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A creative writing project between Grade 8 students (ages 13-14) in two different schools in Tasmania, Australia. The project used WebCt learning management system technology as the medium to connect them.
To use online technology to improve students' creative writing skills.
Each student was paired up with a partner in the other school. By email, each received secret instructions. For example:
'You have been sent to boarding school and you are in Grade 7. Write a letter home. Send this letter to your partner as an email attachment. He or she will reply using the same medium and acting as the parent to whom you wrote.'
The student who received this email then had the job of opening the 'letter story', setting the scene for the plot and developing his/her child character.
The second student, their partner, had no idea of these instructions. Instead, they received the following:
'Soon you will receive a letter from your partner. They are writing as a child who has just been sent away to boarding school for Grade 7. You are the parent to whom they have written. Think about your role. When you receive their letter, it is your job to reply. You will need to read their letter carefully and work out what has been happening and how he or she is feeling. You need to tell them what has been happening for you at home during his/her absence.'
Students had the job of picking up cues from their partners about the plot so far, creating and developing their parent character and extending the plot further. The idea was to exchange a minimum of three letters, each concluding with the last one from the student in the parent role. Thus, one student began the story, while the other brought it to a conclusion. When complete, the whole 'letter story' from each group could be shared in the work presentation area for everyone to enjoy.
The imagination of the students was stunning. What a lot of fun they had! So many creative ideas were shared, scenes developed and characters played out. Of course, not everything went according to plan. Schools, being what they are, had various events and day-to-day matters which, at times, cut across our work or caused some disruption. The partner school also had a change of teachers and some class reorganisation, which meant that computer access for some participants was disturbed. However, these problems aside, the activity offered students a real challenge and much enjoyment. In terms of Bloom’s Taxonomy, it lifted their thinking to the 'synthesising' stage and allowed them to use experience and knowledge previously gained in a new and exciting situation.
Ms Patricia Corby is a teacher working for the Department of Education, in Tasmania, Australia.
Extract from Snapshots: secondary volume 1 issue 4 (April 2004)