1. Each class would send, to a special site called Eurotots, children's creations (drawings, photographs, songs, poems - text and/or sound), with the names of the authors and a short legend (said or typed by the child). Experience shows that a five year old child can scan an image and type a short text on a keyboard.

2. Each class would use its mother tongue. This project would use primarily images and sound; for texts, try to use « transparent » words (that are found in a majority of European languages).

3. Although the use of Internet is one of this project's main goals, this new technology shouldn't scare off colleagues! Drawings, texts and sound recordings can also be sent to the site's managers

(cf.8) by post. But in the long run, finding one's drawing on the class computer screen next to another drawing by a child from Scotland or Portugal should arouse the child's interest in Internet, and make him or her want to send creations electronically.

4. The schools would work on a shared theme. One theme would be developed per semester, i.e. 3 themes per year.( e.g. autumn, Christmas, Carnival).

5. The number of schools participating would be limited to five per European country.

6. Colleagues participating in the project would communicate by e-mail. The choice of themes would be selected for a full school year by June of the preceding year at the latest. The themes would be voted upon (by e-mail).

7. Works of art would be hosted on a site called Eurotots (currently under construction), managed , initially, from France by Gérard Grein (computer instructor - Education Nationale) and Josef Ulla (Primary school teacher and director of the primary school « La Marmotseraie »).

This site could be a showcase for:
-the use of Internet by primary schools in Europe;
-the different ways to approach a shared theme by colleagues and children throughout Europe.

 In short, fellow colleagues, this is a suggestion for a project that can be carried out together with our pupils, who are so often forgotten when the subject of Internet at school is approached.
I'll be the first to admit that this project is not necessarily the ideal tool for reflecting on the use of Internet for children under the age of six and their teachers...
But I believe that with practice, and with the help of our little helpers, we will contribute to this reflection.
As soon as a group of teachers has been created, we'll be able to get to work.
These few pages are intended as an initial framework of what could be referred to as a list of specifications, which will be adapted using the suggestions made by participants.
Please feel free to copy this information and spread it around.
I'll be waiting for your replies!
Best regards,

Josef Ulla - Ecole La Marmotseraie 12340 Bezonnes - France    Tel.: 00 33 565 44 93 57

Fax: 00 33 565 74 99 03         

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