Identi-Tee Project

IntroductionAlmost every student carries a mobile device, making it a natural choice for content creation, delivery, differentiated learning and especially field work and data capture. A recent survey predicts that by the year 2020, most people across the world will be using a mobile device as their primary means for connecting to the Internet. Last year's mobile data traffic was 8 times that of the Internet in 2000.

Whenever one plays a game, and whatever game one plays, learning happens constantly, whether the players want it to, and are aware of it, or not. And the players are learning “about life,” which is one of the great positive consequences of all game playing. Marc Prensky

IntroductionThe project is a technology infused experience and incorporates social learning, exploration and creativity. Identity and belonging are the main themes of the the learning experience. It's part game, part creative expression and part augmented exhibition. With a focus on people, places, and stories, we use technology directly with young people and engage them in 21st century skills by inviting them to consume, curate and create media. Participants learn collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, communication, interviewing, personal branding, reputation management, information and media literacy, and digital citizenship. These meet many of the focuses on domains from the Victorian Curriculum and Standards.

Mobile learning mechanicsA good mobile learning game has mechanics built in that connects to social experiences and utilises all of the features and opportunities that mobile devices bring such as the ability to:● Be tied to locations that are relevant to the learners (schools,

cultural institutions, popular culture events, recreational environments)

● Take photographs, record audio and video● Create rich text documents● Browse rich media on the Internet● Communicate through social media● Obtain location-based information (via GPS/WIFI)● Regular feedback for achievements/mastery via badges and

re-enforcement of team culture

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Victorian Essentials Learning StandardsThe Identi-Tee Project helps participants develop their self confidence, emerging autonomy, interdependence, resilience and sense of agency.

Civics and Citizenship

● Civic knowledge and understanding

● Community engagementInterpersonal Development

● Working in teams● Building social relationshipsDesign, Creativity and Technology

● Investigating and designing● Producing● Analysing and evaluating

Communication● Listening, viewing and responding● PresentingInformation and Communications Technology

● ICT for visualising thinking● ICT for creating● ICT for communicatingThe Arts

● Creating and making● Exploring and responding

Image Flickr. Some rights reserved by flickingerbrad

Locative mobile technology The game is built on ARIS which is a user-friendly, open-source platform for creating and playing mobile games, tours and interactive stories. Participants use iPods, iPhones, iPads and Android powered smartphones and tablets in small teams. Using GPS, reference images, and QR Codes, ARIS players experience a hybrid world of virtual interactive characters, items, and media placed in physical space. Referenced from arisgames.org

Stage one: Location based gameIt's an all day event. The game is played in the Melbourne CBD but could be replicated in any location with a shopping mall and cultural institutions nearby. Participants visit the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne Central, Federation Square, Australian Centre for Moving Image, and the Immigration Museum. Quests, characters and in game media unfold as participants engage in the game-play and unlock the 3 levels of the game from the north end of the city down to the Yarra river. Level 1 and 2 are played in the morning and after a lunch break (recharge), level 3 in the afternoon.

Augmented Reality exhibitionAfter the game is played the participants either register for a half day workshop where they learn to build a digital identity card and Identity Artifact plaque. Otherwise they can submit finished artwork for us to place in the augmented exhibition layer. They use manga avatars and other digital media to make a creative representation of themselves, one they are proud to share. Participants can also link to online content they created in game such as their blog, twitter and personal YouTube. Their unique identity artifact will become part of the ongoing Identi-Tee mini exhibitions at in and around Melbourne's cultural institutions. Augmented Reality is built on the Layar platform.

Image: Example AR Identity Artifact plaque from the team @curiositylab

Game outline

You will explore many aspects of identity as you play out the 3 levels of the game with your team. By completing the game you will gain valuable personal insights you can use to better yourself and your community. You will confront stereotypes, explore gender, race, diversity, reputation and many other factors that can impact one’s identity.You will need to work in a small team of two or four and complete numerous quests and tasks which require you to document your findings and your experience in the media of your choice: Audio, video, blog, comic strip. How you connect, communicate, collaborate and learn collectively will greatly influence your success during this quest.

Image Flickr. Some rights reserved by flickingerbrad

Think-Pair-Share

We use a version of the Think-Pair-Share process, a collaborative learning strategy based on active learning and situated learning.Think-Pair-Share is a form of Active Learning, a model of instruction that focus the responsibility of learning on the learners. It is a collaborative learning strategy that:

● Can be used productively in large classes● Encourages students to be reflective about course content● Allows students to privately formulate their thoughts before

sharing them with others, and● Can be used to develop specific higher-order thinking skills

We use this along with other methods of collaborative media creation and the sharing part is done by creating personal blogs.

Game elements

The Identi-Tee Project is part digital storytelling, part locative game, part augmented reality and is designed to foster collaboration, build empathy, promote diversity, enhance ICT and communication skills. A catalyst for personal insight which connects participants with many cultures, subcultures and communities. Rewards for in game achievements come in the form of our own 21st Century skills digital badges.

Participants use Social Media

Level one Th Teams transverse the north end of city as they discover their heritage, family history, their culture, and their connection to subcultures and brands.They visit the State Library and Melbourne Central shopping mall.During this level, participants also learn about personal branding, media literacy, reputation management.

The first quest guide for this level is Alice from the Curiosity Lab team. Alice is a librarian and fitness/self help guru. Second guide is Jonas our resident branding expert and life coach.

Level two Interviewing, digital storytelling feature in this level.They work with their teammates to research, interview and begin to uncover and share their own unique identity. They do this by using media (text, photo, audio, video) to share their personal story/identity on a personal blog.Team members use the CBD, share the roles of citizen journalist and citizen designer throughout this level.

The quest guide for this level is Lisa from the Curiosity Lab team. Lisa is a new media producer and anthropologist.Level two is an opportunity to synthesize what they learned in level one, and begin to craft their story.

Level three They visit Federation Square, ACMI and and the Immigration Museum.Teams will discover how sport and recreation play a large role in determining our health and well-being.Participants also explore some of the struggles we have with identity as adolescents. They are encouraged to learn how celebrities and other great leaders have shaped their identity throughout their lives.

The quest guide for this level is Tai from the Curiosity Lab team.Tai is a historian who makes found art and produces original own digital music. She also holds a degree in counselling.Level three is an opportunity to delve deeper into our diversity and shared identity as Australians.

Image Flickr. Some rights reserved by flickingerbrad

Stage two: Augmented Reality Participants go back to the classroom to do some more research, complete the lesson plan and design their Tee-Shirt (optional) and create their final Digital Identity Artifact. They then attend a self directed online course and learn to create their Digital Media Artifacts for Augmented Reality. *It is optional to have participants place the Augmented Reality into the layer themselves during a hands on workshop. Next Curiosity Lab attach their Digital Media Artifacts as rich media Augmented Reality (AR) layers which become part of the ongoing Identi-Tee mini exhibitions at in and around Melbourne's cultural institutions.

Project outcomes● Teams confront stereotypes, explore gender, sexual

orientation, race, reputation and many other things that can impact one’s identity.

● Participants generate original content with photos, videos, comic strips, audio and text

● All content is published to a secure personal blog● Lesson plan is aligned with Victorian curriculum to be used in

your classroom● Participants learn to build for Augmented Reality● Optional. Participants design their own Tee-shirt and print it

when they visit youth led social enterprise Print Side Up.● Participants Digital Media Artifacts are Included in Identi-Tee

Artifacts exhibition around Melbourne's cultural institutions .

Playtesting: May 2012 Please do get in touch if you would like your class to participate in a series of play tests during May here in Melbourne Australia. The game and exhibition is taking school and other group bookings now for July 2, 2012. There will be no cost to playtest. You will be required to BYOD and participants will need to fill out a short before and after game questionnaire. Get in touch with me for more information. Want me to reproduce this game in your city? I can, just ask.Brendan - 03 9018 7340 or brendan@curiositylab.com.au

Identit-Tee Project by Brendan O'Keefe is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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Based on a work at curiositylab.com.au.Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be

available at http://curiositylab.com.au.

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