Although we did not get as far into the project as I had hoped, we at least finished the basic foundation.  Students in grades 1-4 made line drawings in Tux Paint of their own, original monsters.  Since I don’t have a color printer for them to use, they printed and colored in the line drawings on their own.  Then, students used word processing software to type a description of their monsters.

The students really enjoyed making their monsters, and even more, getting a look at what everyone else had done.

I had hoped to do more, but school has ended.  Instead I will mention the further scope of the project as possible extentions:

Reading/writing: Students type a detailed set of directions for drawing the monster in Tux Paint.  Then, students exchange directions and try to recreate each other’s monsters.

Digital communication: Similar to above, students use some form of digital communication (voice, video or text chat) to give detailed directions while the other student follows them in Tux Paint, with the goal of recreating the monster.

Even more:  Guide the students in signing up for Moshi Monsters where students can apply knowledge of digital citizenship and etiquette as they navigate their adopted monsters in a well-monitored virtual world.

Wow, super busy here, but I just wanted to update so you know that I haven’t forgotten about my blog!

Currently, kindergarten classes are working on autobiography projects involving Tux Paint and iMovie. I will import their artwork into iMovie and they will voice over explaining things about themselves (what they like to do, favorite thing about school, who’s in their family). This is on hold while we finish voice overs and editing for their inventor projects they worked on for the Student Exhibition next week.

First through fourth grade students are working on our Monster Project. They are designing monsters in Tux Paint. If things work out technically, they will then chat with a person somewhere else in the lab using a chat program (most likely Skype). The purpose of the chat will be for the students to describe their monsters to each other to see if they can draw by direction only. Monsters will then be compared and time-willing, each class will make a short documentary video about the project.

Fifth and sixth grade students are working on their Scratch projects. Oh boy! This is a doozie, but already I am seeing some very cool and creative games, animations, and stories getting in the works. Most are using online tutorials and remixing Scratch projects, though some are starting from…well…scratch!

I will also be doing school equipment inventory and documenting all the student projects for the Student Exhibition, so blog posts may be sparse between here and May. *wipes brow* Back to work!