The Monster Exchange project is a fun activity that encourages the development of reading and writing skills through artwork and technology. This classroom project will be a blended model of videoconferencing technology; an online collaboration tool called a wiki; scanning or digital photography and drawing. Classrooms throughout the NORT2H consortium will be paired together, dividing their classes into six groups. Each group will design an original picture of a monster to be shared with their partner group. The students in each group will write a description of their monster and post it to their page on the project wiki. Classroom teachers will be asked to either scan or take a digital photo of the students' drawings and then upload them into their online photo gallery in Google's Picasa. These images will be used by the NORT2H staff during the classes videoconferences. The students will then use reading and comprehension skills to read the descriptions and create their own version of the Monster. The goal is for the students to redraw a picture as close to the original picture as possible. During a videoconference each group will read their descriptions to their partner group and share their picture. The recreated pictures will be shared online by a NORT2H facilitator for the groups to compare and contrast their pictures, discuss items left off the description or not included in the drawing.

1. Sheffield Tennyson & Midview North