eTwinning Conference in Nottingham 2012

This is the second year in which I have been fortunate enough to be invited to the eTwinning UK conference.  It is by far the best professional development I have received.  Often as teachers' we get sent on training courses in which you are sitting with teachers who are tired and jaded and do not wish to be there.  This is not my experience at any event organised by the British Council eTwinning team.  Instead I have spent this weekend with teachers who are inspiring and enthusiastic.

I began my first eTwinning project in October 2010 with a fantastic teacher in The Netherlands and I never for once thought it would lead to the fantastic opportunities I have since had. My very first experience was a trip to Lithuania in June 2011 in which I learnt about web 2.0 tools for the classroom and mobile technology.  I was absolutely terrified when I set off with absolutely no idea what to expect and was amazed by the fact it was such a positive experience.

I then attended the conference in Nottingham in 2011 and found that to be just as inspiring but far more daunting.  I discovered when arriving in Nottingham that most people already seemed to know each other and have lots to talk about.  I had no idea of who anyone was apart from one person I had met in Lithuania. If it had not been for her I may have decided to go home as I felt like I was a scared child again on her first day at a new school.  However, I stayed and I got to know some lovely people who I learnt a lot from.

This year my experience was completely different when I arrived I was pleased to see people I knew from training in Manchester and the European Conference in Berlin.  It was great to catch up with people and we were able to share ideas and discuss what had happened since we last met.   At the back of my mind though was the fact that there would be others this year who felt as I did last year.  I met a few people who were there for the first time and they all mentioned similar feelings that I had felt the year before.  By Sunday they were buzzing with enthusiasm just as I had been last year and have again felt this year.  I feel it is a real honour to be invited to such an event and can't wait now to go back to the classroom to put some of the ideas into practice.