What's going on in Austria

Are you interested in getting involved in an eTwinning project with a school in Austria? To learn about how eTwinning is working in Austria, we recently talked to Martin Gradl and Michaela Nindl, two members of the NSS team for eTwinning in Austria.

How does education in Austria differ from other countries in Europe?
The Austrian school system consists of two basic types of schools: general-education schools and vocational schools. General-education schools provide education from grades 1 to 8. In grade 9, the school system is divided into general-education schools and vocational schools. The general-education schools comprise general compulsory schools as well as academic secondary schools. Compulsory education in Austria lasts for nine years and special attention is being paid to the social integration of children with special needs.

A unique aspect of Austrian education is the presence of pre-vocational learning, or Polytechnische Schule, which lasts one year (grade 9). All students intending to learn a profession directly after their compulsory schooling attend a Polytechnische Schule. Finally, kindergarten for pupils aged 3-6 is not part of the school system in Austria.

How is ICT being implemented in Austria?
In Austria, eTwinning has been integrated into the National Agency for Lifelong Learning. eTwinning helps teachers involved to get a better understanding of the potential of ICT as a teaching and learning tool. Furthermore eTwinning encourages Austrian teachers to build ICT confidence and skills. The ministry of education supports ICT in various ways, and some current Austrian eLearning and ICT-projects in general compulsory schools include edumoodle, eLSA, Web 2.0, and Projekt TEVALO (Teacher Evaluation online).

How has eTwinning impacted Austria since it was launched in January 2005?
As eTwinning is an easy and non-bureaucratic way to run a European project, more and more Austrian schools and kindergartens have been registering since 2005. At the moment, approximately 400 Austrian schools and kindergartens are involved in eTwinning which has been part of the Comenius programme since September 2007. The Comenius programme seeks to develop understanding of and between various European cultures through exchanges and cooperation between schools in different countries – these experiences foster personal development, skills and competences, and cultivate the notion of European citizenship. Many Austrian schools and kindergartens have used eTwinning to start and support Comenius partnerships as well as to guarantee the sustainability of Comenius partnerships.

What kind of projects are Austrian schools most often interested in?
A lot of Austrian eTwinning projects cover themes such as traditions, lifestyles, maths, science and language learning. We noticed that language teachers in Austria use eTwinning as a tool to teach foreign languages in a modern and authentic way. Furthermore, in many Austrian school projects based on intercultural learning play an important role. eTwinning as a modern communication tool connects eLearning and intercultural learning in a perfect way. Many art and culture projects were launched in line with the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008.

Are there special eTwinning activities going on in Austria?
The NSS offers eTwinning training sessions in all regions of the country. Furthermore, common events and workshops are organised along with other Comenius actions. To promote eTwinning, the NSS also produced an eTwinning video, which you can download at www.etwinning.at. Meetings with all ambassadors take place twice a year and this autumn two regional workshops are planned with the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Do you have any advice for teachers who wish to twin up with schools in Austria?
Even if Austria wasn’t able to win the 2008 European Football Championship, we enjoyed hosting so many teams from all over Europe and celebrating together. Austrian teachers and pupils are very interested in intercultural projects and like to learn about different cultures. Beyond Mozart and Sacher, there is much to discover in an eTwinning project with a partner from Austria!

Are you interested in getting involved in an eTwinning project with a school in Austria?
Learn more about Austria by having a look at the information on its eTwinning projects and website.