Before we considered about the contents of our program, we decided the title of our program with advices from Mr Thorpe. The name of our program was "E4C" that stands for "Environment FOR Children".
We tried to use a Japanese card game called "Karuta", but we realized that this educational program is for worldwide, so we judged that we should not use Karuta. We changed our base of program. We thought that E4C should not only use card, but also newest technology like virtual reality(VR) and Augmented Reality(AR). We gathered many times to come up with nice idea, and to practice presentation. Finally, we were able to make an educational program perfectly before the 1st selection.
E4C is a competitive quiz game using cards and a smartphone or tablet. The idea of this game is boasting a wonderful mix of Japan's traditional Karuta game and modern technology which allows students, especially elementary school students, to learn more about environmental issues in a fun and interactive way.
E4C needs two players or more and one reader. First, the players need to randomly line up cards that have a visual image related to the answer of the quiz and QR code on it. The reader begins to read the quiz questions out loud.
Example of the quiz: Two of the 3Rs are Reuse and Recycle, what about the other R word?
With all of the cards in front of them, the players look for the card that has the answer on it and race to be the first player to slap it with the palm of their hand. For this question, the answer is "Reduce". The person who collects the most cards is the winner.
When one player gets a correct card, he/she can scan the QR code on the card to watch an additional quiz movie on their smartphone or tablet. you can see and learn how daily products affect the environment. At the end of the video, we will give them another quiz, related to the first quiz and video, so that children can narrow the problem down and start to think about the issues together. We are focused on what children can change in their daily activities, so after they finish playing E4C card game, they will be more likely to take action to change their behavior. If they choose the correct answer, they can get an additional point that will be added to the number of the cards they won. Many schools have incorporated mobile learning into their classrooms and have iPads for students to use. If schools have this technology, they can utilize E4C in their curriculum as well. Schools can use a science class for E4C once a month, or allow their students to play E4C in their free time.
Through this program, children are not only encouraged to learn, but can also enjoy learning about environmental issues. Knowing about environmental issues helps children and their parents gradually change their attitudes about the environment for the future. In order to protect our future we must let children know about the problems we face. We thought that E4C will be the initial step in raising awareness of environmental problems.
Our idea was highly valued and we passed the 1st selection. We were allowed to do our presentation in Tokyo. In Tokyo, there were many people who are experienced, good at English and presentation. If I were alone, I would have been very nervous. We suggested E4C to other university students. In here, we got high reputation about our idea"E4C", but we could not pass 2nd selection.
Although, we were not able to get any prizes, I learned that we can make a great idea, if we cooperate. I really enjoyed working as a team, coming up with any idea and doing our presentation in front of people.
By participating "All JAPAN STUDENT ENGLISH PRESENTATION CONTEST" I felt that my presentation skills and mental ability had improved so much.