A Website in Ch 4(CALL Essentials)
Ch4---Communication and Collaboration
The goal of chapter 4 is “communication and collaboration.” Though there are good websites I can introduce to you in this chapter, such as Tapped In, I still want to recommend “Monster Exchange.” And I would like to briefly analyze it for you.
※Goals: Encourage the development of reading and writing skills while integrating Internet technology into the classroom curriculum.
※Presentation: Classrooms from a variety of schools worldwide are paired together; the students in each classroom are split into groups, each of which designs an original picture of a monster. The students must then write a description of the monster. The partnered classes then exchange their descriptions via e-mail and the Internet. These students are then challenged to use reading comprehension skills to read the descriptions and translate them into a monster picture. The true challenge involves creating a redrawn picture as close to the original picture as possible without looking at the original and using only the written description of the monster. The written descriptions, original monster pictures, and redrawn monster pictures are scanned and uploaded to the Internet using the browser-based Monster Gallery Builder. The Monster Gallery Builder is entirely form-based and does not require the teacher or student to know any HTML code. The Monster Galleries are then published, and feedback is provided via e-mail.
※Appropriateness: I do think the website is really helpful! Not only learners but also teachers/parents are provided clear and useful guidelines in manipulating the website. And every link is quite specific related to what learners may want to know.
※Outcomes: Learners can practice the ability of writing and reading by figuring out what others’ monsters are and creating their own “monsters.” In other words, learners can learn from this drawing and get to know others’ drawings.
※Evaluation: Basically, there is no formal and strict evaluation in the website. But we can know how much students learn from checking the correctness of their monsters. I mean, we can judge students’ learning by their understanding of others’ descriptions and monsters which are created by them.
※Notes: In the link of “kids’ stuff”, there is another great link named
. You can find six interesting websites for English learning. Be sure to visit them when you finish discovering how amazing “Monster Exchange” is! 
2 comments:
I think it’s really fun for children to try to exchange the cognitive process with each other and learn language from it at the same time. I believe that this website is made for children because the webpage is so colorful and the activity, I think, indeed attract young learners with the picture-making process. On the surface, it seems that they have to kind of “translate” other people’s picture description; however, they are actually using the target language to help them in interaction. It’s kind of project-based learning. Pretty fun!
Indeed, I think this website can provide young students with an interesting way to practice their reading and writing skills. Through this non-traditional ways of learning, children would be more willing to learn these skills. I really recommend this website because I think it is very beneficial for students to learn in the manners of “playing games.” I mean, they can learn in a quite relax way. Children would love it!
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