Rethinking Civic Engagement with Tech Innovation
+400 Points
Get ready for some political fireworks with the presidential election just around the corner! This Challenge is all about how technology can be used to light up the world of civic engagement. Election season can be a polarizing time, for example: left vs right; Democrats vs Republicans; young voters vs older voters. But, does it need to be? How can technology be used to foster healthy dialogue and engage in political action? Get those creative juices flowing, as you brainstorm out-of-the-box ideas for products, businesses, and marketing campaigns that use emerging technologies to transform youth civic engagement. Pitch your idea to Lenovo with a 3-5 minute video and win big $$$!
In this Challenge, you’ll address the question: How can we leverage emerging technologies to help more young people get involved in civic life (e.g. vote, run for office, etc)?
Note: This Challenge is still available to earn points!! The prize money was awarded to past winners.
Skills you'll develop
- Problem Solving
- Communication
- Social Awareness
Pitch
You’ve done it! You've created your solution, gotten feedback, iterated, and are ready to impress the world. You're almost done! In this step, you'll prepare your 3-5 minute video that showcases your idea. Be sure to review the Final Pitch Score Sheet and:
Plan (storyboard) your video
Practice before recording
Record using Zoom, Canva, Screencastify, YouTube, or any tool of your choice
Share with the judges
Understand the Pitch Phase
⏱️Time: 3-4 Hours (Week 4)
✏️Use the optional KNOtebook to help you plan
💼 Mentor: Get feedback from a mentor on your video
🎯 Future Ready Skills: Communication
Three Approaches: Your Choice
One important part of The KnoPro Challenges is choosing the type of solution for your idea and ultimately creating a video pitch. You have three choices: a new product idea, a business concept, OR a marketing campaign. Check out some examples from other Challenges:
You can also get inspiration from all the winners.
Step 1: See Examples & Get Ideas
A “Pitch” is telling a story in a way that others can grasp. Good pitches have some commonalities. See some examples.
Pitch Characteristics
A Hook
A hook is something that grabs the viewer’s attention right away. It should inspire the viewers’ curiosity and their desire to continue watching the video. This could be a story, words on the screen, images, etc.
See how the Micro Drone 2.0 video uses a hook.
What? Who? Why? How?
A pitch video includes (may not be in this order):
What it is: A clear explanation of the product, service, business, campaign
Who: Who are the users, audience, etc.
Why: Why did they create this? What are the benefits?
How: How does it work and how do the features support the benefit?
See how the Smart Thermometer video addresses the What, Who, Why, and How of the product.
A Story
Stories get people excited and motivated, by touching people’s emotions and helping them to start seeing and believing what you want them to. If you tell your story well, it will stick; people will remember and share it. Stories can be powerful. The most challenging part of creating a pitch video is coming up with a story that clearly explains the value of your idea while enticing the viewers.
See how the TeachWell video uses storytelling.
Personal
People get excited about new ideas when they can connect to the creators behind it. When creating your video pitch, be sure to:
Speak directly to the camera, as if you are speaking directly to the audience. You can do this, even without showing your face.
Be honest - don’t misrepresent yourself or your ideas
Show your passion - If you believe in something, others are more likely to believe in it too!
See how this Instagram video appeals to people’s emotions.
Sound & Visuals
After all this work, you want to be heard! Make sure to record in a quiet space and use clear and loud voices. You may wish to use music if it enhances your story. Photos, graphics, video, and drawings are almost as important as the spoken words. Some people will pay more attention to what they see than what they hear.
See how the Furbo video uses sound and visuals.
Pitch Style
The most challenging part of the video is coming up with a story that clearly explains the value of your idea while enticing viewers.
As you plan your video for your product idea, business concept, or marketing campaign, think about the tone of your solution. Is your solution happy and bubbly? Is it smart? Is it serious and beautiful? Consider your target users and their everyday lives. What tone would capture them? Watch some videos to see pitch styles with different tones.
A Day in the Life (2:34)
Voiceover (1:07)
Design Story (2:08)
Problem and Solution (3:37)
Not sure where to start? Check out these Kno Pro winning submissions for inspiration!
Step 2: Plan Your Video
Compile all your notes and prototypes to plan your video. You may want to create a storyboard (make a copy of this) or script. Remember to refer to the Final Pitch Checklist for your 3-5 minute pitch.
Video Guidelines
Purpose
When you plan your video, consider:
What is the problem you are addressing?
Why does the issue matter?
Why should people care about the issue?
How does your idea address the problem and the group it serves?
Results
When you plan your video, make sure it's clear:
How your idea will have an impact
How your product, business, or campaign will work
How the results from testing and feedback guide your idea
Originality
Not only should your idea be unique, but it's even better if the presentation of your idea is creative. Maybe, it's:
A skit that shows your product, business concept, or campaign
A day in a customer's life
Interviews with users
A music video
Voiceover with slides in the background
Make your idea stand out!
Step 3: Rehearse and Record
You now have a script or storyboard, be sure to practice your video before recording. Then, record!
Free Video Creation Tools (in addition to YouTube)
Get Feedback from a Mentor
Mentor Moment: Share Your Pitch
Get feedback from a mentor, who may be judging your project! Share your script, storyboard, or your final pitch video. Consider the feedback you'd like from a mentor. Remember to refer to the KnoPro Pitch Checklist in requesting feedback.
Share your pitch with a mentor and get professional feedback before you submit it!
Step 4: Submit Your Video
Are you ready to submit your final 3-5 minute video to the KnoPro judges?
Ready to Submit Your Pitch?
Check if you're ready to submit your video pitch. If so great work! The judges are standing by to review your video! Flip each card to see if you're ready to submit.
PRO Criteria
PRO Criteria
Does your pitch meet the PRO criteria? Purpose: Clearly shows the problem you addressing and why it's important; Results: Shows how your idea will have an impact; and, Originality: Unique idea and it is presented creatively.
Rehearse & Feedback
Rehearse & Feedback
Did you rehearse your video and get feedback? Did you improve it based on the feedback?
Test
Test
Did you test the video so that it can be viewed by anyone? You can open an incognito / private browser to test this. Make sure your video is 3-5 minutes.
Submit Your Video!!!
Submit your 3-5 minute pitch link in your project area. Be sure to test that your video link can be viewed by anyone on the Internet. You can open an incognito / private browser to test this. Watch a video to see how to do this.
Only one student needs to submit the link to the video, but every other student (if part of a group) needs to also click “Submit Finished Project” on their student dashboard and complete a short reflection survey before the project will be officially submitted.
Note: If you've had problems joining a group for the project, add the names of the students who worked on the project in the comments area below the link to the video.
