The European dimension offers excellent opportunities to integrate ICT activities into geography. There are many exciting collaborative online activities linking pupils, classes and teachers across Europe.
Ethnokids is an internet-based project that concentrates on writing and reading skills, language development, and learning to use ICT to make multimedia presentations. Different cultures can be explored through local geography. Ethnokids allows pupils to discover how young people live in different parts of the world and encourages them to use ICT to tell others about their way of life, for example at school, at home, at meal times or during the holidays. Modern foreign languages can also be supported as French, English and Spanish-speaking pupils have joined the project.
www.ethnokids.net
Schoolnet is an initiative of the European Ministries of Education, focusing on ICT by developing learning materials and information to demonstrate many of areas of educational innovation. You can take a guided tour of the Schoolnet initiatives at www.eun.orgeun.org2eunhtmleun_tourenEuropeanSchoolnet.html amp; www.eun.org
Virtual School encourages collaboration between schools in Europe, with a virtual meeting place for teachers to discuss and exchange materials and experience. An interdisciplinary approach is encouraged.
www.eun.orgvs
Comenius Space is a web community designed to set up long-term European projects and collaboration. It gives teachers the chance to meet and create online together, publishing news, events, projects and messages. Comenius Space provides easy guides to applying for funding to encourage schools to collaborate across Europe.
http:comenius.eun.org
myEUROPE Link and Learn Europe is a network of teachers and schools who want to set up collaborative projects for teaching about European issues based on European citizenship, cultural diversity and young mobility. Each of these has innovative online activities, teaching guidance, teachers’
experiences, projects and resource databases. There are currently more than 1,200 member schools (92 from the UK).
http:myeurope.eun.org
eSchoolnet is a multilingual, educational service for teachers, head teachers, teacher trainers and students, providing curriculum resources, eLearning news, case studies, online training activities, innovative school ideas and opportunities for schools to collaborate on projects.
www.eschoolnet.org
Karl Donert is senior lecturer and international fellow at Liverpool Hope University College.
www.hope.ac.ukebsebswwwwww staffkarld.htm
