Precious eTwinning collaboration and friendship

In November 2004, I met Nada Kadlecova on the European schoolnet.We started exchanging letters and agreed to begin an etwinning project,which was a completely new and ambitious European programme.

Very soon ,our headmasters ,our students and some colleagues got involved in it, very successfully.The results of this etwinning collaboration are many and various.Not only for us personally, but for the whole school community ,as well.

My students were very curious ,in the beginning, to correspond with the Czech students.So far, they have learnt a lot about the other European country and go on learning about it and about the life there.They realized that there are diffrerences but similarities, as well, between the two countries.The etwinning programme gave them the opportunity to come in contact with other ways of thinking and other habits.They have been motivated, on a high level, to study English,so to write and speak English well.Also,they started using computers more often and became more aware of these tools.Recently ,we have usedforum as ameans of expressing their ideas on topics set by my partner.They got enthusiastic with the whole idea and they would like to use it more often,although there are technical problems at school,a lot of times.

I,myself,took up computing lessons to be able to use ICT tools better than I could do.Definitely ,I got improved a lot and still, I do.Communicating with my etwin sister,Nada, through ICT tools,I became familiar with Czech culture, educational system and everyday life.

We have, so far, sent each other photographs of us ,of the students,of the etwinned colleagues and of the school building ,too. So ,all this etwin dream has got a part of reality.The persons of the partner school,Gymnasium of Ceska Lipa, have got flesh and bones.The eagerness, to go on cooperating with them, became a desire to continue and to meet them one day!!!!!!at our school or at theirs!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely, I consider myself very lucky being involved in the etwinning project with my skillful czech partner.As the time goes on my students ask more and more ,to come in contact with their Czech schoolmates and this is the biggest reward for me. Their happy smiling faces when they read the letters. The greek colleagues are getting and getting more curious to know how things are in the etwin partner school.

I strongly believe that it is worthwhile going on it,as long as it depends on us.
Etwinning was and still is a challenge to me.It led me to new educational paths and it keeps on leading me, with the continuous help of my partner, to a personal and professional development