eTwinning portal tools
External tools

eTwinning portal tools

TwinSpace

The TwinSpace is a collaborative workspace developed specifically for eTwinning activities. All schools registered in eTwinning have a private workspace on the web which can be used to collaborate with partners. The TwinSpace is available from the personal desktop.

The TwinSpace is a forum where files, documents and links can be shared between partners. It has an internal messaging system and chat room where teachers and students communicate in a closed network. It is browser-based and works with all operating systems.

A lot of precautions have been taken to make sure that the TwinSpace is a safe virtual environment. Several levels of security have been implemented in order ensure that schools can communicate and work together on this.

More information

See published TwinSpaces

External tools

Blogging

A blog is a personal web space, a journal, a diary, a space for schools or interest groups that can be used to describe activities and progress in a project. Anything, starting from ideas, news, links to pictures and videos, can be published.

You can set up a team blog and use it as a platform for collaboration in your partnership. Your students can contribute and comment on the items posted on the blog. Blogs are browser-based and work with all operating systems.

The Central Support Service (CSS) now offers a blog for registered schools in eTwinning. If you are interested in having your own blog, please send an email to thomas.maier@eun.org so that an account will be set up. You will be notified when it is ready to use.

You can also use these free blogging services:

• Blogger
• Typepad
• Blogsome
• LiveJournal
• MSN Spaces
• WordPress
• Schoolrack

Practice example:

• Aliva - First eTwinning blog about river aggressions, writing about the influence of human activities on rivers.

More information:

• Presentation by Conor Galvin, eTwinning, Pedagogical Advisor Group (pdf, EN)
• Presentation by Thomas Maier, eTwinning Central Support Service (pdf, EN)
  

MagazineFactory

MagazineFactory is a versatile concept for developing web magazines for various purposes and contexts. The web magazine may be a single project, or a magazine which is edited continuously throughout the school year. MagazineFactory is a free, easy and enjoyable publishing tool which provides the teachers and the pupils an opportunity to work as editorial staff in the class and to publish a web magazine of their own. The teacher is the editor-in-chief, while the pupils are journalists.

To use the MagazineFactory, you have to be registered with eTwinning. Contact the European Schoolnet (Thomas Maier) to get an account. The tools will then be available from the eTwinning Desktop.

Click here (EN, pdf) for more information.

Practice examples:
• http://www2.edu.fi/magazinefactory/magazines/Cyberpaper/?str=40 (a lot of articles, a real class log).
• http://www2.edu.fi/magazinefactory/magazines/EyeSpyEurope/?str=40 (includes a nice image gallery).
• http://www2.edu.fi/magazinefactory/magazines/projectmyweek/ (country information written by students)
• http://www2.edu.fi/magazinefactory/magazines/Picture_of_the_Country/ (information related to culture, country and other things from the countries in the project).
• Gallery project: European Classrooms/Colourful classrooms.

ChatFiti Wideboard

Wideboards are large, virtual two-dimensional surfaces on which any type of object can be placed. All users see changes on the board online in real time.  A board is persistent, which means that it keeps its objects until the board owner erases it. The board is web-based and platform independent (Java), and also runs on PDAs (personal computers) and mobile phones.

To use the ChatFiti wideboard, you have to be registered with eTwinning. Contact the European Schoolnet (Thomas Maier) to get an account. The tools will then be available from the eTwinning Desktop.

Click here for a short manual.

Click here to download a demo.

Practice example:
• http://macg4.eun.org/~thomas/CPerrier/ (Language teaching and correcting text).
• Gallery project: Génie du lieu et culture européenne

MEDIA SYNCHRONE

MEDIA SYNCHRONE is web-based software for easy production and publishing of rich media and open-content materials. You can work on a variety of media components in any format: Audio, pictures, power point presentation, existing video files, and texts linked with resources, web links, etc.

MEDIA SYNCHRONE does automatically technical tasks such as encoding, digitization and on-line publishing. The user does not need to have knowledge about formats, conversion, standards, etc.

To get started, you have to be registered with eTwinning. Contact the European Schoolnet (Thomas Maier) to get an account. You will then be able to download client software.

Click here (EN, pdf) for more information or contact an official distributor (e-mail).

Click here (zip file) to download a demo.

Practice examples (real-time player needed):
• http://www.mediasynchrone.com/clips/?id=GJYcgTpMZJxx&0=zip
• http://www.mediasynchrone.com/clips/?id=aHNzAmorppU4&0=stream

Pod casting

Pod casting is the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the internet using either RSS or Atom syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers. A pod cast is a web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to subscribe to, and also the content of that feed. Pod casters' web sites also may offer direct download of their files, but the subscription feed of automatically delivered new content is what distinguishes a pod cast from a simple download or real-time streaming.

Pod casting's essence is about creating content (audio or video) for an audience that wants to listen when they want, where they want, and how they want (definition from Wikipedia, February 2006, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting)

Get an overview of podcasting and more information on finding educational pod casts, listening or subscribing to pod casts, creating a pod cast or other tutorials.

Practice examples:

To listen and see the examples, you need iTunes on your computer, download it here).

• http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=80651635&s=143444
• http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=73872926&s=143444
• http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=73329509&s=143444
• http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=79359115
• http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=74846441
• http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=80600406

Video pod cast:
• http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=117355250

Contact: Thomas Maier