European Online Conference for Initial Teacher Education ‘eTwinning for Future Teachers: connecting, mentoring, innovating’

The conference commenced officially with Peter de Bruyn, policy officer, European Commission.

Dimitrios Vlachopoulos, Associate Professor and Director of eMasters at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, delivered the first keynote speech. He addressed the transformative potential of technology in education, focusing on three key areas: technology integration in teaching, learning and assessment; evidence-informed practice for school inclusion; and fostering creativity and critical thinking in teacher education. Participants were introduced to welcoming learning environments to support students from diverse backgrounds, abilities and learning preferences after reflecting on evidence-informed, inclusive teaching methodologies.

One of the highlights of the conference followed the first keynote: the announcement of the ITE institution of the year. The eTwinning Institution of the Year Award was won by the Professional School of Education Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg.

The first day concluded with a panel discussion centred on the Impact of eTwinning based on Student Teachers’ Voices.

The second day began with a keynote speech on ‘Mentoring Student Teachers in Initial Teacher Education Programmes’ by Sofia Avgitidou, Professor of Pedagogy and Teacher Education at the University of Thessaloniki. The presentation discussed the mentor’s role, factors affecting it, and proposed enactments based on theoretical studies and research evidence.

Subsequently, a total of five workshops covered key topics, including professional learning communities, developing ICT in Teacher Education, approaches to Vocational Guidance, integrating Erasmus+/eTwinning into initial teacher education, and examples of eTwinning models and formats.

On the final day, after a second round of workshops, participants engaged in a poster session featuring nominated institutions for the European eTwinning Award. The event was officially closed by the Central Support Service and the European Commission.