eTwinning and its early impact on Moldovan teachers

The eTwinning educational platform was launched in Moldova in March 2013 and since then, it never ceased to amaze the Moldovan teachers with its numerous possibilities of development – professional development for teachers and educational development for their students.

But what is special about this educational platform? Why is it so important for the education system in general? What’s the impact on Moldovan teachers and students?
The eTwinning educational platform is a safe environment. Among eTwinners you can see only teachers. All the teachers are checked by their National Support Service before being registered on the platform. Students may take part in projects as members, being registered by their teachers in a certain project. Thus, everything the teachers post there is safe and restricted to a certain audience, unless made public. The projects to take part in are selected and/ or initiated by the teachers, according to the interests, age range, subjects,etc.

For the education system, eTwinning is very important. First of all, in Moldova project-based learning and teaching is still new,it is at its beginnings, and Moldovan teachers strive to get used to it. It is not that simple to integrate the projects into the curriculum, but still, it is not impossible. “Where there’s a wish, there’s a way.” There is a wide range of professional courses on the platform, called “learning events”. They refer to various subjects and topics, mostly tackling the 21st century skills, IT literacy (necessary to both teachers and students for working on projects), curriculum, etc. These learning events have as moderators well-trained experts whose expertise and wish to learn and create beautiful things are simply contagious! For the Moldovan teachers, as eTwinning Plus members, the access to these events is not simple and direct, but it is possible! I am simply in love with the 10-day courses organized on eTwinning! You have to dedicate enough time to submit all the necessary tasks, but the effort is worth it. You need a lifetime to try everything you study during a single course!
Secondly, the Moldovan PSA organizes short schools (usually on vacantion) for the Moldovan eTwinners, to teach them useful things for working in eTwinning projects, such as online tools for creating, collaborating, presentation,etc. At the end, teachers get certificates.
Thirdly, there are international seminars organized by eTwinning from time to time. Some of the most active Moldovan eTwinners may get invitations to take part in these events. The contact seminars give teachers the possibilities to interact and get to know eTwinners from other contries, establish professional partnerships in projects, and, why not, long-lasting friendships.

For the Moldovan students eTwinning is a whole new world to be explored. As non-EU citizens, our students are so eager to know foreign students, to see how they live and learn, to make friendships. An eTwinning project implies collaboration with the project partners, and our students have to interact. They learn many interesting things and like to learn from their partners. As they have to create final products using online tools, they learn how to make use of them from their teachers, and vice-versa. Teach and student learn from each other and together create amazing things. I can definitely say that at the end of the school year what my students remember from my English classes is the participation in projects, the experience gained in the process and loads of memories in photos, videos, etc. The students do not feel estranged from other European students anymore. The classroom has no walls – it is the globalization of learning through teachers, students, technology and …eTwinning!
In the digital era, it would be a pity to limit the possibilities of teachers and students to learn from peers around the world! Why use social media just for entertainment, when there’s enough place to use them in the classroom? Why limit communication to the walls of a classroom, when there are so many possibilities to get online with a teacher and students in another country, drinking tea together and discussing the weather or any other topic, relevant to the curriculum needs? Why should we be limited and separated, when there is eTwinning to help us learn and make headway?!