Project eTwinning 3a - Draft project: Climate change

This week we are due to make a draft for our very own eTwinning project and submit it to peer review. I was inspired by a wonderful project I linked to last week, from the ESL times: http://projectsineso.blogspot.nl/search/label/Radio%20podcast  (link in Spanish).

To start off my draft, I decided to make a mindmap (I had too many ideas and not enough structure). Below, you find a presentation of this mindmap, using the great tool Mindmeister

Theme: The impact of climate change in different European countries // Title: Your future, our future. by Miss Henstra

The mindmap turned into almost a complete draft in itself, but I've decided to present it here on my blog in a more conventional way as well.

Title
Climate Change: My Future, Your Future, Our future

Theme
Climate change and its effects in different European countries

Subjects
Geography and English

Languages
English throughout (though the information gathered may be in the mother tongue, anything exchanged should be in English)

Ages
14-18 years old (upper secondary levels)

Number of twin partners
2-6 (schools should be coupled for most of the project, but the final quiz and magazine can be a collaboration between all partaking schools).

Inspiration
http://projectsineso.blogspot.nl/search/label/Radio%20podcast

Abstract

• In this projects students will select, study and present areas in which climate change affects their country and ways in which this is handled. The resulting work will be published in vlogs and podcasts, and on a blog. They will also create quiz questions for their research.
• After a round of exchange, the partner schools will assess the work of their partner school and create a best-of radio show or video. 
• All partner schools watch or listen to each other's products and (together) take a quiz consisting of pupils'  own questions.
• Then, international duo's will work collaboratively on essays on climate change, inspired by the previous work, which will be peer2peer assessed as well as self-assessed, and published in an online magazine.
• Key words: climate change, vlog, podcast, english, quiz, essay, magazine, self-assessment, peer-to-peer assessment

Goals

1. Using English in a real-world setting, as interlocutory language between non-native speakers or native and non-native speakers.
2. Gaining knowledge of the effects of climate change in Europe
3. Presenting research orally or visually
4. Assessing work and self-assessing using rubrics
5. Writing an exploratory or persuasive essay based on knowledge gained from the project
6. Collaborative writing with a pupil from another school using google docs and presenting this in a pleasing manner in the magazine

ICT Tools

• audacity
• youtube
• smartphones
• soundcloud
• genial.ly / mindmeister /padlet
• google docs
• rubistar.4teachers.com
• www.findsounds.com
• www.getkahoot.com
• www.hibou-music.com
• www.blogger.com
• twinspace
• madmagz
• surveymonkey
• skype / chat / forums / email

Work process

1. Teachers discuss parameters for the work to follow and devise rubrics for self-assessment (product and group work) as well as products (using skype or google hangouts)
2. Classes get acquainted with the project and each other using the twinspace and the forum.
3. Classes devise a list of subjects for the vlogs and podcasts, using padlet; to be shared on blog.
4. Groups choose a subject and research it, presenting results in a vlog or podcast as well as 3 questions about the vlog or podcast to be used in a quiz (to be emailed to one of the teachers). All vlogs and podcasts are shared on the blog.
5. Vlogs and podcasts are exchanged with the partner school. Partner school assesses product (in groups) and groups self-assess their group work and product using rubrics.
6. In the partner school a selection of the best vlogs and podcasts is made, and these are used to create a tv or radio show in which the partner school presents and introduces the school's material.
7. Projects are exchanged between all partner schools and put on the blog, one of the teachers has received all questions and turns the questions of the selected vlogs and podcasts into a Kahoot quiz.
8. All classes take the Kahoot quiz, reflection on the event is put on the blog and twinspace.
9. Couples of pupils from school A and B work collaboratively on an essay about climate change in Europe. This can be a persuasive or an exploratory essay. Collaboration is done through google docs.
10. All essays are self-assessed and assessed by the group teachers using rubrics. 
11. Essays are collected in an online magazine which is presented on the blog/twinspace and perhaps in the media.
12. Students and teachers reflect on the project using a survey, result of reflection is published on the blog.

Expected results

• A blog full of original research on climate change in Europe.
• Several radio or tv shows to be used in geography or english classes
• An online magazine on climate change
• Pupils will have more understanding of how no problem in Europe is unrelated to themselves
• Pupils will have gained experience in working with audiovisual tools and self- and peer-to-peer assessment
• Pupils will have experienced international collaboration firsthand

Do you have any ideas for improving this draft? Please let me know!