Student: Mr. Bonano, first of all I’d like to thank you for agreeing to see me at such short notice! 
Mr. Bonano: You’re very welcome. It was my pleasure.
Student: Well, first of all, the obvious question: How do we go about finding a school partner?
Mr. Bonano: Oh, there are lots of ways ... you know ... through traditional correspondence, of course, you know, writing letters, etc. ... and there are the more modern ways, via the Internet and eTwinning. 
Student: eTwinning? 
Mr. Bonano: Yes, ... eTwinning is a free scheme for schools across Europe wishing to work together and establish a more formal relationship! You can use eTwinning to find new partner schools, or register a partnership that already exists, and work together on a project.
Student: Is it easy to find another school for a partnership? 
Mr. Bonano: It’s quite easy. You register and the wait is not usually very long. There may, of course, be quite a long wait if your school is not an English-speaking one, since most schools are looking for English-speaking partners. In this case you could find yourselves waiting for weeks or even months. Another thing is that if you’re looking to communicate with a school in a language that is not widely spoken, it could become more difficult ... em ... it may not be possible – in some cases - to find a school partner. 
Student: What is the cost involved for someone looking for a school partner? 
Mr. Bonano: Well, actually, there is no cost for these services. It’s free of charge.
Student: Can anyone register? 
Mr. Bonano: Well, it depends on what you mean by ‘anyone’. It is for school-age students, mainly adolescents or very young adults.  
Student: How can someone register?
Mr. Bonano: First of all, you fill out the registration form with all the information needed and you register electronically.  
Student: What are some of the benefits of eTwinning? 
Mr. Bonano: First and foremost, the foreign language will seem less difficult after a while and you will be able to use it more easily and confidently. By coming into contact with people of another country, you are also learning – first hand - amazing things about them and their country, their culture and their traditions. This helps to promote greater understanding throughout the world ... it helps you understand, truly understand how other people think ... and this, in turn, - we hope - will bring countries and their people closer. 
Student: That sounds great! Mr. Bonano, one last question. We hear so much about dangers connected with the Internet. Is this safe? I mean, communicating through e-mail? 
Mr. Bonano:  Hmm, yes, a very good point. You should ALWAYS, and I stress this, always keep your teachers and parents informed about who you are corresponding with. There should be no secrets – if you feel at all uneasy at any point, let someone older know about it. Now, concerning eTwinning, at the heart of eTwinning is the TwinSpace, a shared, secure space which enables “Twin” schools to work together. The TwinSpace provides a wealth of tools to support the schools’ work together. 
Student: Thank you very much. Your information was very useful and interesting, and I’m sure the students of my school will enjoy reading about eTwinning in next month’s copy of our school newspaper. 
Mr. Bonano: It was my pleasure. I hope you succeed in finding a school that’s right for you!