As years before the partner schools involved in ECCE and FREEWAY organized a video conference recently.
It was a great opportunity to see each other and to talk.
To connect five schools at the same time is not without problems.
Thus two of us unfortunately had difficulties – with sound and picture. Hopefully we will improve to next year.
Headteachers and teachers were very impressed by the students skill to talk to so many people in different countries.
This year students at Parkskolan prepared the discussion by sending a proposed agenda to the other schools.
That was of good help.
Students asked questions to each other and questions were answered –
but it was also a real discussion about important things as the value of talking foreign languages and why
or why not having the same currency .
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Questions of interest
As the world just has focused on the death of John Paul II
and the election of a new pope that was a topic to talk about.
All was also interested in the impact of media and compared experiences –
for instance programs as Big Brother which they obviously had the same opinion on.
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Europe as a superpower
The theme for Issue 24 was Europe as a superpower.
Many of the students claimed that they didn´t like that idea.
They don´t like superpowers at all. Some thought though that a strong Europe would be a counterbalance to USA.
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Opinions on Freeway
To participate in the work with Freeway is due to the Italian students a good way to get friends in other countries.
The Bulgarian students said that it is a good way to share opinions with students in other countries.
The British students look upon Freeway as a channel to discuss questions of common interest.
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Personal talk
Of cause it was also time for more personal talk.
Some of them had met in Monza in November when we had the annual planning conference and were
happy to see each other again. Unfortunately the one who asked if
Michael from Bulgaria was there got the answere no.
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The agenda
If you are interested to know the whole agenda you can read it here:
I. Headtechers and teachers have the floor to say hello ...
In this order: Parkskolan, Mosè Bianchi, Romain Rolland, Malbank and Bishop Heber.
II. All students team say hello - the same order.
III.The first round of the discussion will be based on articles - the same order as above -
about 5 minutes per team.
Our students plan to ask the following questions:
1) to the Italian students: a) regarding "Important Centre of World Youth".
How did the death of the pope affect you, and the youth in Italy?
b) regarding the article about the European Constitution:
Are there any risks with the constitution, for instance too much of market economy?
2) to the Bulgarian students: a) regarding "The media impact on the youth".
How do you think that we can make it easier for ordinary people to have impact on media?
b) regarding articles about EU.
In Sweden some people are fed up with EU - still you really want to be a part of it, Why?
3) to the British students: a) about learning foreign language or not.
Do you want to have more posibilities to learn foreign languages in school,
or in what other ways would you like to learn more about languages? b) regarding the article about Euro.
Why are you against Euro?
IV. The second round of the discussion will consist of more common questions and talk - the same order or another?
1) What did you think about the head topic for Issue 24 - Europe as a superpower?
2) What do you think would be positive and negativeif urope would become a superpower?
3) How do you like Freeway in general?
V. Conclusions and goodbye.
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