Quality label in Romania

 

Quality Label in Georgia

 

Feedback from the Romanian parents

At the end of the project, I asked my students and their parents to fill in the feedback questionnaire I made for them. Here are some of my students' parents' opinions:

"During the eTwinning project "My International Penfriends", my two daughters, who were actively involved in it, learnt more English vocabulary and structures, how to write a letter and an email and how to send it, how to use the computer and look for information and photos on the internet, how to download and save photos, how to write a Word document, how to communicate in English with their peers from abroad. As they communicated with students from other countries from Europe, Asia and Africa, their minds opened and they became more tolerant towards people who are different from them and feel more comfortable to talk  to such people. They both have had lots of fun during the activities and they wish to work in more international projects coordinated by Mrs. Daniela Buda in future."
"Pe parcursul proiectului eTwinning "My International Penfriends", cele doua fiice ale mele, care s-au implicat activ, au invatat mai mult vocabular si mai multe structuri gramaticale in engleza, au invatat cu sa scrie o scrisoare/ un email si cum sa il trimita; cum sa foloseasca calculatorul si sa caute informatii si fotografii pe internet, cum sa descarce poze si sa le salveze; cum sa scrie un document Word, cum sa comunice in engleza cu prietenii lor din strainatate. Cum au comunicat cu copii din multe tari din Europa, Asia si Africa, si-au deschis mintea si au devenit mai tolerante cu persoanele care sunt diferite de ele si sa se simta mai confortabil sa vorbeasca cu ele. Fiicele mele s-au distrat la activitatile din proiect si spera sa poata participa si la alte proiecte internationale coordonate de doamna profesoara Daniela Buda."
Raluca Salajan, parent of Andreea and Stefania Salajan, from grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I can see an improvement in my son's study of English and he also learnt that he can use the internet not only for online games, but also for communicating with people. Participating in such projects helps my son open his mind , meet interesting people from abroad and learn about their cultures, their hobbies and their customs. I think such projects help our children open their minds and horizons, learn about other cultures and civilizations and the beauty of this world. They can learn that, though our cultures and people are different, they can also be similar."
"se vede o imbunatatire in studiul limbii engleza la fiul meu. El a invatat ca se poate folosi internetul  si la comunicare, nu doar la jocuri online. Participarea la astfel de proiecte il ajuta pe fiul meu sa isi deschida mintea, sa intalneasca persoane interesante din alte tari si sa afle lucruri interesante despre culturile lor, despre hobbiurile lor, si despre obiceiurile lor. Cred ca asemenea proiecte ii pot ajuta pe copiii nostri sa isi deschda mintea si orizonturile, sa invete mai multe lucruri despre alte culturi si civilizatii si despre frumusetea acestei lumi. Ei pot invata si faptul ca, desi culturile noastre difera, ele sunt totusi asemanatoare."
Aurora Sitar, parent of Razvan Sitar, from grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"Due to the fact that most activities within this eTwinning project encourage communication in English and the use of IT skills, I think my daughter has improved her skills. Her participation in this project has opened her curiosity to find information about other cultures, about the people and their customs from other countries, which may be different from ours. I think her participating in such international projects is beneficial for her in order to improve her knowledge and her communication skills in future."
"Datorita faptului ca majoritatea activitatilor din proiect incurajeaza dezvoltrea abilitatilor de comunicare si IT, consider ca fiica mea si-a imbunatatit aceste abilitati. Participarea la proiect i-a starnit curiozitatea referitor la alte obiceiuri si culturi diferite de ale noastre. Condider ca participarea la astfel de proiecte internationale este benefica pentru ea pentru a-si imbunatati abilitatile de comunicare si cunostintele in viitor."
Diana Codroiu, parent of Ella Codroiu, from grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania


"I think the way this project helps my son develop his IT and communication skills in English will help my son improve all his skills in studying at school.  He is more open minded and curious to find information about various subjects. And now he knows how to search online for the information he needs."
"Parerea mea este ca modul in care acest proiect imi ajuta copilul sa isi dezvolte abilitatile de comunicare in engleza si IT il ajuta sa isi imbunatateasca toate abilitatile de invatare la scoala.  Are mintea mai deschisa si e mai curios sa gaseasca informatii despre diferite subiecte. Si acum stie si cum sa caute online informatiile de care are nevoie."
parent of Daniel Husti, from grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania


"I think that this project has helped my son improve his English vocabulary and understanding the words in English. This project offers him other perspectives in learning."
"Consider ca acest proiect ii dezvolta fiului mei vocabularul in engleza si il ajuta in intelegerea cuvintelor in engleza. Acest proiect ii ofera si alte perspective de invatare."
parent of Matia Ilies, from grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania


"I think this project helps my son in socialization with his peers and how to use English to communicate. He can also learn more things about other countries, cultures an people and their customs."
"Consider ca acest proiect il ajuta pe fiul meu sa socializeze cu colegii lui si cum sa foloseasca engleza in comunicare. El poate acum sa afle mai multe informatii despre alte tari, culturi, despre alti oameni si obiceiurile lor."
Diana Lobont, parent of Eduard lobont, from grade 3B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I think this project helps my son to develop his skills in communication in English and IT. It is good to learn about other cultures and to interact with people from abroad. Working in such projects is an important step in developing his skills in IT and English".
"Consider ca axcest proiect il ajuta pe fiul meu sa isi dezvolte abilitatile in comunicarea in engleza si dezvoltarea de programe IT. E foarte bine sa cunoasca si alte culturi si sa interactioneze cu oameni din alte tari. Munca in astfel de proiecte este un pas foarte important in a-si dezvolta abilitatile din domeniul IT si engleza."
parent of Carlos Ardelean, from grade 3B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I think this project is good for Carina, as she improved her self-esteem and her courage to communicate with her peers (She is a SEN student). She likes English due to the way her teacher helps her understand and encourages her to communicate."
"Cred ca acest proiect este bun pentru Carina, deoarece ea si-a imbunatatit stima de sine si curajul de a comunica cu colegii sai. (Este eleva cu CES). Carinei ii place de doamna profesoara de engleza deoarece o ajuta sa inteleaga si o incurajeaza sa comunice."
Foster parent of Carina Roman, from grade 4B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania


"I think this project helps my child develop her communication skills and it will be helpful for her if in future she wants to go abroad."
"Parerea mea este ca cest proiect imi ajuta copilul sa isi dezvolte abilitatile de comunicare si o va ajuta daca in viitor va vrea sa mearga in starinatate."
Gherebenes Alexandru, parent of Carmen Gherebenes, from grade 6C, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

Feedback from the Romanian students

At the end of the project, I asked my students and their parents to fill in the feedback questionnaire I made for them. Here are some of my students'  opinions:

Feedback from my students:

"I learnt a lot of interesting things about the friends I made in this project. I made many friends. I learnt more English vocabulary and I learnt how to use the PC and how to write and send an email. We had much fun receiving and reading the letters/emails from our friends. I'm happy with this experience. I hope we can do such projects in future."
"Am invatat o multime de lucruri interesante despre prietenii ce mi i-am facut in acest proiect. Am invatat mai multe cuvinte in engleza si am invatat cum sa folosesc calculatorul si cum sa scriu si sa trimit un mesaj email. Ne-am distrat citind scrisorile primite de la prietenii nostri. Ma bucur ca am avut aceasta experienta. Sper sa mai facem astfel de proiecte eTwinning si in viitor."
Andreea Salajan, grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made many friends during this project, from many countries from Europe, Asia and Africa. I learnt how to write an email, how to send it, how to write a letter in English, how to search for information and images on the internet and I learnt many new English words. I enjoyed reading my friends' letters and learning some things about their countries and  cultures. Our English teacher helped us with all the activities and we had lots of  fun. I hope we can repeat the experience in future."
"Mi-am facut multi prieteni in acest proiect, din multe tari din Europa, Asia si Africa. Am invatat cum sa scriu un mejas email, cum sa il trimit, cum sa scriu o scrisoare in engleza, cum sa caut informatii si poze pe internet si am invatat multe cuvinte noi in engleza. Mi-a placut sa citesc scrisorile primite de la prietenii mei din proiect si sa aflu informatii interesante despre tarile si culturile lor. Profesoara noastra de engleza ne-a sprijinit la toate activitatile si ne-an distrat foarte bine la anumite activitati. Sper sa mai facem astfel de proiecte si in viitor."
Stefania Salajan, grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made many friends in this project. I learnt how to write messages on the computer. I like communicating with children from other countries. The best experience was "the Culture Box from Taiwan and sending our Culture Box.."
"Mi-am facut multi prieteni din multe tari. Am invatat cum sa scriu mesaje pe calculator. Imi place sa comunic cu copii din alte tari. Cel mai tare a fost cand am primit Cutia Culturala din Taiwan si cand am trimis si noi Cutia Culturala la colegii din Taiwan."
Razvan Sitar, grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made many friends from Turkey, Morocco and Ukraine. I learnt that I must communicate with other people in order to develop and understand other people. I like the fact that we made friends and we sent letters and we found out interesting information about other countries. I like the way our English teacher helped us during the project. I improved my English speaking and writing skills, as well as my IT skills because we spoke and wrote in English. I like English very much and we had lots of fun during the activities."
"Mi-am facut multi prieteni din Turcia, Maroc si Ukraina. Am invatat ca trebuie sa comunic cu altii ca sa ma dezvolt si sa ma inteleg cu alti oameni. Imi place faptul ca mi-am facut multi prieteni si ca am trimis scrisori si ca am aflat lucruri interesante despre alte tari. Mi-a placut cum doamna profesoara de engleza ne-a ajutat in timpul proiectului. Mi-am imbunatatit atat abilitatile de vorbit si scris in engleza, cat si cele de lucru cu calculatorul si am scris in engleza. Imi place engleza foarte mult si ne-am amuzat la activitati."
Ella Codroiu, grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made some friends from Ukraine and Turkey. I learnt many things about their countries, as well as about my city. I like the way out English teacher guided us during the project activities. Now I feel more comfortable talking to people who are different from me."
"Mi-am facut prieteni din Ukraina si Turcia. Am invatat multe lucruri interesante despre tarile lor si despre orasul meu. Imi place cum doamna profesoara de engleza ne-a ghidat in timpul activitatilor din proiect. Acum ma simt mai confortabil sa vorbesc cu oameni care sunt diferiti de mine."
Lung Octavia, grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"My new friends are Yeva from Ukraine and Tahir from Turkey, and many others. I have learnt that we are not all the same or alike, that each of us has different lives and different customs. I like this project because I have the opportunity to speak to children I have just met, that I can make many friends and I like to imagine how it would be to meet them for real. I like the way our teacher guided us during the project activities. We had lots of fun.  This project helped me improve my English and my IT skills. I feel comfortable to talk to other people who are different from me."
"Prietenii mei noi sun Yeva din Ukraina si Tahir din Turcia, si multi altii. Am invatat ca nu suntem toti la fel, ca fiecare avem vieti diferite si obiceiuri diferite. Imi place acest proiect deoarece am avut ocazia sa vorbesc cu copii pe care abia i-am cunoscut, ca mi-am facut multi prieteni si sa imi imaginez cum ar fi sa ne intalnim cu adevarat. Imi place cum doamna profesoara ne-a ghidat in timpul activitatilor din proiect. Ne-am amuzat mult. Acest proiect m-a ajutat sa imi imbunatatesc abilitatile de comunicare in engleza si IT. Ma simt confortabil sa vorbesc cu alti oameni care sunt diferiti de mine."
Daniel Husti, grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made 9 friends from Turkey, Georgia, Taiwan, Ukraine and Tunisia. I learnt that we must be friends, we are all different but equal and we should not judge others by the color of their skin or their religion or other things. My teacher helps me learn more English words and write letters. I also learnt how to write a letter in English on the computer. I had lots of fun reading the letters I got from my friends and sending them letters and making friends with them. Now I know that we are all different but equal."
"Mi-am facut 9 prieteni din Turcia, Georgia, Taiwan, Ukraina si Tunisia. Am invatat ca trebuie sa fim prieteni, ca suntem toti diferiti dar egali, si ca nu trebuie sa ii judecam pe altii dupa culoarea pielii, religia lor sau alte lucruri. Profesoara mea ma ajuta sa invat mai multe cuvinte in engleza si sa scriu scrisori. De asemena, m-a invatat cum sa scriu scrisori in engleza pe calculator. M-am distrat citind scrisorile primite de la noii mei prieteni si scriindu-le scrisori si imprietenindu-ma cu ei. Acuma stiu ca suntem toti diferiti dar egali."
Matia Ilies, grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania 


"I made many friends from many countries. I like to communicate in English with children from other countries. I hope we can work in other international projects in future with our English teacher, Mrs. Daniela Buda, because  I like this type of activities very much."
"Mi-am facut multi prieteni din multe tari. Imi place sa comunic in engleza cu copiii din alte tari. Sper sa mai putem lucra in proiecte internationale cu doamna profesoara de engleza Daniela Buda, pentru ca imi place foarte mult acest tip de activitati."
Sebastian Trifan, grade 3A, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made many friends in this project. I learnt more English vocabulary, how to write letters in English, how to communicate with other people. I like the way our teacher, Daniela Buda, guided us during the project. I feel comfortable working in a team with my colleagues and communicating with people who are different from me."
"Mi-am facut multi prieteni in acest proiect. Am invatat mai multe cuvinte in engleza, cum sa scriu scrisori in engleza si cum sa comunic cu alti oameni. Imi place modul in care doamna profesoara Daniela Buda ne-a ghidat in timpul proiectului. Ma simt confortabil sa lucrez in echipa si sa comunic cu oameni care sunt diferiti fata de mine."
Eduard Lobont, grade 3B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made many friends from other countries. I like talking to other children and writing letters. In this project I can talk with people from other countries, meet new people and write letters. I feel comfortable now to talk to people who are different from me and feel more tolerant with them."
"Mi-am facut multi prieteni din alte tari. Imi place sa vorbesc cu alti copii si sa scriu scrisori.. In acest proiect pot vorbi cu oameni din alte tari, sa intalnesc oameni noi si sa scriu scrisori. Acum ma simt confortabil sa vorbesc cu oameni care sunt diferiti de mine si sa fiu mai tolerant cu ei."
Carlos Ardelean, grade 3B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made new friends from many countries and learnt how to write letters to them. I like the fact that my teacher, Daniela Buda, helped me write letters and learn English words, even if it is a bit more difficult for me (I'm a SEN student). She is a very kind and patient teacher and she is my role model. She helped me understand the letters I could not and also helped me write my letters to my friends. I had fun in this project."
"Mi-am facut prieteni noi din multe tari si am invatat cum sa le scriu scrisori. Imi place felul in care doamna profesoara Daniela Buda m-a ajutat sa scriu scrisori si sa invat cuvinte in engleza, desi mi mi-e putin dificil (sunt eleva cu CES). Ea este o profesoara foarte blanda si are rabdare cu mine si este modelul meu. M-a ajutat sa inteleg scrisorile pe care le-am primit si sa scriu scrisorile mele catre noii mei prieteni. M-am si distrat in acest proiect."
Roman Carina, grade 4 B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made friends from 12 countries from Europe, Asia and Africa. I learnt how to write letters and greeting cards in English. We learnt some songs."
"Mi-am facut prieteni din 12 tari din Europa, Asia si Afdrica. Am invatat cum sa scriu scrisori si felicitari in engleza. Am invatat si niste cantece."
Vida Mario, grade 4 B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania


"I like this project because I made many new friends. I learnt about the cultures of our friends. I loved it when we met our penfriends online in video meetings on Skype. It was an opportunity to see our friends for real. We had lots of fun during the video meetings, singing songs and talking to each other. I hope we can repeat this experience in future."
"Imi place acest proiect deoarece mi-am facut multi prieteni. Am invatat lucruri interesante despre alte culturi. Mi-a placut foarte mult cand i-am intalnit pe prietenii nostri online, prin intalniri video pe Skype. A fost ocazia in care am putut sa ii vedem pe prietenii nostri cu adevarat. Sper sa mai repetam experienta."
Dulfu Maia, grade 4 B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"We were happy to have the opportunity to meet our new friends online, through Skype, and in letters. We made many friends from Europe, Asia and Africa. We learnt many new words and expressions in English and to write letters/emails in English on the computer and to send them. Our English teacher guided us and encouraged us to speak English and communicate as much as we could. It's cool to participate in such eTwinning projects"
"Noi ne-am bucurat sa avem ocazia sa intalnim atat online, pe Skype, cat si prin scrisori, prieteni noi din multe tari din Europa, Asia si Africa. Am invatat multe expresii la engleza si sa scriem scrisori / emailuri pe calculator si sa le trimitem. Doamna profesoara ne-a ghidat si incurajat sa ne exprimam in limba engleza si sa comunicam cat mai mult posibil. E cool sa participam la astfel de proiecte."
Luca and Matei Crisan, grade 4 B, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romani

"I made many friends from abroad in this eTwinning project. I learnt many new English words and expressions, as well as how to write a letter / email in English and how to send it via email or WhatsApp. Our teacher, Daniela Buda, explained us very patiently whatever we did not understand and in the end we understood and she was happy with our work, She has encouraged us to use English whenever we can. I learnt to treat all people similar, without discrimination of gender, race, skin color, religion, etc. Now I feel comfortable talking to people who are different from me. I also learnt not to accept to be bullied by others because we are different."
"Mi-am facut multi prieteni din strainatate in acest proiect eTwinning. Am invatat multe cuvinte si expresii noi in engleza si am invatat cum sa scriu o scrisoare/ un email in engleza si cum sa le trimit prin email sau WhatsApp. Profesoara noastra, Daniela Buda, ne-a explicat cu multa rabdare tot ce nu am inteles, pana am inteles si s-a bucurat de progresul nostru. Dansa ne-a incurajat sa folosim limba engleza oricand avem ocazia. Am invatat sa tratez toti oamenii la fel, fara discriminare de gen, rasa, culoarea pielii, religie, etc. Acum ma simt confortabil sa vorbesc cu oameni care sunt diferiti de mine. De asemenea, am invatat sa nu accept sa fiu agresata (bullied) de altii doar pentru ca suntem diferiti."
Melisa Sitar, grade 6 C, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

"I made many friends from such countries as Turkey, Georgia, Italy, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Algeria, Palestine, etc. I improved my IT and English letter writing skills. I learnt how to communicate with people from other countries and now I feel ore comfortable to do that and tolerant with people who are different from me. I learnt many new English words and I improved my self-esteem through communicating with my peers."
"Mi-am facut multi prieteni din tari cum ar fi: Turcia, Georgia, Italia, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Algeria, Palestina, etc. Mi-am imbunatatit abilitatile IT si cele de scriere de scrisori in engleza. Am invatat cum sa comunic cu oameni din alte tari si acum ma simt mai confortabil sa fac asta si mai toleranta cu cei care sunt diferiti de mine. Am invatat mai multe cuvinte si expresii in engleza si mi-am imbunatatit stima de sine prin comunicarea cu prietenii mei."
Carmen Gherebenes, grade 6 C, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania


"I like this eTwinning project because it offers us the opportunity to use our imagination and creativity. I learnt how to make new friends, how to write letters/emails, how to communicate with my peers.  I learnt many new English words and expressions and how to work as a team member. I like the way our teacher guided us to work individually and in small teams and helped us understand whatever we could not. She also taught us how to protect ourselves when working online and what we can do if we are bullied online or offline, whom to contact to get help. I feel more comfortable now to work online and to communicate with people who are different from us."
"Imi place acest proiect eTwinning pentru ca ne ofera posibilitatea sa ne folosim imaginatia si creativitatea. Am invatat cum sa imi fac prieteni noi, cum sa scriu scrisori/emailuri, cum sa comunic cu prietenii mei. Am invatat multe cuvinte si expresii noi in engleza si cum sa lucrez ca mambru intr-o echipa. Imi place cum doamna profesoara ne-a ghidat sa lucram individual sau in echipe mici si ne-a ajutat sa intelegem tot ce nu puteam singuri. Ea ne-a invatat si cum sa ne protejam cand lucram online, ce sa facem cand suntem agresati (bullied) online sau offline si pe cine sa contactam pentru ajutor. Acum ma simt mai confortabil sa lucrez online si sa comunic cu oameni care sunt diferiti de mine."
Samira Tivadar, grade 6 C, Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" Baia Mare, Romania

letters from Georgia

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#search/in%3Asent+Daniela.buda%40gmail.com/QgrcJHsBqzbXPwxZJLCfxdPJZCHvcNLZpqQ

project twinspace

https://twinspace.etwinning.net/93531/pages/page/998567      this is the link of our project's product on twinspace

Messages from Romania on the 1st of June for the International Children's Day

On the 1st of June we celebrate the International Children's Day.
My students are sending their peers some messages on this occasion. Here they are:

Podut Alexandra's message:
https://youtu.be/7E4oj0FjxBo

Filip Maria's message:
https://youtu.be/bIW0GklKq2w

Online Meeting with MIP participants

15.05.2020 "My International Penfriends" partners and their learners from Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey meet online using Zoom. It was an amazing meeting with lots of joy, laugh and cheer. There were 54 participants! Kids shared information about themselves, their families and interests. They even played guitars! Using a game on Baamboozle kids got more information about themselves. At the end of the meeting they created a word cloud "What is "My International Penfriends" project?" using Mentimeter service. The main word was "Friendship" and so was the aim of the eTwinning project! All participants wished health to each other and wait for another meeting. #eTwinning

19th May Youth and Sports Day

23rd April Children's Day

Students' Zoom Conference

Positive message from the Romanian students during the pandemic 2020

Some of my students from Scoala Gimnaziala Vasile Alecsandri from Baia Mare, Romania, made some self portraits with their masks on their faces to send positive messages to their friends from abroad, from the projects they have shared this school year. They say: Stay at home. Be well and healthy. All will be well. We salute all our friends from Taiwan, Italy, Georgia, Germany, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Bangladesh, Kenya, Palestine, Tunisia, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Pakistan and others.

Romanian version: 
Elevii mei de la Scoala Gimnaziala Vasile Alecsandri din Baia Mare trimit prietenilor lor din proiectele pe care le-am desfasurat in acest an scolar un mesaj pozitiv. Ei si-au facut auto-portreul cu masca pe fata si au scris: Stati acasa. Sa fiti bine si sanatosi. Totul va fi bine. Ii salutam pe toti prietenii din tarile mai sus mentionate.

Using technology in an ESL classroom

Greetings to everyone The digital era is certainly changing the way students learn, and the options available to us are constantly evolving which makes them increasingly useful. Incorporating technology into your ESL classroom will give your students an educational edge and will prepare them to be successful and independent learners outside the classroom. Still not convinced? Then read today’s newsletter and find out how technology can make your lessons more engaging.

Using technology in an ESL classroom The use of technology has become an important part of the learning process in and out of the class. Most ESL classrooms use some forms of technology. It enables us, teachers, to adapt classroom activities, help and improve language learning. However, some teachers often choose not to use any technology due to numerous reasons. Some just don’t seem to have any time to spend on understanding how things work, others just do not think their students will benefit. Shall we give it a try? What if it turns out to be an amazing tool? Today, our teacher, Yulia Danilenko, shares some useful tips on how technology can be used in an ESL classroom.  INTERACTIVE QUIZZES  Nobody likes tests: students don’t like taking those and teachers aren’t particularly fond of grading them. There’s a way to make testing a bit more fun. Websites like Typeform and Kahoot let you create your own quizzes (or use the already existing ones). All you need is a projector, your students’ phones and a stable internet connection. Many students (especially younger ones) are motivated by challenges and competitions - yours might be as well.  VISUAL SUPPORT Students often complain that texts for listening in class are hard to comprehend. There is no use blaming them: how often do we only hear things without actually seeing them? Sure, we have phones, radio and podcasts… But that’s about it. So, why not give them a bit extra support with showing videos instead of merely playing the sound? Most textbooks nowadays offer video clips for their listening exercises: your students actually see waiters taking orders or friends making plans. It’s also a great way to make young learners like listening. All of a sudden it becomes real to them - they can fully relate to a situation. Isn’t that exactly what we, teachers, want them to do? BLOGGING Some students perceive writing to be an extremely unnatural activity. Most of them never write reviews or essays in real life. However, we can’t avoid teaching the skill, can we? What we can do is make it more realistic and appealing for our learners. Let’s make them produce real pieces and make tasks meaningful. They can post a real review on Tripadvisor or share their thoughts on Livejournal. Of course, they will be following a previously presented structure and using the language you want them to use, but at least it will be something genuine.  OUTSIDE OF YOUR CLASSROOM People today are constantly on their phones: listening to music, chatting, looking through social media. How can we add ‘learning English’ to that list? Vocabulary apps There are mobile applications that will help your students keep on learning new words or revising some previously learned ones. Memrise and Quizlet are really nice tools to recommend to your students. You can create vocabulary sets and then share them with your students. Moreover, they can create their own sets of words or use the ones that have already been made before. Grammar games Doing grammar exercises becomes boring at some point, so why not offer some online games for your students to try? It will make the process more fun and engaging for them. For example, Games to Learn English has a vast choice. Podcasts Learners often want to have more listening practice. Again, why not make it interesting and actually beneficial for them (not in terms of language only)? FluentU has a nice list of options to offer to your students.  Teaching English can be fun, and technology is a way to ensure excitement and motivation in your students. The key to the successful integration of technology in your classroom is to first understand how your students will benefit from it.  If you want to get more ideas on using technology in your classroom, follow the links: How to use technology effectively to transform your ESL classroom Technology for the ESL classroom that your students can’t resist How to use technology to support ELL in your classroom  From Grade Education Centre

2nd students' meeting on Skype

On the 24th of February 2020, my students from grade 4B, from Scoala Gimnaziala "Vasile Alecsandri" from Baia Mare, Romania,  met their peers from Turkey ( coordinating teacher Sema Tokay) and Georgia (coordinating teacher Tamuna Zurabashvili) for the second time, in an online meeting on Skype.
The students had great time introducing themselves in English and singing some songs. Here are some images from the activity: