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

keamac@gmail.com