Final Tasks for Gamified Course
Culminating Event Video
The students will be given an opportunity to plan, produce, edit, and display a culminating event video which represents a summary of their activity. This exercise will also attempt to bring together, through re-enactment, a collaborative and dramatic manifestation of their learning experience. This video project will be will involve the all the students who have participated with the course and will further seek to recreate a pivotal moment that is the product of the student’s actions. This moment is chosen by consensus of the students.
One of the most critical aspects of this event is the research the individual student must perform to receive the most out of the exercise. The aim of the student is to be in character with the participants in the event. In simulating a historical event, the student must research and be mindful of the following:
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How did people dress during this period you are recreating?
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How did people speak during the period you are recreating?
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Is this a recreation of an actual historical event, or is it a possible event?
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What kind of character are you portraying? What is the character’s voice?
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The goal of the exercise is to perform research and understand, through role play, something of the physical reality of the event being reenacted. This exercise does not place emphasis on acting ability or performance, but rather in understanding the event through experiential learning.
The nature of this learning requires that the student conduct research regarding the the characters that participated in the depicted event and create a character profile. This profile would include:
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Culturally applicable character name
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A short biography: who is this person, where are they from
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Why is this character participating in this event
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What is the character thinking prior to the event taking place
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This process will immerse the student into the character by better understanding the context that their character exists in.
The educator’s role in this exercise is to prepare the students by ensuring that their research and character representations are focused on the event. In addition, the educator’s goal is also to create a video record of the event that will serve as a historical record of the event while providing each student with a tangible product of their collective achievements.
Overview Presentation
Each student will be required to complete a final presentation that will outline the achievements of their civilization through the use of presentation technology. They will be able to outline the developments of their civilization from the beginning of the exercise to the end of the time allotted for the course.
This project can be done using presentation technology such as Powerpoint, Prezi, or Keynote. The student should be allowed to choose their presentation medium so long as it can be presented on a computer and can be distributed online. The student will be responsible for building and presenting this project to the rest of the class.
In designing the final project, the student must reflect upon some of the key aspects of the development of their civilization:
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Why did you choose your particular nation?
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What were your initial goals?
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What challenges did you anticipate when playing this nation?
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How did you interact with other player/students?
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Explain how your civilization fared. Divide your experience into a early/middle/late phase.
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This presentation is focused on the student bringing together their experience across the learning experience. The key aspect of this exercise is in the reflection that the student conducts in order to fully appreciate the learning journey they have taken. Their final presentation should emphasize this journey with emphasis on the linear path they took.