Using the TwinSpace

	Your eTwinning project has just been approved and you are eager to start. Your ideas about the project may be more or less clear but why not try and use the TwinSpace to carry it out?

The TwinSpace is a multilingual tool designed specifically for eTwinning projects. Through a variety of tools, how you decide to use your TwinSpace is completely up to you! You can use it as a base for all communication and project activities, a showcase of project outcomes or simply a location to store all documentation.

To see what you can do in the TwinSpace, search among the public TwinSpaces.

What is the TwinSpace? Why should I use it?

The TwinSpace is a virtual “classroom” where eTwinning partnerships run their projects. Created as a collaborative tool specifically for eTwinning, it is designed to match eTwinners’ needs. Among its various capabilities, the TwinSpace is:

• Multilingual: the interface is translated into twenty-two languages spoken in countries eligible for eTwinning, which makes the tool much easier to use for both teachers and pupils;
• Safe: access to the TwinSpace is protected by a password and accessible only to people invited by the project administrators (usually the teachers who have founded the partnership). This means that your pupils can work in a safe environment without the risk of meeting unknown persons or harmful content;
• User-friendly: the TwinSpace is aimed at users who are not computer experts. It is designed to be straightforward and easy for anyone who has basic computer skills;
• Project-oriented: It is tailor-made to provide all the necessary planning, communication and publishing functions to run a good collaborative project.

How can I use it?

There is no ‘one way’ to work with the TwinSpace; partnerships can use it in many ways, such as:

• a Staffroom: where partner teachers talk and prepare activities for pupils
• a Classroom: where teachers invite pupils and carry out their project
• a Portfolio: where partners collect their most important documents, outcomes and links
• a Showroom: where project outcomes are accessible to the public (i.e., making your TwinSpace public) 

You are not required to use all the tools available in the TwinSpace. You can choose those that match your teaching needs and your and your pupils’ skills. Before using the TwinSpace tools, you should test them and learn how they work. There are detailed guidelines on the use of the TwinSpace. Here, we are going to suggest some possible uses of the TwinSpace tools but never be afraid to experiment and be creative!

• Rules and Netiquette – establish base rules
• Plan – set out your project plan
• Communicate – discuss with your team
• Work together and be organised – manage your work, photos and files
• Share – invite others and publish your work
  

	Web Editor:	Katerina Bavorova

	Published :	13/03/2007

	Last changed :	23/08/2007

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