Brussels, 5 February 2010
Nearly 500 teachers are meeting in Seville to celebrate the fifth anniversary of eTwinning, an action that creates online communities of teachers and schools across Europe. Through eTwinning, over 85 000 teachers from across Europe work together in international school activities involving more than 50 000 schools in 32 European countries. In the five years of its existence, eTwinning has grown from being a partner-finding tool for teachers to become a rich, Europe-wide community of teaching and learning (www.etwinning.net). On 5 February, a prize ceremony is being held for 37 schools from 21 countries that are the top winners of this year’s eTwinning Awards for excellence in eTwinning.
This year’s annual conference in Seville marks the fifth anniversary of eTwinning. Over the three days of the conference (5 - 7 February), teachers from thirty-two countries in Europe, as well as national and European representatives, will take stock of the initiative. eTwinning makes the most of Web 2.0 tools to promote -
• project work with pupils,
• online communities for teachers, and
• numerous opportunities for professional development.
Odile Quintin, the European Commission’s Director-General for Education and Culture, will open the conference. She congratulated the many thousands of dedicated teachers for their contributions to this innovative education tool: “eTwinning is a true community of practice, learning, excellence and innovation in education both at the European level and worldwide. The teachers participating in eTwinning have shown how powerful the learning experience can be for children when it is enriched through international collaboration, cultural and linguistic exchange using twenty-first century tools.”
On 5 February, the top eTwinning projects will be awarded prizes for their excellence in eTwinning during the 2008-2009 school year. The awards come in three age categories (4-11, 12-15 and 16-19) and four thematic categories (Spanish language, French language, Maths & Science, and Creative use of Digital Media). In total, 37 schools from 21 countries came away as the top winners. The prizes for the age category winners are participation in the eTwinning Camp (to be held in April/May), and the special categories winners receive school equipment and professional development opportunities.
The eTwinning action is coordinated by European Schoolnet on behalf of the European Commission.
Contacts:
John Macdonald : +32.2.295.52.67 / John.MACDONALD@ec.europa.eu
Sophie Andersson : +32.2.295.02.08 / Sophie.ANDERSSON@ec.europa.eu
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