Creature Collaborations Engaging learners with e-learning based writing projects Integrating new technologies to empower learning and transform leadership
Dec 13, 2014
Creature Collaborations
Engaging learners with e-learning based writing projects
Integrating new technologies to empower learning and transform leadership
Creature
Collaborations
Monster Exchange
Travel Buddies
http://www.flickr.com/photos/papazimouris/346630496/ Ioni's world DSC01433a
Why?
Connect my students to the world.
Appreciate similarities and differences.
Expose them to different points of view.
Learn from/with a wider peer group.
Provide an authentic audience for their work.
What is the Monster Exchange Project?
http://www.monsterexchange.org/
http://monsterprojectex.wikispaces.com/
Why did I choose to do it?
The power of online networks
613 km away
Purpose:For the children to create careful descriptions that paint a picture in the reader’s mind.
So….
Ideally the reader will see what the author sees.
Motivating the children
The picture was the plan
I asked questions
How did we share the writing?
The older children used individual blogs.
I gave feedback...
... and got a response.
The Big Reveal
Some came really close...
... but were they reading carefully?
Ping Pong
My monster is called Ping Pong. Her skin colour is dark blue. She has one eye and red and brown hair. Her head is a circle. Her clothes are a cheerleader top, it is purple with a red C on it. She is wearing a light blue skirt. She is smiling with her mouth closed. On her head is a pair of antennae, they are grey. On her feet are some beautiful brown high heel boots. In her right hand is a red pompom. Her left hand is behind her head - not showing her fingers.
Ping Pong has purple in the middle of her eye and she has a black outline. My monster is from Planet Cheerleader. Ping Pong is a very happy monster cheerleader.
Did they explain it carefully?
Hypno 2000
Hypno 2000 is a slime monster. He is light green. He has two big white eyes with a thick black outline. In the centre of his eyes he has red swirls. He has ten tentacles with eyes on the top of his
head. He has two brown holes on the side of his head. He sticks out his front teeth and his tongue. He has brown spots down his
body.
Some were spot on!
Dynamite
Dynamite has a squared face that’s green and on all the corners it’s curvy. He has 3 eyes, a nice smile and teeth (the teeth are made from triangles). One tooth is down, another is up and the last one is down. he has a tall, rectangular body and it’s dark blue. Also, he has a big, orange DS on his body. Also on the top of his head are green triangles for ears - they are wide apart. At the bottom of his body there are 2 tall rectangles that are also green - one on the left and one on the right - for his feet. On his feet there are
yellow circles for each of his toes. Last of all is his devil stick. His devil stick is red and black with 3 triangles on top, like a fork. The part with the triangles is red and the other half is black. Around his devil
stick there is a zig-zaggy line that is yellow and inside the line there is a shade of really light blue.
Some gave feedback.
Igor Hero
My monster is called Igor Hero. He has three mohawks and a flame on each one. He has a red head and two yellow wings and two
brown arms. He has one eye and fangs and a red and black body. He has a guitar in his hand and a double sided fork. He has a devil
tail and two black legs. He has two green ears and two green shoes.
Scary
The monster I made had an oval shape body that is orange and orange tentacle hair on the top of his head with orange spikes. On his face he has a trapezium that is black and upside down. He can breathe fire. next he has diagonal eyes
that are black, one is one way the other is the other way. Then I say he has three red eyes underneath his black eyes. He has yellow chomp like teeth, brown arms and hands. He has spit coming from his mouth and two blue and pink tentacles at
the bottom of his head with blue and pink spots.
Some were fascinating.
Lampyclock
Lampyclock has a medium triangle head with orange and blue stripes. He has square eyes with two big black dots in the middle. He has a pink nose and a pink neck in the middle of the bottom of the head. He has a triangle mouth with white teeth. Then there is a fat medium circle with a line around near the line with a star in the middle with lines around the star. The legs go down then to the left then a space. Then another one, it goes down then right, then down, then two
more down across to the left then another one down across to the right. He is holding coffee in a cup that is brown. He has rectangle arms with a black outline. On the circle there are sticks near
the neck. So that’s my Lampyclock.
Some were done in pairs
Bing-Bing
My monster is called Bing-Bing. It is a pinky-purple and it has dark purple spots on it, but not very many. It has got a very big smile with only three teeth and they are quite far apart, but they are all on the top. He has a yellow tummy. It has dark purple antennae with little circles on the top. He has a very big eye
with a black dot in the middle. It has two arms and three fingers on each hand. He has two legs and they have three toes on each foot. he has pointy ears with yellow and pink in the inside. It has got a little tongue and a little lump with little red bits in its mouth and the rest of his mouth is pink. He has got a
little body that is shaped like an oval. Bing-Bing has got a black outline. He is a cheerful little monster. He has got a big head that is connected to the body and his arms are connected to the head.
This just made my day.
Ryan’s Monster
My monsters body is the shape of a door. It has three heads and it has a very nasty attitude. My monster has two
tentacles. My monster has two tongues and they are red with snakes. One tongue has sharks and that’s why no
monster will challenge my monster.
Travel Buddies
Auckland to HamiltonHamilton to Raumati BeachRaumati Beach to Dunedin
Dunedin to TaupoTaupo to the Waikato
From Waikato back to Auckland
2,966 km
http://rohistravels.blogspot.com
We researched keas and created booklets
Others made cards, booklets and pictures
One class created online storybooks
Similarities and differences were
identified and discussed
Kara the Kiwi
Turra Coo our Scottish visitor
Flat Stanley
Use Skype to add another dimension.
Connect with a buddy class in real time.
This is our next step.
Social Studies/ Geography
Written Language
Reading
Oral Language
Science
Maths
Keypals, Travel Buddies & Other Online Projects http://www.epals.com/
Postcard Exchange http://pcg.cyberbee.com/
Monster Exchange http://www.monsterexchange.org/
and
http://monsterproject.wikispaces.com/Welcome
Flat Stanley Project http://www.flatstanley.com/how.php?nav=teachers
Project Links
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dunechaser/1721982928/ We begin by charting a course
Click on the link below to find further information and examples to support this presentation.
http://authenticict.wikispaces.com/Creature+Collaborations
Wikispaces Follow Up Notes