ETwinning

Network name:

eTwinning

Network Description:

eTwinning is a platform for school staff (teachers, principals, librarians, etc.) working in schools/preschools in one of the European participating countries, for the needs to communicate, collaborate, develop projects, share, and in short, are part of the most exciting learning community in Europe.
eTwinning promotes school collaboration in Europe through the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by providing support, tools, and services to schools. eTwinning also offers opportunities for free and continuous professional development of teachers online.
This platform started its work in 2015, as the main action of the European Commission in the framework of the e-learning programme.
eTwinning is co-funded by Erasmus+, the European Education, Training, Youth and Sports Programme since 2014.

The eTwinning portal is available in 28 languages, https://www.etwinning.net, and offers news from eTwinning countries, professional development opportunities, recognition information, and examples of successful projects.

By accessing eTwinning, teachers can access:

eTwinning Live
A space where teachers can experience all the possibilities of the eTwinning community. Teachers can find other registered eTwinners and schools, connect with them and track their activities. Teachers can access all online and offline events organized by eTwinning, and can also set up their events.
Through eTwinning Live teachers can create their projects, where they can set up a range of activities on different topics and key competencies by collaborating with two or more teachers and their students.
Teachers can find online professional development opportunities that eTwinning offers at the European level.
Learning events are short, intense, and enjoyable courses that introduce teachers to topics, stimulate ideas, and help them develop their skills. Learning events usually last from 4-to 6 hours.
Online seminars are one-hour live video sessions where teachers have the opportunity to learn and discuss a variety of topics.
Teachers can also join eTwinning Groups - virtual places where eTwinners meet and discuss various topics and other areas of interest. There are 14 groups coordinated by the Central Support Service and moderated by experienced eTwinners.

TwinSpace
Where eTwinning projects take place is TwinSpace, a secure part of the eTwinning platform, visible only to teachers participating in the project.
Students may also be invited to TwinSpace to meet with participants from partner schools.

Network goals:

The purpose of the eTwinning network is to enable teachers across Europe to develop professionally, to develop and implement school projects together, exchange ideas and examples of good practice, connect students, and enrich teaching.

Who is it for:

The eTwinning platform is intended only for staff working in school and preschool institutions (teachers, principals, librarians, pedagogues, psychologists, etc.)
Before starting to use this platform, every teacher or educator needs to register on the eTwinning portal, create their profile and join the eTwinning community.

Benefits:

Collaboration:
One of the most important elements of eTwinning is the collaboration between teachers, students, schools, parents, and local authorities. In eTwinning teachers work together and organize activities for their students. They play an active role, communicate, explore, make decisions, respect each other and learn 21st-century skills. eTwinning projects contribute to each team member.

Professional Development:
eTwinning offers the opportunity for free learning events and online seminars led by experts in various fields! You can also learn from your peers through online events, professional development workshops, and thematic and annual conferences.

Recognitions:
In eTwinning, the teacher's work is important and deserves to be published and recognized locally, nationally, and throughout Europe. eTwinning recognizes the work of teachers, students, and schools through:

  ● National and European quality labels,
  ● eTwinning European Awards,
  ● eTwinning schools and
  ● eTwinning portfolio.

Facts and figures about the network:

eTwinning started in 2005, and since then more than 220,000 schools and 900,000 teachers have made eTwinning the most attractive community of teachers in the world, with more than 124,000 projects and millions of students of all ages involved.

Currently, eTwinning includes European Union countries, as well as Northern Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia, and Turkey, and seven European Neighborhood countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. as well as part of the Eastern Partnerships, Tunisia and Jordan, which are part of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.
eTwinning is an integral part of the EU Erasmus+ programme, and its main objectives are to help teachers create collaborative projects with colleagues from other countries to engage in professional development activities.

In Northern Macedonia, it has been included in eTwinning since 2014, and at the moment, the following are included:

  ● 2366 teachers
  ● 494 schools
  ● 3475 projects

(that number changes daily).

Link to the official website of the network:

https://www.etwinning.net/

"eTwinning activities in the school where I am employed are very accepted, which is evidenced by the many successful projects and participation in online workshops and seminars that enable the professional development of the teacher. As an eTwinning Ambassador, I contribute to teachers and students through these projects "They collaborate, explore, develop creativity and imagination, make decisions, respect each other and learn 21st-century skills."
Olgica Bajaldzieva - eTwinning Ambassador at the Primary School "Petar Pop Arsov", Skopje

“eTwinning is an educational platform for the present and the future. Through the eTwinning platform, I connected with teachers and students from all over Europe, virtually entered the classrooms of many teachers, and learned many new teaching methods and techniques. Through the eTwinning platform, I found new partners for Erasmus projects and thus learned the values and cultures in Europe. For me and my students, eTwinning is part of the most exciting learning community in Europe. "eTwinning has made me a better person, a better teacher, and an equal citizen of Europe."
Gabriela Ilievska - Primary School "Joakim Krchovski", Kriva Palanka

School educational gateway (SEG)

Another platform that is rich in e-content is the School educational gateway (SEG). SEG is a European online school education platform, currently available in 23 languages from the European Union, designed to provide teachers with everything they need in terms of information, professional development, peer support, networking, joint projects, mobility opportunities, and an overview of country policies, etc.
In addition to the community of teachers, the SEG user base includes all parties involved in Erasmus+ activities, such as educational institutions and organizations, policymakers, national authorities; NGOs; enterprises; etc.
Because the website is public, it is accessible to anyone (including non-EU countries). This broad scope is expected to improve the links between policy and practice in European school education, as well as to help promote a policy based on the reality of what is happening in schools and the needs of the labor market. SEG offers a wide range of content, such as good European project practices, monthly blogs, video interviews with European school education experts; online courses for teachers to better cope with the thematic challenges of the classes, resources such as teaching materials, tutorials, and European textbooks for schools, information on school education policies; thematic news and events, etc. Offers special tools to support teachers and school staff in finding training and opportunities for mobility and professional development (on-site courses, on-the-job training, training courses, etc.), which can be funded under Erasmus+ Key Action 1.

Link from official website:
https://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/en/pub/index.htm