Proposal

The Elizabethan language was enlightened by the works of William Shakespeare who is well known for his intriguing use of idiom, perspectives, and imagery which has prevailed in his writing. The many plays he wrote such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, and others are the most pulsating literature within the English language; which remarkably are still studied to this very day. Shakespeare’s work has been rigorously studied throughout history; however his writing has recently shown a decline in interest amongst high school students. Individuals are finding it increasingly difficult to comprehend due to the complexity of the language displayed in Shakespeare’s writing; as well as the many language limitations faced by new immigrants in our society. Many factors are accountable for the lack of interest in Shakespeare’s work. Some people view instructors as unenthusiastic, or incapable of facilitating interesting discussion. Others suggest that Shakespeare is no longer suitable for our modern society and lessons learned can be taught through other academic works that are easier to comprehend. To counter literacy rates, innovative ideas must be generated to reach students. This would not only allow students to learn the famous works of Shakespeare, but to also understand the social context of the literature, and how it pertains to their own lives.
 * 1) The history**

School Boards and the local government are the primary stakeholders who can influence reorganizing traditional teaching methods to fit the needs of our students in today’s digital society. Parents and students are also primary stakeholders who are affected by the organization’s actions. Instructional and highly educated teaching professionals within the educational system have the ability to improve the system to better facilitate the diverse characteristics of high school students, yet such changes are far more complex and appropriate adjustments to the curriculum must be implemented. This typically includes instructor training, equipment, and learning tools. Publishing companies and textbook manufacturers will also be concerned with the shift from traditional to a digital medium. Moving towards a digital medium reduces the need for multiple copies of textbooks and novels that would otherwise be necessary in the traditional classroom.
 * 2) Primary stakeholders**

A major issue that we must address involves the diverse skills and unique requirements that every classroom has depending on the teacher and the students. We cannot assume that our target audience will be equal in skill. We must be able to engage the student in more than one way to cater towards various learning styles. Some students learn more visually than others, and we must take this into consideration so that students with various learning styles can still benefit and enjoy the learning experience. Current learning methods do not cater to multiple learning styles because students are being forced to simply read or write about the text. Introducing an interactive method of learning can be costly to develop, but school boards and governing bodies should engage in research to see if the costs outweigh the benefits. Students growing up in a highly digital age where computers are found in nearly every class room have the resources and skills necessary to engage in an interactive digital experience, but with out the support of governing bodies and teachers, it will be difficult to implement into the classroom.
 * 3) Conflicts**

Looking back at previous experiences with Shakespeare, it is difficult to recall the plot, characters, or even the setting of where the stories took place. The greatest stories of our time are being overlooked and easily forgotten by students because they are not being engaged by Shakespeare and his literary works. Technology is becoming more affordable and is used more in the classroom. Even though computers and labs are present in high schools, they are as generally used as a separate method of learning that is independent from the core material. The resources, and the skills present in today’s digital society should be utilized to improve the learning experience by using computers to complement traditional learning methods allows students with various learning styles to exercise their skills in different ways. No longer will a student be forced to just read the work of Shakespeare, instead they will be able to engage in the Shakespearean world using interactive digital media. Shakespeare will be more relevant to students by allowing them to engage in a digital world instead of simply reading a static text from beginning to end. Creating this engaging experience will allow for students to better understand and recall some of the greatest stories ever written and better apply the history, written skills, and artistry that made his writing effective.
 * 4) Stance**

Our goal for a cultural transformation and research project is to develop a new way that will allow students to interact with the written literatures of Shakespeare. In order to engage the students learning Shakespeare, the software must provide a unique experience that has clear rules and scoring, easily understandable game play, and descriptive environments. Students will be able to easily participate with the Shakespeare story without being forced to complete tasks in a certain way. Creating objectives that follow the original Shakespeare narrative but give the student flexibility to make moral decisions will provide true interactivity instead of forcing every student down an exact path. Students will be able to take the role of various Shakespearean characters that will work together and separately as allegiances and rivalries are formed as the narrative progresses. Using icons to highlight environmental details like relevant clues, students will be able to interact with items within the virtual Shakespearean world in order to make their own predictions and form their own opinion of the surrounding events as the story progresses. In order to test the number of environments, the form of navigation between settings, and the number of interactive elements involved will require some focus testing through low fidelity paper prototypes. Asking our target audience to engage in some controlled scenarios involving key events in the narrative will allow for us to better understand how to balance interactivity and the narrative to create an engaging experience that not only allows the student to live out the role of a famous Shakespearean character, but to do so in an efficient amount of time. Also, the students engaging in the interactive Shakespeare narrative will vary depending on classroom requirements and skill level, so a way to scale difficulty is also necessary to consider. Using virtual reality techniques, we seek to create a virtual game where students can place themselves in a world that resembles the Elizabethan Era. Within this game student’s can interact with characters from Shakespeare’s plays’ while also directing them to associate with other characters and commit certain actions that follow the order of the play, thus developing the story for themselves and watching it unfold. This not only engages students but assists them in developing an understanding for Shakespearian literature. Upon approval from the Provincial Government and School boards, the Interactive Shakespeare game is proposed to launch in high schools by early September 2015.
 * 5) Communication Strategy**

**References** 1. Gifford, Sally. "NEA News Room: Literary Reading in Dramatic Decline, According to National Endowment for the Arts Survey." //National Endowment for the Arts//. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. .

2. Leichliter, Mark. "Declining US Reading Rates: Frequency of Literary Reading Continues to Plummet." //Literary Culture//. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. .

3. Cope, David. "Karen Demski's E-Mail Interview with David Cope." Interview by Karen Demski. 27 Mar. 2007. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. .

4. Hands-on Interactive Storytelling Techniques http://www.springerlink.com/content/m26231q1h7327228/

5. Interactive Storytelling: techniques for 21st century fiction http://books.google.ca/books?id=Pkku-bapISwC&lpg=PR1&ots=CgBzgR9Vox&dq=interactive%20storytelling&pg=PR7#v=onepage&q=&f=false