested that the eTwinning platform should be made more functional for both teachers and students within the scope of this research.

Breaking barriers: uniting Turkish and Greek students through eTwinning collaboration for empathy, understanding, and language anxiety relief

ABSTRACT This study explores the results of an eTwinning project involving four countries, with a focus on collaboration between students from historically distant backgrounds: Turkey and Greece. It primarily aims to foster empathy and understanding, alleviate language anxiety, and enhance foreign language competence among the participants. Using a mixed-method case study approach, data were collected primarily from 7th grade Turkish and 9th grade Greek students. The findings demonstrate notable outcomes, such as significant improvements in English language skills, effective use of ICT tools, enhanced intercultural communicative competence, and a discernible reduction in language anxiety.

The role of eTwinning projects on teachers professional development: A case study

The role of eTwinning projects on teachers professional development: A case study

A Comparative Study of eTwinning Projects from the Perspectives of Turkish and European Preschool Teachers

The aim of this study is to examine the views of preschool teachers in Turkey and Europe on eTwinning projects comparatively and to determine the extent to which teachers’ experiences are similar and different. It is expected that the findings will motivate preschool teachers and administrators to develop eTwinning projects. In this study, case study method was used as a qualitative research design. Thirty two preschool teachers from Turkey and Europe were reached through convenience sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods. A semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool. The first part of the interview form included general information questions about the teachers and the second part included questions about the teachers’ views on eTwinning projects. From the data obtained, it was determined that Turkish teachers created more codes than their European colleagues, however, teachers in both groups generally had positive views about eTwinning projects and took part in these projects voluntarily.

Exploring pre-service teachers’ experiences of engaging in sustainable environment: a Turkey-Italy eTwinning Project

The research initially delves into the outcomes of an international eTwinning project focused on heightening awareness among future primary school teachers about the causes and consequences of climate change within the framework of sustainable environmental education. Employing qualitative research methodologies, the investigation took the form of a case study. The participant group consisted of 13 pre-service teachers studying at Mersin and Balıkesir Universities in Turkey as well as the University of Palermo in Italy in the academic year 2021-2022. Researchers utilized a semi-structured interview format crafted specifically for the study. The objectives encompassed enhancing the understanding of pre-service teachers regarding sustainable environmental education, fostering their familiarity with eTwinning to enable cross-cultural interaction with other European pre-service teachers. Furthermore, emphasis was placed on elevating pre-service teachers' awareness about foreign language utilization and the integration of information and communication technology (ICT).

Efficient Strategies to Develop the Cultural Competence of Our Pupils. Recommendations for a High-Quality Management of Educational Activities

In this study, some effective recommendations were established through which pupils' cultural competence can be developed. We started from the premise that developing pupils' ability to live with others facilitates the accelerated development of pupils' cultural competence. Therefore, interviews with school principals and online surveys were conducted for parents and teachers to make useful recommendations for teachers and school leaders. From the perspective of the management of educational activities, it is very important to strengthen the relations between the school and the members of the community. Also, the Erasmus+ and eTwinning projects play an extremely important role in the development of pupils' cultural competence. The study revealed the impact and benefits of establishing active partnerships between educational institutions and members of the local or international community. It is also recommended to develop educational projects through which pupils can come into contact with community members to better understand the historical past and cultural heritage of their country. The study is useful for school leaders and teachers interested in developing pupils' cultural competence.

Öğretmen ve Öğrencilerin eTwinning Proje Uygulamalarına İlişkin Görüşleri

Ağ tabanlı öğrenme ortamı olan eTwinning, öğretmen ve öğrencilere yenilikçi, işbirlikçi, ortak çalışmalar yapabilme fırsatı sunar. Bu araştırmada eTwinning platformunda yapılan projelerin öğretmen ve öğrenci açısından katkıları hakkında görüşlerinin alınması amaçlanmaktadır. eTwinning projelerinin katkıları iletişim, iş birliği, yaygınlaştırma, müfredatla uyum, disiplinler arası geçiş, web 2.0 araçlarının kullanımı gibi faktörler bakımından ele alınmıştır. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması olarak yürütülen araştırmanın örneklemini ölçüt örneklem yoluyla seçilen 3 öğretmen, 4 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın verileri yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme yoluyla toplanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler betimsel analiz yöntemi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Veriler kodlara ayrılarak frekansları ile birlikte tablolaştırılmıştır. eTwinning projeleri yapan öğretmen ve öğrenciler bu projelerin farklı açılardan olumlu kazanımlarının olduğunu ifade etmişlerdir. Öğrenciler için dijital gelişim, dil-iletişim, iş birliği, özgüven, kendini ifade etme becerilerinin geliştiği, öğretmenler için de mesleki anlamda büyük farklılıklar oluşturduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. eTwinning projelerini gözlemleyerek süreci aşamalarıyla aktaran yeni çalışmalara yer verilmelidir.

Teaching STEAM through universal design for learning in early years of primary education: Plugged-in and unplugged activities with emphasis on connectivism learning theory.

This paper presents four teachers’ design and implementation of an international eTwinning project within the Universal Design Learning (UDL) framework and the pedagogical theory of connectivism, aiming to provide meaningful access to STEAM education for pupils with diverse learning needs by introducing them to key competences for lifelong learning. The results of the qualitative content analysis reveal the advantages of this effort, including the improvement of the learning process, learners' active participation, and self-reflection through student-based assessment, teachers' professional development, but also considerations regarding planning and specifying activities, class schedules, course load, and the creation of self- or peer-assessment rubrics.

Investigating The Digital Competencies of The Teachers Labouring in Disadvantaged Districts by eTwinning Project Experience

Bu çalışmada, dezavantajlı bölgelerde görev yapan öğretmenlerin eTwinning proje deneyimlerine ve kalite etiketi alma durumuna göre dijital yeterlik düzey ve seviyelerinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada nedensel karşılaştırmalı analiz yöntemi temel alınmıştır. 303 öğretmene Eğitimciler için Dijital Yeterlik Değerlendirme Formu uygulanmış, veriler betimsel ve kestirimsel analiz tekniklerine tabi tutulmuştur. Verilerin analizinde SPSS 20 programı kullanılmıştır. Analizler sonucunda dezavantajlı bölgelerde görev yapan öğretmenlerin eTwinning proje deneyimine göre dijital yeterliklerinin DigCompEdu’nun her alanına göre arttığı belirlenmiştir. eTwinning proje deneyimi olan öğretmenlerin bütünleştirici ve uzman seviyesinde oldukları sonucuna varılmıştır. Deneyimli olmayan öğretmenlerin ise genellikle kâşif, bütünleştirici seviyelerinde oldukları belirlenmiştir. Kalite etiketi alan öğretmenlerin dijital yeterlik düzeylerinin kalite etiketi almayan ve proje deneyimi olmayan öğretmenlerden yüksek olduğu saptanmıştır. Proje deneyimi olan ve kalite etiketi alan öğretmenlerin dijital yeterliklerinin yüksek olduğu saptanmıştır. eTwinning projelerinin DigCompEdu alanlarına ilişkin gelişim göstermede tetikleyici unsur olabileceği belirlenmiştir.

İngilizce Öğretmenlerinin eTwinning Deneyimleri ve Mesleki Gelişimlerine Etkisi

Project-based learning through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has become more important for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and teachers these days. Therefore, national and international projects have been facilitated by the integration of technology. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of EFL teachers on eTwinning. A qualitative research design was used to explore the experiences of EFL teachers who have already completed eTwinning projects and are currently carrying out them with EFL learners and gain in-depth understanding about the advantages and disadvantages of eTwinning projects in terms of their professional development. A total of 10 EFL teachers working at secondary and high schools in Turkey participated in the study. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed with inductive analysis. The results showed that EFL teachers had positive attitudes towards participating in eTwinning projects. They reported that eTwinning projects contributed to their professional development since it created an international network of EFL teachers, providing an opportunity to share their teaching experiences, and develop their technological and pedagogical content knowledge and organizational skills. Moreover, it was stated that these projects motivated the teachers to plan and organize similar projects and help them gain recognition among their colleagues and appreciation in their workplace.

Teaching local history with the use of De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, brainstorming; and role play in primary school, multicultural classes- an example of application in Greek school

Τhis study presents an example of an intercultural teaching practice of cultivating of critical thinking and intercultural/ historical literacy in the context of local history learning. The practice was created by the author in the framework of the European eTwinning project “The young time travelers of history” (which was awarded with the Greek National Quality Label and the European one) and was presented as an example of good practice in teacher seminars at the local level. This practice combines a simplified form of De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats with role-playing and brainstorming and emerged from the study of the social-historical background of a primary school multicultural class in which was implemented. Finally, this specific study aims to be an example for the creation of other innovative, alternative teaching practices in local history learning.

ETwinning – narzędzie do budowania społeczeństwa transkulturowego

Significant changes in education that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in terms of organization, in the form of the transition to distance learning, significantly increased the interest of teachers and schools to use the international eTwinning platform. The main task of the eTwinning program is to encourage international exchange by building a network of cooperation and interaction between students and teachers from various European countries. This, in turn, according to the author, is a way to build a transcultural society. Going beyond the current understanding of culture as a homogeneous creation, the author uses W. Welsch’s concept of transculturalism and Wittgenstein’s understanding of culture as a way of being and the result of intercultural interactions. Therefore, the article is devoted to the using of the eTwinnig tool in the process of shaping a transcultural society. There are also some presented examples of international eTwinning projects that have already been completed and are in the process of being implemented with the direct goal of acquiring intercultural competences by all its participants and those for whom this is an indirect goal, carried out while performing other tasks.

The Experiences of Peer Students and their Teachers Teaching Turkish to Foreign Students: An Example of an eTwinning Project

This study aims to examine the opinions of the teachers who lead an eTwinning project and the peer students who teach Turkish to foreign students studying in Turkey within this Project. The study group consists of eight Turkish language teachers working in different provinces of Turkey in the 2021-2022 academic year and four students (32 students in total) determined by each of these teachers. The teachers in the study group were informed about what to do by coming together with the online zoom meetings. During the process, the students determined by the teacherss organized various activities to teach Turkish to their foreign peers. Which resources these students will use and which subjects and how they will teach were destermined by the executive teachers. The research is a phenomenological study designed according to the qualitative research method. In this six-week project, effective use of Web 2.0 tools by teachers and students is among the goals. Forms consisting of five questions each were submitted online via Google Forms to get the opinions of teachers and students about their experiences; The responses to the forms were analyzed separately. As a result of the analysis, it was stated that the teachers participated in this project to increase their professional competence, contribute to the integration of foreign students into the society, and increase the motivation of the peer students whose mother tongue is Turkish and who want to voluntarily teach Turkish to their foreign friends. It has also been determined that the students mostly participated in this project upon the request of their teachers and their desire to be useful to their foreign friends. The students stated that one of the main problems they experienced in the process was that their foreign friends did not show the necessary importance to the project.

EXPERIENCES OF QUALIFIED TEACHERS OF THE FUTURE IN THE SCOPE OF AN INTERNATIONAL ETWINNING PROJECT

The aim of robust social learning networks such as eTwinning, which is a part of Erasmus internationality programs, is to foster and promote the creation and development of awareness for respect, tolerance and understanding by ensuring the integration of young people from different countries and cultures through dialogue. Phenomenological research design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in this research in which the experiences of teacher candidates regarding the eTwinning project were analyzed. The focus of the transnational collaboration was that student teachers from different cultures use eTwinning’s secure and safe digital platform, Twinspace, to contribute to their cultural, personal and professional development and competences through eTwinning activities. The study group of the research represents 30 (4 males, 26 females) student teachers studying in Turkey (2 universities), Italy (1 university), Germany (1 university) and France (1 university). Participants were between the ages of 18-24. A semi-structured interview form (Google Form) developed by the researchers was used for the qualitative data collection tool. Content analysis method was used for data analysis. The student teachers researched, analyzed and compared their teacher training systems of the four project countries, to identify the skills and cultural differences required as a pre-service primary school teacher in the 21st century.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF THE STUDENTS IN ETWINNING PROJECTS

The article highlights the students’ perspective regarding their experience with eTwinning, their investment of resources, their expectations, as well as the academic and personal outcomes obtained as a result of their involvement. The students’ opinions about the collaborative dimension of these projects in new learning contexts, the effectiveness of communication, the perspectives of personal development, the skills they developed, the well-being, and the motivation for learning are analyzed. The current article is based on a secondary analysis of data collected in a research project carried out in 2021 on a sample of 921 secondary and high school students, which aimed to assess the effects of the eTwinning project in Romania. The article focuses on the analysis of qualitative data regarding the learning experiences that the eTwinning project provided to the participating students.

Exploring student teachers’ experiences of engaging in Hands of the World, a contextualised global intercultural eTwinning project

This paper considers the impact of student teachers’ participation and engagement in the award-winning eTwinning international Hands of the World (HOTW) project which connects over 2000 students and their teachers in 50 schools across the world. Students participated in a wide range of educational collaborative experiences, before and during the first COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, to develop their knowledge and understanding of intercultural education. Student teachers live and work in an interconnected and intercultural world and having a knowledge of how to embed diversity, inclusion and cultural awareness into their practice is important to ensure that their pupils develop a positive intercultural mindset. An explanatory design analysed students’ end of year reflections on participating in the project, which were publicly available on the project’s Padlet™ page. Data were analysed thematically focusing on participation and derived benefits. The findings revealed a continuum of engagement with some students participating at a lower level, where they would observe and question, whilst others had a higher level of engagement engaging in the activities and/or applying the project to practice. Our analysis enabled us to identify that although there were various barriers to participation, the design of the project enabled students to engage at various levels with a higher level of engagement evidenced during the COVID-19 lockdown. Our findings suggest that effective intercultural learning in teacher education requires a range of intercultural opportunities that can be accessed at a variety of levels and at different times throughout the year to provide a rich learning experience.

Conceptual and Praxiological Dimensions of the Project as a Didactic Method. Case Studies: the Research Project in History and the eTwinning Project

Conceptual and Praxiological Dimensions of the Project as a Didactic Method. Case Studies: the Research Project in History and the eTwinning Project

Developing Digital Competence and Media Literacy through PBL: Web 2.0 tools used in #DigitalEU – we'll do! eTwinning project

This article discusses the role of digital literacy in education. It reviews previous framings of digital and media literacy, European policies on developing key competences and it suggests how these could be developed through eTwinning projects, presenting examples of activities and Web 2.0 tools from #Digital EU – we’ll do! eTwinning project (awarded both nationally and at a European level).

The promotion of the 21st century learning skills through the development of games using scratch / A promoção das habilidades de aprendizagem do século XXI através do desenvolvimento de jogos usando o scratch

The work described in this paper addresses the development of a game focused on a project developed as a teaching strategy in the context of action-research study aimed at testing the impact of the participation in a collaborative project. The project aimed to motivate student’s to use and learn foreign languages and also to develop their intercultural communicative competence. The team consisted of 14 teachers from 11 different countries and 167 students in an international educational context. Regarding the Portuguese participation we have introduced the Area of Study namely Discovery in a class from the 7th grade students (23 students).All the work was based in two premises: use Scratch online, web 2.0 and ETwinning platform.Students from various countries together create their own games using programming Scratch. During the project, partners collaborated using web 2.0 tools, at the end, they have share their games and get feedback.This work identified the benefits and challenges of global education and intercultural interaction amongst students. Fourteen schools from 11 European countries have participated in this eTwinning project. Six schools had won the European quality eTwinning label.The methodology applied in this learning environment motivated the students and improved their learning process. It also contributed to a higher level of concentration and promoted collaborative learning. Additionally, it facilitates creativity, dialogue and the overall relationship among students.The results demonstrate that teachers perceive eTwinning as contributing towards the enhancement and development of global education through intercultural interaction.The pedagogic model based on the collaborative construction of knowledge was easily understood by the teachers.

Research of Teachers’ Opinions Towards Effects of an E-Twinning Profect on Students Organized With The Purpose Of Gaining Environmental and Nature Values

At this study, teachers’ opinions towards effects of an Etwinning project on students which is organized with the purpose of gaining environmental and nature values are analyzed. It is an international eTwinning project. At this project it is aimed to gain students awareness of protecting or nature and environment and bring up generations who are respecful to moral, cultural, ethical and insitutive values of society. The Project has started in september of 2019-2020 academic year and ended in June. There are more than 600 students at the Project. Students’ age range is 7-11. They are at the first and fifth grade at school. Qualitative method is used and case study pattern is preferred. During data collection, focus group discussion is the preferred method. Study group consists of 10 teachers that have attended to focus group discussion. According to teachers’ opinions, it is stated that students’ awareness of protecting nature and environment, technological skills, creative thinking, problem solving, co-working and collaboration skills are developed.