E-journal bridges for foreign language learning

	Teachers of any foreign language and their pupils, from at least two different countries, work together and create an e-journal (a common on-line diary, newspaper or magazine).

This project aims mainly at encouraging language learning and intercultural dialogue. Pupils should learn how to write collaboratively, with both their classmates and partners abroad, and publish articles on-line.

Age group: 10 - 19
Duration: from one month up to one school year or even more
Tools: Any publishing tool: for example the Twinspace (websites, folders, files) or Comp@ct e-journal (an on-line magazine creation tool for schools); word processing, email, digital camera and Internet
Subject/s: Foreign languages, Language and Literature, Europe, History/Traditions, Geography, Informatics/ICT

Pedagogical objectives:

• to develop writing and reading skills in a foreign language;
• to develop collaborative writing and proof-reading skills;
• to develop critical thinking skills when looking for, selecting and organizing relevant information on the chosen topic;
• to write different types of articles (interview, news, reportage, photo-reportage, advertisement, survey, essay, review, announcement, …);
• to get familiar with the job of a journalist: rights and duties of journalists; respecting author’s rights;
• to learn basic web writing and graphical design rules;
• to take digital pictures and use them in articles;
• to use ICT collaborative tools for publishing, editing, commenting and, if available, rating articles;
• to communicate efficiently with both classmates and partners abroad;
• to develop their inter-cultural skills.
  

Process

1. Getting started:

A/ suggested check-list for teachers

• agree on the involved pupils’ age and level of foreign language knowledge;
• try to link both the topics and the type of articles to the foreign language curricula in both countries;
• agree on time lines and on ICT tools used in the project;
• share their ideas on how to teach a foreign language through collaborative writing and reading;
  suggest activities and exercises, which will enable their pupils to write articles in a foreign language (some activities available from links bellow);
• Depending on the age and the maturity of pupils, the teachers decide on how much freedom the pupils will get in the e-journal creation process and on how complex their e-journal will be;
• decide on the ways of pupils ‘collaboration:
• pupils write the article within their own school and, once published on-line, they share and discuss it with partners abroad;
• they work on the article with their partners abroad since the beginning;
• they work individually, in pairs or in groups; pairs or groups are either mono-lingual, formed within the same school, or multi-lingual, within the partnership.
• younger pupils get help from older pupils within the same school.
• learn to use the publishing tools like the Twinspace or Comp@ct e-journal, available at http://ejournal.eduprojects.net/index.php?output=FrontPage, and other ICT tools needed for the project (word processing, email, digital camera and Internet);
• plan the guidelines and hands-on activities on the use of e-journal software for their pupils;
  explain the way of working and the purpose of the project to their pupils. It is crucial to involve them as much as possible.

B/ suggested check-list for pupils

• get familiar with the ICT tools needed for the project;
• get organized for information collection and collaborative writing process. They either work with their classmates or their partners from abroad. With the help of their teacher, they decide on who will be responsible for which task (information collection, writing the draft, taking pictures, handling ICT tools, proof-reading, etc.)
• decide on the sections of their e-journal and agree on them with their classmates/partners (e.g. From my school, Everyday life in my country, Social problems in my country, Sports, etc.);
• choose relevant topics for their articles and agree on them with their classmates/partners. The topics can go from general ones (culture, costumes, everyday life, habits, holidays, etc.) for younger pupils or beginners at foreign language to specific and more challenging ones (politics, social life, culture, art, etc.) for older or linguistically more advanced pupils.
• choose the journalistic approach according to the topic and their capacities (interview, news, reportage, photo-reportage, advertisement, survey, essay, review, announcement, …);
• acquire language skills needed for their task: via reading and working on similar types of articles written by professional journalists, studying the vocabulary related to the topic, etc.
  

2. Collecting and sorting the information

• Pupils find, select and organize material on the chosen topic (via Internet and/or library);
• They brainstorm their ideas and prepare drafts of the article, respecting the journalistic approach they have chosen;
• They decide on the layout of the article and on the pictures, which will illustrate the ideas expressed in the text;
• Teachers monitor pupils´ work, guide them through the process and help them cope with challenges of collaborative writing in a foreign language.
  

3. Publishing articles

• When writing the final version of the article, pupils take into account the comments made by the other members of the team concerning the quality of the language, content, layout and pictures;
• They quote the sources of information provided in the article properly;
• Pupils insert the article in the Twinspace or in Comp@ct e-journal environment;
• Finally, teachers as administrators make their articles public;

4. Learning with and from each other

• Pupils read their partners’ or other teams’ articles;
• They exchange comments and, if working in Comp@ct environment, rate them. They consider the quality of the language, content, layout and the relevance of the pictures;
• The articles are put together into an on-line e-journal, if the tool used allows it. They decide and agree on e-journal design (logo, front page). They organize available articles according to the sections they agreed on at the beginning;
• They try to find common features and differences in the perception of the chosen topic in their countries.

Outcome/s:

• Articles in a foreign language published on-line;
• E-journal, with an organized structure and containing articles written by all teams involved.
  

Follow-up options:

• Pupils may decide to create a paper version of their magazine. They learn about the differences between on-line and paper magazines;
• They may create a real cover for their e- or paper journal with the help of the application available for free at http://flagrantdisregard.com/flickr/magazine.php
• They may translate the most interesting articles in their mother tongue, publish them on the school website or print them, and make available at school or in local community.

Useful links:

Examples:

http://ejournal.eduprojects.net/Bridges/ (in English) - an example of e-journal in English created in Comp@ct environment, in the framework of eTwinning, by Slovenian and Portuguese pupils.

http://ejournal.eduprojects.net/index.php?output=FrontPage() (in English) – here, on Comp@ct web site, you find some more examples of e-journals, created by schools in Europe, and an on-line magazine creation and publication tool for schools.

http://www.lehrer-online.de/dyn/9.asp?path=/emag (in German) - a pedagogical guide based on an example of e-journal in German, Slovak and English created in the framework of eTwinning by a German and a Slovak school.

Worksheets and advice:

http://www.onestopenglish.com/Culture/lessons-English-teaching/elt_esl_lessons.htm (in English) - activities for EFL lessons (intermediate and advanced level) based on articles published in The Guardian Weekly.

http://www.francparler.org/fiches/presse_sommaire.htm (in French) - pedagogical guide on the use of press in the classroom, on writing articles and creating magazines in lessons of French as a foreign language. It can be a source of inspiration for any other language.

http://www.cafebabel.com/en/default.asp (in en, fr, de, es, it, ca) - a European web magazine based on principles of participatory journalism. University students from all over Europe contribute to it. Here, you can find advice on how to write for an international web magazine.

Similar projects:
http://www.omarlecheri.net/index.htm (in French) - a website run by the French association Omar le Cheri, supported by the French Ministery of Education, which aims at increasing the curiosity in pupils by turning them into young reporters. Pedagogical help for teachers is provided. It focuses on the Mediterranean area but all European schools can join in.

http://membres.lycos.fr/lemarquepage/ (in French) - Le Marque Page suggest topics (science, reportages, daily life, etc.) and allows publishing articles by French speaking pupils.

http://www.ethnokids.net/index.php (in French) - the website of the French association Ethnokids, where pupils learn to write articles about their country and perceive cultural diversity. They offer pedagogical help.

Original idea: Viljenka Šavli (Solkan Primary School, Slovenia), viljenka.savli@guest.arnes.si
Adapted by: Kateřina Bavorová

	Web redaktors:	Katerina Bavorova

	Publicēts :	28/09/2005

	Pēdējo reizi mainīts :	11/03/2007

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