Case+Study+-+Media+Rich+Task

=Media Class Rich Task=

We decided to create a voluntary Rich Task that would both benefit our research and our final presentation. We started by introducing ourselves to Lake Ginniderra’s Media class, explaining that we were looking for a short video which summarises the topic of poverty, for use in our final presentation. We hoped that the students would be interested in producing the video as it was both an interesting challenge and a chance to have their work displayed in front of a large multinational audience. We then handed out task sheets to anyone who showed interest. This [|Handout] explained the task in more detail, with advice such as: > > The students had already been given an class assignment where they had to create a video montage with pictures that had made an impact on them. However, the teacher was flexible and suggested that anyone interested in doing the Poverty Rich Task could either do it instead of the original montage, or as an elective Structured Workplace Learning unit (awarding students extra unit points, out with the core unit).
 * Think outside the box – there are many different types of poverty
 * The video should be informative but also visually interesting
 * The deadline is relatively soon, so be aware of this before deciding to do the task.

Seven students from the class decided to undertake the challenge! We met with them and asked them how they would like to proceed: as individuals, in groups or as one large group. Without much debate, the group naturally split into three pairs and one individual. We were flexible and agreed that each could work on a 2-3 minute video, which we would then combine – keeping each separate but also together. The students decided to split the topic by //type// of poverty. Michelle and Clare took economic and mental poverty; Tayla took bodily poverty; Nic and Joe took cultural and political poverty; and Erin and Julie took societal poverty.

We advised the students to have a think about how they wanted to proceed and come and see us should they have any questions. We also visited them during a Media class to see how they were progressing. All were very independent and keen to get started.

__Some main features of the Rich Task__ We aimed for it to be highly **autonomous** with lots **flexibility** and **choice** It was a **practical** task that involved the use of **technology** relevant to the students It required **creativity**, **communication** and **organisation** Students could choose to do this practical task as an **assignment** It required a lot of working hours **out with class time** The topic ‘poverty’ is **thought-provoking** and **relevant** in some way to everyone

We agreed that the teacher and students should upload their finished work to an online file sharing network, where we would then be able to download it. This was mainly due to time constraints; we did not wish to rush the students into finishing their video in less than two weeks, and without the pressure of finishing it before our departure they had an extra week if needed. We spoke to the students whilst they were still creating their videos and were pleased to see that they had found the task rewarding, albeit sometimes frustrating!

//Videos, interviews and anaylsis to follow...!//