Juan Carlos

Although probably is not the fairest way (institutions will get the same amount of money, even though their different perfomance), I put myself in John and Andy's shoes and I think that the egalitarian approach is the easiest to budget. Bearing in mind our salaries, calculate a number of days of work so that everybody get the same amount of money.

I would rather support a centralised financial management of the project. Delegation can lead to more burocracy and red tape.

Probably the best will be to try to stick EHelp budget, but introducing all the required changes.

A first move is that every institution informs about the number of colleagues involved full time in the project. Normally, it will be only one, but not always.

We have to be very frank when affirming that somedy is fully committed in the project.

We had teacher-travellers enough in the Virtual School.

Teaching Citizenship in a Globalized Europe Using ICT

It can be fine.

I asume that every institution will host at least a meeting. Reunions can be held at schools or in other places such as hotels. My institution is committed to host one meeting in a first round and then, if necessary, we will hold a second meeting in our different institutions.

Every member of the project should get laptop as a fundamental tool for the project. I think that the amount of money budgeted in E-HELP is OK.

As far as I am concerned, and probably I won't be the only one, I have a serious problem in attending to so many meetings. It will be even more difficult next year, when, I hope, Citizenship project will overlap with EHELP project.

I am sure I won't get permission to attend to 5 or 6 meetings a year! I wish I got it.

I agree that maybe we are having too many visitors in EHELP, but in this new Citizenship project I think that bringing visitors from other countries inside and outside the EU and making them to contribute can be a major asset of the project.

Probably, intead of inviting a large number of visitors, we should select a few colleagues from some relevant countries or areas that would collaborate all over the project and contribute seminars, resources... in a significant way.

Legal aspects of this staff costs issue are quite different in the diverse European countries. On top of that, there are very different regulations on civil servants and private workers. All of us should get informed about this issue, although the lead organisation must make a common model when filling out the application form.

When calculating staff costs in the different partner institutions, we should take into account the actual persons who are really working on the project. In my case, two teachers will be fully working on the project and this should be born in mind.

Here I attach the required data

Data_IES_Parque_de_Lisboa___Spain.doc

Proposed title:

Teaching Citizenship in a Globalized Europe Via the Internet.

What about Teaching Citizenship in a Globalized Europe by using ICT and Internet?

I think we should higlight:

Teaching citizenship in a globalised context That is the reason to invite teachers from professors from outside the EU.

Teaching by using ICT (DVD editing, other soft of software...) and internet

Anyway, I don't know whether it "sounds" well in English. So, last word should be in English-speaking partners.

IES Parque de Lisboa (Spain) is committed to the project.

I thinka that we don't need starting any philosophical debate to understand why Richard was so enthusiastic about his trip to Carcassone.

His students were intending to do the historian job by using 21st century tools, suitable for 21st century students.

The success of the trip will depend upon different aspects apart from using cameras, but I am sure that every historian from Herodote on would have been very happy for having cameras at their disposal.

Other interesting websites:

Now

http://www.pbs.org/now/

A section of the great American public TVs website, PBS, this site through documentary segments and interviews with original thinkers, NOW goes beyond the noisy churn of the news cycle and gives viewers the context to explore their relationship with the larger world.

Opendemocracy

Free thinking for the world

http://www.opendemocracy.net/home/index.jsp

openDemocracy.net is pioneering a new type of independent media based on exchange and participation.

Our readers and writers span all continents. We cover the key questions of our time with contributions from renowned authors and marginalised voices.

We publish clarifying debates which help people make up their own minds.

We use the web to build and map intelligent discussions, which we accumulate and expand daily.

openDemocracy stands for human rights and democracy. We support these concepts as an opening, rather than with closed definition.

It's in our name: openDemocracy.net is dedicated to opening up a democratic space - free thinking for the world.

Elsewhere on this site we hope you will find ideas and arguments that engage, annoy, stimulate and surprise you.

You can take part - in the forums, or by sending your own material to the editors. You can engage with all sides of the argument, not just the ones that are popular - or promoted by the corporate media. You will be encouraged to draw on your own experience.

Blogs, newsletter...

Proportional electoral system represents more faithfully the will of people. I think that there is no question about it. British or American electoral system permit that radical politicians who represent a small fraction of the people, such as Thatcher or Reagan, carry out social reforms that probably had not been applied in a democracy based on proportional system.

However, sometimes proportional system can be really harmful for a democracy. Some examples:

Italian "partitocraty" and all the bargaining around "Democrazia Cristiana" during the Cold War. A very fragmented Parliament don't always represent better a society.

Oversized influence of Nationalist parties in Spain causes that quite a few people decide the orientation of political power.

The thread originated as a question about whether it is desirable to allow a partial religion to influence social policy. This is a particularly interesting question in a multi cultural country like the Britain.

And Spain, France.... I come frome a country whose political power suffered for a long time the interference of religion and church... In my view, the less religion in our political government, the better.

As far as this problem is concerned, I think we have two big challenges ahead: Muslim immigrants in Europe who tend to live apart from secular social values and democratic political government and American christian right which is growingly dissapointed with... George W. Bush. I wonder what sort of society they want for America.

Perplexed libertarian social democrat

I was a late child and all my (extended) family lost the (Spanish Civil) war. When I was a kid, I could hardly understand why Franco did win the war. Everybody around was obsessed by talking about politics, trying to find some weakness in that endless dictatorship. My father was a Communist, my mother's first memory was Pablo Iglesias' (founder of Socialist Party) funeral in 1925.

I was a member of the Communist Youth organization the same year that, finally, Franco died. I shortly quitted. Since then, I have been voting Communist and then Socialist Party and I have been taking part in regular demonstrations against NATO... against Irak War...

I go on thinking that French Revolution motto "Liberté, Egalité et Fraternité" summarized what the Left is for. My (political) ideology is guided by simple principles: to think about persons, not about abstract ideas; to support every measure that aims at the best for a majority of people, to fight against political regimes that prevent people from being free...

However, I think that the current position of a lot of leftish people is condensed in this story:

"There was a drunk gentleman who, when arriving at his house, noticed that he had lost his key. Then, he came over by a lamppost and started to search for it. A policeman walked by and asked him:

Did you lose your key in this place?

No -replied the gentleman- but this is the only place I can see."

A lot of leftish people tend to be quite conservative as far as political ideas are concerned. They hang on to the old principles and repeat them away. It doesn't matter that reality has denied those ideas. I think that a genuine liberal socialdemocrat should search for ideas that help us to understand 21st century world and to change it. He should not cling to mental frameworks that were created for understanding very different societies.

I wonder which is the real leftish position before those topics:

Immigration (who, how many, in which conditions...)

Multiculturalism (Is the French government's ban on muslim scarf a leftish measure? If so, why Mr. Le Pen is so glad about it?)

Education (To which extent comprehensive education is helping our working class students? To which extent it is fostering new ghettos in public schools?)

International Policy (Is Chirac-Schröder (Why not Merkel?)-Putin position much more leftish that Bush-Blair?) I think so but, please, can somebody tell me which is the leftish way to deal with Al-Qaeda?

"Good" dictatorships (Cuba had the same GDP per capita than Spain in 1959, when Castro came to power... not to mention the lack of freedom in the Caribbean island. Is ir a leftish position to support Fidel Castro? Or, rather, to fight against him?)

All those doubts are related to leftish positions. As far as rightist stances, I have much fewer doubts, I reject them.

Luxemburgo is full of these crytpic sayings which have caused much hilarity in the sporting press here. Lately he's been talking about the "magic triangle" or something (no one's quite clear what it means including most of the team!).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mike,

Are you able to understand Luxemburgo's long speeches? Please, let me know because I cannot grasp any word!

"Magic rhombus" is the brilliant invention! It sounds like a sort of bra's advertisement

I cannotunderstand coaches who do not play wingers. They are crucial for getting behind packed defences. Nor are they a luxury, modern wingers, do their fair share of defensive work. It is definitely Beckham’s best position, although he prefers to play in the centre. Man Utd have definitely missed his crosses since he left. However, he would not be in my England team. Wright-Phillips would get my vote.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Beckam is now at his best in Real Madrid. In my view, he is the most important player of the team in the last matches.

Yesterday, after a splendid first half and a poor second, Real Madrid won Olimpiakos (not the best team in Europe)

The best in the match: Beckham (he finally played in the "his" place in the pitch)

Raúl scored the first goal. He is now the top scorer in Champions League history (50 goals)... the second: Alfredo Di Stefano.

What about Europe? What about Champions League?

Just take into account Olympique of Lyon. They played against and won Real Madrid fifteen days ago... A very difficult team to win.

Barcelona is very strong as well...but lack of confidence is its eternal problem.

Of course, we cannot rule out that Real Madrid wins its tenth cup.

Liverpool has some chances and, why not, West Ham in a couple of years.

Real Madrid's case (probably Chelsea's as well) is an interesting topic to understand the sociological (and economical) changes in the football's world.

Florentino Pérez, president of the club and one of the richest men in Spain (he owns ACS, a massive public works and building firm) started up several years ago by signing up Figo. A splendid player who was starting his decadence and, that was the main point, who escapes from Barcelona (the eternal rival) and comes over to Real Madrid.

The following year, Zidane, probably the best player in the last decade but who was a bit too old... Then Ronaldo (probalby the best acquisition), then Beckham, Owen, this last year the Brazilian Robinho...The "galactic" team!

Splendid players but no team at all. Who cares about Figo and Beckham are used to playing in the same area of the field? Who cares about Owen has no room to play with Ronado and Raúl? The point is selling Beckham's shirts. Who cares about a proper preparation before the kick-off of the league? Real Madrid travels around Asia in July and August... Just imagine how many shirts of Beckham can be sold in China!

Meanwhile, the last two years were an utter wash-out. A lot of old players: Roberto Carlos, Zidane... and not so old ones like Raúl, but who had been playing on top competition since they were seventeen years old.

And the British players? Owen was very useful, but you cannot compare him with Ronaldo (in my view, the best center forward in the world). Poor Woodgate came to Madrid injured and has been seventeen months without playing. Last week he played again and scored a goal... in Real Madrid's goal and was expelled after two yellow cards. Anyway, Santiago Bernabéu's public gave him an ovation when he left the pitch.

And Beckham... I have to confess that I didn't like him before coming over to Real Madrid. I was quite sceptical about his contribution to the team. Nevertheless, I like him now. He is a very honest player and has found his place in the team. He is unpretentious and knows that he is not Zidane.

What about this season? If the current coach, Luxemburgo, a Brazilian, manages to build up a real team... we can win any tournament... Otherwise, Real Madrid will be the "galactic" team who nobody is afraid of.

Great news. It is an important step forward. I am sure that Andy's school will be a good coordinator institution.

In Worthing meeting, we agree that every institution should create material in their own language (this project can cover a wide range of European languages) and that all the materials will be translated into English.

It means that we will have to budget money for translation.

Setting up a genuine multilingual web site can be a major asset of our project.

Hi Vicente,

Thanks for your post.

So far it is not decided the definitive list of partners.

There is only one condition: three teachers training institutions must be included.

So far, Andy's and David's institutions meet this requirement.

In our preparatory meeting in Worthing, Susana Muñoz, representative of Centre Virtuel pour la Connaissance de l'Europe, told us that probably she will be able to bring in another institution of this sort. I hope so.

Apart from that, I strongly support your inclusion in the Citizenship project. Your school, Spanish Lycée in Paris, can be a perfect example for teaching European Citizenship.

I have posted my contribution on Women in the 20th century, translated into English by Vicente.

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.ph...opic=4011&st=15

These are a very helpful guidelines for carrying out interviews.

Sorry for not participating in last debates. I am just back from a short holidays.

As we will have very little time in Worthing and not all the future partners will attend the meeting, I do think that we need to be very practical.

The main objective of our reunion is to draft a Comenius 2.1. application form to be handed in Brussels. This sort of three years teachers training project have as most important aim to prepare and give a (or several) residential course for European teachers.

So we have to agree:

A title of the project (probably this will be the last thing we have to agree on, but I will highlight the European and TIC dimension)

Languages of the project

Coordinating institution (this is a main point)

A list of partner institutions (we need several universities or teaching training centers) I strongly support to establish links with associated European institutions that bring their expertise into the project.

Objectives

Researching and analyising the current teaching of Citizenship in Europe.

(I would focus mainly on resources available on the internet)

Setting up a website and a public discussion forum (Education Forum role will be discuss. We can use for partners communication a restricted area of the forum)

Setting up didactic sequences, modules, learning objects... (a lot of different names in the different European countries) to teach from a European point of view different key topics (to be uploaded on our web site).

Some topics could be:

Historical background (political rights, women's rights...) I cannot help being a History teacher...

Political and electoral systems in Europe (comparative analysis)

European citizenship (originis, content, future...)

Immigration and citizenship

Terrorism and citizenship

Nationalism and citizenship (specially important topic in Spain and other European countries)

USA and Europe: two different notions of citizenship

I am not an expert at all, but as we have several language teachers in the project, probably it could be a good idea to work on language and citizenship topics.

The same for environmental issues and citizenship.

Setting up a sort of European network of Citizenship teachers.

As far as phases of the project are concerned, I simply copy and paste what is written in EHELP project application. I think it can be used with slight changes.

Phases of the project (three years)

Researching, reviewing and evaluating existing practices.

Establishing and maintaining the website and online forum.

Planning, piloting and evaluating the residential course.

Dissemination

And, finally, the most complicated issue for me: the budget.

In this case, I think that EHELP application form can help us a lot.