ROBOT HEART STORIES

Robot Hearts Stories is an experiential learning project that uses collaboration and creative problem solving to put education directly in the hands of students. This past fall, two classrooms, a continent apart, worked together to get a lost robot home. Over 10 days the robot named Laika traveled 2000 plus miles, visited 56 cities and found support from students, parents and teachers in 12 countires.

The experience started when Laika crash landed in Montreal and must make her way to LA in order to find her space craft and return home. Two class rooms in underprivileged neighborhoods, one in Montreal (French speaking) and the other in LA (English speaking), used math, science, history, geography and creative writing to help the robot make her way across North America.

At the same time, Robot Hearts Stories extends beyond the classroom, as the project welcomes involvement from a global audience. We need participants of all ages to share their own passions in the form of a creative act involving a robot they can print, customize and document. For each photo or piece of art featuring the robot that is submitted, the “signal strength” of the robot grows stronger and helps her to get back home.

Robot Heart Stories is the first in a trilogy of experiential learning projects from award winning storytelling pioneer Lance Weiler and creative producer Janine Saunders.

It is our feeling that together we can empower endless creativity and, with the help of a robot, we can reboot education.

CREDITS

Creator / Experience Designer:
Lance Weiler

Creative Producer:
Janine Saunders

Partners:
Northern Army
Vectorface
Story Pirates
Festival du Nouveau Cinema
Fondation du Dr. Julien
P’tits Loups
Design Related
DIY DAYS

Lead Design and Art Direction:
Northern Army
Rene Antune
Ryan Anderson

Site Developer:
Vectorface
Matt McParland
Eric Coulombe
Photographers on the road aka Laika:
Mike Hedge
Tiffani Bearup
Curriculum Development:
Tory Pirates
Quinton Johnson
Lorie Marsh

LA / Story Pirates Producers:
Duke Doyle
Jamie Salka
Connor White

LA Teacher / School:
Dennis Hagen-Smith

Montreal Partners:
Festival Du Nouveau Cimena
Fondation du Dr. Julien
P’tits Loups

Montreal Coordinating Producer:
Jasmine Pisapia

Montreal Teacher / Artistic Trainer:
Daphnee Cyr

Production + Story Producer:
Lorie Marsh

Story Development + Writers:
Atley Loughridge
Elena Parker
Lance Weiler

Associate Producers
Elena Parker
Adipat Virdi
Mike Hedge
Marc Ruppel
Ele Jansen
Yo Park
Julie Stratton

Site for illustrators and Coordination:
Design Related
Matt Sung

RebootStories Blogger:
Jason Hood
Felicia Pride

Translation Producer:
Karine Halpern

Translators:
Lea Pisapia
Karine Halpern
Fabienne Olivier

Social Media:
Jen Bengel

Teaser Video:
Jordan Gray

Project Documentation Team:
Ele Jansen
Cynthia Jabar
Maya Zuckerman
Adipat Virdi
Sai Pathmanathan

Special Thanks:
MicroVision
Laura Fleming
Mathias Erixon
Jenny Nasal
Lorraine Hopping Egan
Bethan Marlow
Evelyn Saunders
Bruno Patatas
Fernando Carrion
Emmanuel Bethoux
Celina Beach
Jasmine Lyman
Paul Burke
David Pope
Anthea Foyer
Meryl Alper