THE GAME CHANGER CHALLENGE OVERVIEW

This year the NSW Department of Education has introduced a new initiative, ‘The Game Changer Challenge’. Inspired by the need to take learning from the classroom into the real world, the Challenge will connect primary and high school students from across NSW with leading education technology and design thinking professionals to solve the big question - how can tomorrow’s schools help create the future?

THE GAME CHANGER CHALLENGE

Taking place over three days in August, the 16 finalist teams will go through a Design Thinking process which will see participants:

The Game Changer Challenge is part of Education Week - a statewide annual event, held during the first week of August, to celebrate NSW public education. The week communicates the achievements of local schools, their students and the value of public education.

The theme for 2018 Education Week is: Today’s schools – creating tomorrow’s world. It communicates how NSW public schools are equipping young people with the skills and capabilities they need to thrive in a rapidly changing, globalised world.

Tackle a real world brief through a project based learning approach

Work in collaboration with industry mentors

Equipped with Design Thinking skills and methodologies to take back to their schools

Participate in creative activities to open their minds to the possibilities of creative thinking

Work with leading tech companies to prototype their ideas

Pitch their ideas in front of an industry panel

Finalists will come to Sydney to participate in the challenge from 6th - 9th August at Game Changer HQ (105 Phillip St, Parramatta)

PRIMARY SCHOOLSLidcombe Public School Ingleburn Public School Oakhill Drive Public School Cherrybrook Public School Cudgegong Valley Public School Menindee Central School Alstonville Public School Thirroul Public School

OUR FINALISTS

HIGH SCHOOLSChatswood High School Lurnea High School Beverly Hills Girls High School Armidale High School Campbelltown Performing Arts High School Gloucester High School Carenne School Hurlstone Agricultural High School

The Game Changer Challenge launched with a recruitment campaign which saw 150 expressions of interest and 99 applications to participate from schools across the state. Applicants were asked to form a team of six students and two teachers, and produce a 60-second film showcasing their vision for the school of tomorrow. The 16 teams selected to participate in the Challenge in August are:

Watch the recruitment video here

Teachers will go through a bootcamp where they will learn about, and gain confidence in using the Design Thinking process as a teaching methodology, exploring its application for school planning. Students will have a seperate program where they will be inspired by industry professionals and equipped with the skills they need to carry out the Challenge the following day.

Pitch Day! Teams will pitch and present their solutions to the Challenge to a judging panel of education and industry experts, including the department’s Secretary. Judges will provide feedback to the teams and award the winning primary school and high school solutions.

Teachers and students will participate in a one-day sprint where they will apply the Design Thinking process to a real-world problem, i.e. the Challenge question. The day will follow an innovation process of problem finding, problem solving, prototyping and storymaking.

The Game Changer Challenge will take place over three days where they will solve the question:

01

THE PROGRAM

DAY

HOW CAN TOMORROW’S SCHOOL HELP CREATE THE FUTURE?

02DAY

03DAY

The first day is made up of two parts - a teacher Design Thinking bootcamp and a student induction.

DAY 01 TEACHER BOOTCAMP AND STUDENT INDUCTION

The Bootcamp will provide teachers with the requisite knowledge and skills they need to co-facilitate the Challenge on Day 2. The Bootcamp will run through:

- A dry run of the Challenge activities and how to facilitate them

- Inspirational talks from industry mentors on how they use Design Thinking in their practise

- A walk through of the Challenge day agenda

In the afternoon, teachers will join students for the makerspace tutorials.

TEACHER BOOTCAMP

The student induction day is all about inspiring and equipping students with the skills needed to carry out the Challenge the following day. Students will:

- Hear from industry mentors around their creative practises

- Delve deeper into the problem spaces they will be looking at the following day

- Participate in a poetry slam workshop

In the afternoon, students will join their teachers for the makerspace tutorials, where they will learn how to bring their idea to life with industry mentors.

STUDENTINDUCTION

DAY 02 THE CHALLENGE

PROBLEM FINDING

The Challenge day will follow innovation partner Tricky Jigsaw’s tried and tested innovation methodology:

PROBLEM FINDIdentifying the problem and crafting the problem statement

PROBLEM SOLVEIdeation and fleshing out the chosen idea

PROTOTYPEIteration of the idea and bringing the chosen idea to life through low-fi prototypes

STORYMAKEPitch presentation training

Students and teachers will follow this methodology through a series of introduction lectures and exercises.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Coming up with ideas, selecting the one with the greatest potential

and prototyping it

Understanding the brief and the customer to develop a problem

that needs to be solved

POINT OFVIEW

DAY 03 THE PITCHThe final day of the Game Changer Challenge will see each students present a 5-minute pitch of their idea. This pitch is an opportunity to share their Challenge solution and receive feedback from industry mentors.

The judging panel for the pitch is made up of industry mentors with vast experience across:

GOVERNMENT NSW Department of Education and DFA.

CONSULTING AGENCIESTricky Jigsaw and Polymer Studios

TECHNOLOGY COMPANIESAmazon, Microsoft, Telstra, Modern Teaching Aids, Adobe

The pitch will be followed by a special morning tea where participants have the opportunity to network.

The program features have been crafted to help students and teachers arrive at the best solution possible. Across the three days students will have have access to and experience:

PROGRAM FEATURES

THE MAKERSPACE

Run by the department’s Information Technology Directorate and industry partners, this is an opportunity for students to collaborate with industry educators and have access to new technology to help bring their ideas to life.

INDUSTRY MENTORS

Industry mentors will be involved in two panel discussions that define design and explore its application in solving complex challenges.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Teams will be involved in a number of activities throughout the Challenge aimed to develop their creative and critical thinking skills and develop confidence for presenting their pitch.

MINECRAFT - PRESENTED BY MICROSOFT

Students can use Minecraft to prototype their ideas in a virtual world.

3D PAINT - PRESENTED BY MICROSOFT

Students will have access to 3D Paint to model their ideas and bring them to life.

INTERNET OF THINGS - PRESENTED BY AMAZON

Work with the Amazon team to explore the possibilities of their Internet of Things Button, which connects devices to the internet and makes things happen at literally, the click of a button!

EV3 - PRESENTED BY MODERN TEACHING AIDS

Students will learn how to program Lego EV3 robots, allowing them to create working prototypes of their idea.

ADOBE SPARK AND GREEN SCREEN - PRESENTED BY ADOBE

Students will have access to Adobe Spark and a green screen to create an easy-to-make video to showcase their idea.

NARRATIVE SKILLS - PRESENTED BY TEDX

Janne Ryan, TED (NY) Coach will teach students how to build a narrative and present their solution.

Students will be introduced to the makerspace on day one where they will be taken through educator-led makerspace tutorials. The makerspace will remain open across the three days so that teams can prototype their idea ahead of the final pitches. The makerspace tutorials include:

PROGRAM FEATURE - THE MAKERSPACE

Students and teachers will interact with experienced industry mentors through the makerspace tutorials, the judging panel and two discussion panels. Mentors will guide teams on the problem areas they are exploring.

PROGRAM FEATURE - INDUSTRY MENTORS

JANNE RYANFounder, TEDx Sydney; Coach, TED (NY)

DR BRANDON GIEN CEO, Good Design Australia

DR TIM KITCHENSenior Education SpecialistAdobe

HAYDEN COXFounder and Innovator, Haydenshapes Surfboards

MELANIE TRANLead User Experience Designer, AbilityMate

REBECCA SMALLCHUASenior Marketing Manager Brand & Digital, Thankyou

BEN COOPERManaging DirectorTricky Jigsaw

JOANNA PRETYMANProduct Director, Tricky Jigsaw

PANEL 1 - DEFINING DESIGN

TUESDAY 7 AUGUST 9:35-10:25amThe panel will discuss how the principles of good design can be applied to tackle important issues such social inclusion, sustainability, the pursuit of happiness, and Australia’s obligations as a global citizen.

THE PANEL WILL EXPLORE THEMES INCLUDING:

What does design mean to you?

How do you use design in your work?

How do you use design in your life?

When were you first exposed to design?

Could you have imagined all the possibilities of design and where it’s taken you?

As the world around you has changed, how have the parameters of design evolved?

MELANIE TRANLead User Experience Designer, AbilityMate

DR BRANDON GIEN CEO, Good Design Australia

HAYDEN COXFounder and Innovator, Haydenshapes Surfboards

SHANNON RYANDirector, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading Innovation Exchange

ISSUES

SustainabilityDr Brandon Gien

Australia as a global citizen

DFAT

Social inclusionMelanie Tran

HappinessHayden Cox

PANEL 2 - THE RISE OF DESIGN

TUESDAY 7 AUGUST 11:20am-12:20pmThe panel will discuss the rise of the design methodology called Design Thinking and where these principles of good design could take us in the future.

Topics to be covered include the intersection of humanity and technology, communities of the future, jobs of the future and the pursuit of happiness.

THE PANEL WILL EXPLORE THEMES INCLUDING:

How do we embrace the technology that already exists?

Applying design to create solutions for complex global challenges.

Design as a powerful tool for achieving social good.

Designing life - how design is creating happier individuals and cultures.

JANNE RYANFounder, TEDx Sydney; Coach, TED (NY)

DR TIM KITCHENSenior Education SpecialistAdobe

ISSUES

SustainabilityBen Cooper

Communities of the future

Janne Ryan

Jobs of the futureDr Tim Kitchen

HappinessRebecca

Smallchua

REBECCA SMALLCHUASenior Marketing Manager Brand & Digital, Thankyou

BEN COOPERInnovation Partner Tricky Jigsaw

Across the three days, students will participate in activities to energise and inspire them to think creatively.

PROGRAM FEATURE - STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Jack Wilson (Australian Ninja Warrior) will take students through energy building exercises that will prepare the body and mind to tackle the challenge

Miles Merrill (Word Travels) will will unlock inhibition and get the creative forces flowing through a poetry slam workshop

LEARNING OUTCOMESBy participating in the Challenge:

Teachers will gain exposure to Design Thinking principles as a teaching method.

Students will further develop their general capabilities, in particular: collaboration; critical thinking; communication skills; and creativity.

Students and teachers will engage in questions around curriculum disruption and their solutions will inform possibilities for a curriculum revolution / curriculum innovation.

Public education stakeholders and the general public will gain insights into the ways in which NSW public education is evolving to keep pace with a changing world.