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We are all ambassadors, but if we want to become the best Ambassadors, then we need training-that's OK! I've always believed in life-long learning and eTwinning is the best community for that! My learning diary, as you can see, began 3 years ago, with the European Academy courses, which I partcipated in with success, and all of these have given me a good basic preparation in innovative teaching and using ICT successfully in the classroom. I think that this has contributed to my success in eTwinning projects, and me becoming ambassador in July 2016.
Good Luck to everybody!

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"Brick by brick, a wall of learning is constructed"

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It's a looooong story! I come from the south of the world...precisely from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. That makes me a native English speaker, but am really a pure-blood Italian, so I actually am bi-lingual. After having gotten a degree in Science Honours with majors in Biochemistry and Microbiology, we (my family) decided to go back to our roots, so as you can see from the zeemap location, I'm currently living in a place called San Nicola la Strada, which is quite close to Caserta, Italy. I'm the little sunflower! I've been teaching since 1992, but only in the first two years I taught science. Afterwards, with the school reform and the opportunity to teach conversation in English, I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone and changed route. Conversation offers teachers the opportunity to be creative, teach health and fitness topics (which I'm currently in love with) and so use my scientific background, and of course technology in the classroom which I've patiently harvested over the years. At the ripe old age of ..... (I'm not telling you that!), I'm continually doing courses to keep update with teaching and technology...so here I am!

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I teach in 2 high schools: a language school close to where I live, and another one which is a bit further away. My classes go from 14 year olds (1st year high school) to 19 year olds (5th year high school), the latter who sit for the Italian leaving exam specialising in foreign languages, Spanish, French and English of course. With the 2nd last school reform (we have a lot of them lately!), for every foreign language class we have 2 teachers: an Italian who has a degree in that language and who teaches grammar and literature, and a native speaker, a person who comes from the foreign language country, who doesn't have to have a degree in languages, and teaches them the practical part of language learning....pronunciation, fluency, culture and traditions.

Each classroom, or at least the majority of them, has access to an interactive whiteboard, but because of slow internet speeds, a lot of teachers prefer to bring USB sticks with lesson resources uploaded on them. I'm one of the latter. Each school has access to a language laboratory, but only one the my schools has a modern one. The other school has prehistoric PC workstations for students and a very unreliable internet connection. So as you can see, the technological situation is very daunting, but that doesn't stop me from using smartphones, mine and the students, personal PCs or tablets, which teachers bring very often. It hasn't stopped us from doing many Comenius multilateral projects and nowadays, eTwinning partnerships, which have given us the satisfaction of winning 2 eTwinning quality labels, and last of all, a European quality label!

Below is a photo gallery of one of the Comenius meetings we hosted:

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Yes,
things went decidedly well in the etwinning Live Quiz! 100%

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Am I becoming repetitive? Another full score-100%! I'm joking, I'll never get tired of the best!

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I'm proud of myself:

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It's a good way to start

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just registered for the app "Learner Designer". It seems to have a lot of potential-I think teachers prepare lessons subconsciously, and things go awry when they enter the classroom, especially if there are groups of unruly students. The potential of this resource is more of a self-reflection on how to get the aim of the lesson across to the youngsters, but also to stimulate in them an enquiry-based learning attitude!

http://learningdesigner.org/

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Questions to reflect upon:

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M1.1 My impressions on the Introductory video

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M1.1 My impressions on the Introductory video

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Yes, I said it...there are still a lot of doubts as to how to reach the objectives...my schools are a long way off!

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My impression on the video:

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M1.3 Game-based Learning for Teaching Foreign Languages

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M1.3 Game-based Learning for Teaching Foreign Languages

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Definitely...

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M1.4 Using Game Maker and Flash to teach programming and creativity

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M1.4 Using Game Maker and Flash to teach programming and creativity

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Here, I'm definitely repeating myself:

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1.5 Using a Smartboard to teach literacy and numeracy

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1.5 Using a Smartboard to teach literacy and numeracy

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Finally, I can show off my experience... :))

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It's better for ICT teachers:

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My personal reality:

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2.2 What are the principles of effective teacher self-assessment?

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2.2 What are the principles of effective teacher self-assessment?

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They sound good but...

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2.3 How can teacher self-assessment support innovative TET?

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2.3 How can teacher self-assessment support innovative TET?

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Time-consuming, but useful...

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2.4 A Greek primary physical education teacher’s experience of self and peer assessment

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2.4 A Greek primary physical education teacher’s experience of self and peer assessment

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Being objective without recriminations...

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(Please also see the dedicated forum: http://www.europeanschoolnetacademy.eu/web/introducing-technology-enhanced-teaching/forum/-/message_boards/message/1420009) and see Powtoon below.

1) What was the added value of using technology for this teaching/learning task? What did it enable me/my students to effectively do?
I added the element of surprise to the traditional first year student presentation of their teacher. The students responded with interest to the Powtoon.
2) Did I effectively integrate the technology into my lesson plan, linking it clearly to the learning objectives and syllabus?
Not only was presenting myself done effectively through the Powtoon app, but the Smartboard used for the presentation was reused to pick out useful expressions and new words for my language students. I also used the Powtoon to clearly state my prime objectives for learning English for the year.
3) Was the technology used to its full potential, and did I and my students have the sufficient digital skills to benefit from it? If not, why not, and how might I make sure this is the case in the future?
Full potential, I don't think so, because there are more advanced features of the app that we haven't investigated yet, but in time we could improve. I had sufficient skills because I was able to integrate voice-over using audacity, but the students were only able to use the templates to make their own presentations without voice-over. However this could be taught given the time (which is difficult to find)
4) Did the technology support learner choice and personalized learning? Did students use the technology to manage their own learning, by choosing the appropriate resources or tools to support their work?
Yes, definitely. The students who decided to make the presentation with Powtoon, were able to personalise the templates to their liking, and they were free to add any transcript they wished without any limitation. They were definitely very creative and funny.
5) Did the way I use the technology allow the learner to be a co-designer of their learning, and not only a consumer but also a producer?
The presentations were very different which reflected the personality of the student...a very rewarding experience! Each student became their own director.
6) Did my use of the technology allow my students to go beyond learning traditional subject-based competences and develop more transversal 21st century skills such as collaborative problem solving?
Well, I'm not sure about that for all the students, because my student context is very dishomogeneous with regards to digital skills, but at least a third of the class demonstrated having developed new competences in the use of diverse apps for presenting. Collaborative problem solving, no because the activity was directed towards a personal competence.
7) Did I allow enough time for students to work with the technology, and what could I have done to make the activity run more smoothly?
I did allow enough time...a week! To make the activity run more smoothly, I wouldn't have dedicated just one hour, I would have needed at least 3 teaching hours for the app, how to use audacity and how to embed the video in a website!
Please feel free to add any other reflections useful for your own learning and to improve your practice next time.

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2.5 A Swedish primary teacher of students 
with speech & language difficulties’ experience of self and peer 
assessment (Part 1)

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2.5 A Swedish primary teacher of students 
with speech & language difficulties’ experience of self and peer 
assessment (Part 1)

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It's really difficult at first, but what isn't...

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2.5 A Swedish primary teacher of students 
with speech & language difficulties’ experience of self and peer 
assessment (Part 1)

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2.5 A Swedish primary teacher of students 
with speech & language difficulties’ experience of self and peer 
assessment (Part 1)

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If at first you don't succeed...

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2.6 A Swedish primary teacher of students 
with speech & language difficulties’ experience of self and peer 
assessment (Part 2)

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2.6 A Swedish primary teacher of students 
with speech & language difficulties’ experience of self and peer 
assessment (Part 2)

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Some personal solutions...

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2.7 An Italian secondary teacher of Italian language, history & geography’s experience of self-assessment

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2.7 An Italian secondary teacher of Italian language, history & geography’s experience of self-assessment

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In this week’s learning activity we’d like you to reflect on the processes of self- and peer-assessment, and to write your reflections in your learning diary. To help you with this, here are some questions to ask yourself:

1) Why and how is self and peer assessment important to me?

For me it's very important because in the last few years I have been involved in various eTwinning projects and this makes you reflect a lot about student goals and outcomes apart from the overall quality of the project. I suppose without it being formalised, there is a lot of peer review among international colleagues which helps you improve your teaching methods and encourage you to use ever so complicated ICT tools!

2) When I have engaged in self and peer assessment about my professional practice in the past, what were the most useful benefits I gained from the processes and outcomes? To answer this question you can reflect on your short self-assessment you did in module 1’s learning activity, and any other self or peer assessment processes you have engaged in.

Italy's education system is very outdated with regards to types of lessons we give to students. There are too many frontal lessons, with very few teachers who use the support of ICT to gain their attention. After 5 or 6 hours sitting in a classroom, I think it impossible for them to keep their ability to interiorise information on any subject...this was the motivating force which led me to reflect on how to interest and keep the students' attention apart from the satisfaction of learning and giving me a professional development which I am now proud of. So now, no more boring frontal lessons where students are just passive audiences...ICT all the way, with an eye to integrating it into the syllabus, and student goal.

3) And what about the aspects I have found most challenging when engaging in self and peer assessment?

It isn't very easy to gauge the learning outcome of the student, and designing a lesson in detail may become awry in the real classroom due to too many things which may go wrong (interruptions; absence of internet connection; rowdy students; absence of electricity!) Self-assessment can become daunting, because not all problems can be blamed on oneself and maybe sometimes I may be too ambitious and don't take into account variables which may give the result of the lesson less than what expected. Peer assessment is nigh impossible in the same school, because there is only 1 type of teacher like me-and in Italy, peer review is a dream. Maybe with encouragement from the Ministry of Eduaction, in future this will be possible if guidelines are created (such as the one in Spain).

4) How often do I take part in self and peer assessment? What stops me from doing this more often (is this due to time constraints, to a lack of knowledge about the benefits or how to go about this effectively, or perhaps a school culture which doesn’t encourage this?) There can be many factors, but identifying what these are will help you think about how you might overcome them to allow yourself the opportunity to benefit more from self and peer assessment.

Self-assessment is a common situation in my classroom practice where I continuously innovate my teaching methods through involvement in eTwinning projects, online courses and exchanges with teachers in Europe (Comenius projects, now Erasmus+, teacher training etc.), but peer assessment isn't a continuous thing, which is missing in Italian schools.

5) Finally, what precise gains do I expect to receive from being involved in self and peer assessment, and how can I ensure I obtain them? And what are my biggest concerns and fears in this regard? How might I find ways to overcome these? Being involved in this course is a good start.

I haven't got any fears about being assessed, because I do my best to keep on top of the ICT world, and if I do get criticised (mainly some parents with well-meaning intentions), I'm not daunted, but my efforts become even more frenetic to reach the maximum quality of teaching practice. Enrolling in online courses such as this one, has been a confirmation that oustside of my country is the best way to put into practice my beliefs.

Self-assessment and peer reviewing offer instruments by which a teacher should be able to continuously improve pedagogical practices and so engage students and maximise lesson learning. Students go from being a passive audience where teacher passes information to students, to students being an active part of the learning process, such as in flipped classrooms.

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I'm proud of my efforts!!! Yoohoo!!!

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Information overload...

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3.2 The Teacher Mentor – Norway’s self-reflection tool

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3.2 The Teacher Mentor – Norway’s self-reflection tool

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It's a start...

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3.3 A primary school teacher of 6 year-old pupils' experience of using the Teacher Mentor

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3.3 A primary school teacher of 6 year-old pupils' experience of using the Teacher Mentor

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Technological Norway...

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M 3.3 impressions on the primary school teacher's reflections

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3.4 A teacher of 10-11 year-old pupils' experience of using the Teacher Mentor

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3.4 A teacher of 10-11 year-old pupils' experience of using the Teacher Mentor

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Mixed feelings...

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Too specific...

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3.6 A teacher of 15-17 year-old students' experience of using the Greek B-Level Assessment Tool

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3.6 A teacher of 15-17 year-old students' experience of using the Greek B-Level Assessment Tool

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Why not combine the two?

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I think this raps it up:

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1b) The next step is for you to comment in your learning diaries about your experience of the tool:

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1b) The next step is for you to comment in your learning diaries about your experience of the tool:

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What is useful and less useful about it?

I don't think there is anything useless about it because after all we are teachers and should be able to relatch the feedback given to our particular field of teaching. There can't be information for everyone, so it is a generalised version of advice given. Of course, sometimes it 's impossible to improve some areas of the survey, because of limitations of schools or countries, but generally I see there is good advice.

What did you find difficult or unclear, and why do you think that is?

Sometimes the decision between a level or another because of overlapping fields, so I think teachers generally choose the level below. Maybe this is good because if we complete every characteristic of that level, we will be improving anyway.

Were you surprised at the levels you reached?

No, I think I am well aware of my general TET proficiency...I don't leave my formation to chance.

Did you find the advice offered useful?

Yes, generally speaking, but as I mentioned earlier, some advice is simply impossible to achieve because of school infrastructures or country culture is lacking.

What will you concretely now do in order to act on this advice to improve your level?
I have to find time...which is lacking!
Set yourself a target by when you will implement these steps and retake the survey to see if you have improved your level.

Some results of the Teacher mentor:

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4.3 The Learning Designer experience of an Italian secondary school teacher of English

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4.3 The Learning Designer experience of an Italian secondary school teacher of English

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4.4 The Learning Designer experience of a Turkish teacher trainer and secondary school language teacher

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4.4 The Learning Designer experience of a Turkish teacher trainer and secondary school language teacher

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4.5 The teacher as peer assessor and assessee

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4.5 The teacher as peer assessor and assessee

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M 4.5 impressions on teacher as peer assessor

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4.6 The peer assessment experience of an Italian secondary school teacher of English

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4.6 The peer assessment experience of an Italian secondary school teacher of English

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4.7 The peer assessment experience of a Turkish teacher trainer and secondary school language teacher

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4.7 The peer assessment experience of a Turkish teacher trainer and secondary school language teacher

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I passed the quiz-first try!

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1. What is it, why teach it and what to focus on?

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1. What is it, why teach it and what to focus on?

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Learning objectives:

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1.3 What to focus on? Cross-curricular skills

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1.3 What to focus on? Cross-curricular skills

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Starter activity: what I like about my school:

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2.2 Developing Collaboration in Computing

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2.2 Developing Collaboration in Computing

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Padlet activity:

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Padlet activity:

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2.4 How to teach computing gender inclusive

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2.4 How to teach computing gender inclusive

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Padlet activity:

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100% as always!

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Padlet activity:

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Padlet activity

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Some links worth following

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Padlet activity:

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For having made a Star Wars videogame

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Mine is based on the production of an interactive Powerpoint to navigate between a story with parallel outcomes:

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1. Use English in a CLIL-like environment 2. Encourage collaboration among peers of differing competences and inclusion of weaker subjects 3. Introduce the use of perserverence, collaboration, visualisation, analytical thinking as a precursor for computational thinking. 4. Use ICT to present their work.

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100% as usual...the course is good as finished!

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After hard work here are my badges:

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Reflect on some recent learning activities you have carried out with your class in the past year, which have included some level of collaboration, and follow these steps:

Select two of these learning activities; one which you think required a low level of collaboration from students, and one which you think required a high level of collaboration from students.

In your Learning Diary, describe each learning activity in no more than 300 words, clearly outlining the aspects related to student collaboration.

In your Learning Diary, explain why you think each activity requires a low or high level of collaboration from students.

In my teaching experience I have conducted some of these activities
Low level of collaboration:
Padlet Activity: In groups of 4/5 write a lexical set for the topic "Travel". Here the activity is none other than a group brainstorming session, but it's a great way to socialise especially if the teacher adds a time-limit and a competition of the highest number of valid expressions within the time-limit. There's fun and no real learning curve but there is a form of peer learning experience.
High Level of collaboration:
Each group of 4/5 students had to collaborate on a different aspect for the production of a video which presented their school and its social-historical context for an eTwinning project. This required a high degree of collaboration because each group was required to contribute with photos, interviews, translations, IT skills to the final product. It was important to observe that each group was responsible for a part of the video, and so the end product was the result of the whole class working together.

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DEVELOPING DIGITAL SKILLS IN YOUR CLASSROOM

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DEVELOPING DIGITAL SKILLS IN YOUR CLASSROOM

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M 1.1 What digital skills are important?

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M 1.1 What digital skills are important?

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M2.1 a Searching the net-types of search engines

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M2.1 a Searching the net-types of search engines

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M2.1 b Searching the net-improving your search

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M2.1 b Searching the net-improving your search

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M2.1 c Searching the net-advanced search

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M2.1 c Searching the net-advanced search

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M2.2 b Things you didn't know about Wikipedia

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M2.2 b Things you didn't know about Wikipedia

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Yoohoo!-100%