E Twinning, Innovation and a New Way Forward

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E Twinning, Innovation and a New Way Forward

• Brenda A Bigland
• M.A., B.Ed. Hons., A.M.B.D.A.
• Headteacher

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The Vision

• To create in partnership a world class education
  across the European Union
• Brenda Bigland

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What do we need to be effective?

• A desire to interact and to share practice
• Stimulating ideas to catch the imagination of all
  learners and therefore which will be
  inspirational
• Resources? (ICT?)
• A common Vision and a determination to succeed in
  achieving the vision

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In the true spirit of partnership what can each
school offer?

• Systems which support developing leaders
• Creativity and the Arts
• Assessment for learning
• Early Years Education
• ICT and its impact on standards across the
  curriculum
• Pupil Voice
• Parent Partnership

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Creative Use of ICT

• Interactive whiteboards give pace and challenge
  when used well. They allow teachers to extend and
  reinforce appropriately. Use of the correct
  methodology e.g. split screen techniques can
  support the child's learning well. Hyperlinks
  into an internet site or the use of a film clip
  can excite learning still further. Children
  should take control of their learning and we are
  currently working with tablets which should allow
  two pens to be used simultaneously so that the
  lesson becomes even more pacey!
• A microscope web cam can help to make Science
  even more dynamic and will also allow web cam
  conferencing to take place in the classroom.

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More Ideas ?

• Digital movie cameras used to extend a literacy
  focus week by allowing children to create and
  animate their own stories
• Digital Movie supporting the development of ICT
  in Art (Animated Alphabets)
• Movie cameras supporting Speaking and Listening
  Children as presenters.
• Digital cameras used to create Home /School links
  (Lennie and Lottie)
• Voting Systems to support enjoyment in learning
  (Who wants to be a millionaire?)

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Video Conferencing The Icing on the Cake

• Greater motivation and concentration in class
• Pupils working together in harmony / behaviour
  modification support
• Confidence when working in partnership with
  adults
• Speaking and listening enhanced through Video
  Conferencing
• Use of soft skills and ICT techniques enhanced
  through use of conferencing
• Crossing the cultural divide with pupils talking
  to pupils
• Enhancement of understanding across the nations
  through lessons shared and through a dialogue
  with MEPs
• Modern Foreign language development enhanced
  through dialogue across the nations
• Pride in their own achievements creating an
  appropriate culture to drive standards

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Creative Use of ICT Ensuring a better work /
life balance

• Planning online allows collaboration
• Input for assessment driven by Teaching
  Assistants
• Personalised learning one step closer
• Reduces bureaucracy through use of e.g. e mails
  and ICT driven timetables
• Pupils role in school improvement / target
  setting clearer through use of ICT
• Admin staff now drive attendance, collection and
  recording of funding etc therefore better use of
  everyone's time!

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Putting the World into World Class Education -
Why?

• To encourage children to learn with and from each
  other in a positive and proactive manner
• To recognise cultural richness and diversity
• To bring enjoyment to the learning process
• To share the richness of teachers experiences and
  to bring a breadth of expertise to all our
  children across the nations
• To ensure that together we achieve the common
  goal to create a world class education across the
  EU

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How?

• Use the E-Twinning site and the opportunities to
  make contact with schools across the nations that
  this brings
• Attend conferences, workshops etc which allow a
  face to face dialogue with colleagues in our own
  nation to share ideas and with colleagues across
  the nations to network effectively for future
  projects
• Visit the British Council sites and the DfES
  sites to gain further ideas and contacts

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When?

• Within the curriculum there are opportunities to
  share projects and to therefore share learning
  across the nations
• To inspire creativity, older children telling
  folklore stories to younger children is
  inspirational. (This helps when older children
  are learning a language as they can tell the
  story in the language they are learning to
  younger children within the nation whose mother
  tongue it is. Younger children can select their
  favourite story and respond with pictures,
  animations, letters of thanks etc)
• Extra Curricular activities can also support
  links. Examples of these are Art clubs, News and
  media clubs (creating news reports for the whole
  school) Music and Modern Foreign language clubs

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The Lent Rise Project Crossing cultural
dividesChildren learning with and from each other

• Every class in the school is E Twinned with a
  different EU Nation. Therefore a child at Lent
  Rise will visit one country each year and will
  learn about that nation directly from the
  children of that nation. They will also share
  their learning with each other as they will study
  at least two subject areas together during the
  year.

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Our Twins

• Slovenia
• Sweden
• Germany
• Portugal
• Malta
• Belgium
• Spain
• Hungary
• France
• Slovakia
• Denmark
• Poland

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A year of E Twinning

• First Term / the introductions .
• E mails
• Video Footage
• Pen portraits
• Power Points about the school, the area, the
  class etc
• Letters of introduction
• Agree the way forward (Specific Projects for the
  next two terms)

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Some of our ideas for Projects for the following
two terms

• To look at the works of the great artists across
  the nations
• To study music together
• To tell folklore stories which the children can
  comment on
• Younger children can create an animated story
  from the ideas generated through story telling
• To create news articles looking at what is
  happening during the week in each others
  countries
• To create a children's manifesto working together
• To study festivals and celebrations together
• To look at changes in climatic conditions and
  environmental change across the nations

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A year long celebration!

• International dress up days
• International Food markets in school
• International week at the end of the year to
  share our learning across the school
• The International schools Award

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A Special Offer to All of You

• Our partnerships this term will be told about a
  special new competition which is being hosted by
  2simple. We are going to write stories for a
  specific audiencethat is.our partner schools
  and we hope they will respond by creating stories
  for us. These can be created using words,
  pictures, sound etc. The software can be obtained
  by contacting mikee_at_2simple.com
• A new site is being constructed which will be an
  International Story creation site and submitted
  stories will be published with a prize being
  given to the best story each month. Stories can
  be emailed to world_at_2simple.com
• Why not join in? Lets be creative together across
  all the E Twinning schools and see if we can
  raise standards together.

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Why Remake the Wheel ?
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Creativity using Information and Communication
Technology

• Brenda A Bigland
• M.A., B.Ed. Hons., A.M.B.D.A.
• Headteacher