2008 Aloha Challenge: success!

The 2008 Aloha Challenge language immersion reality show has finished filming, and it was a complete success. Visit the show's website to watch episodes, student films, and extra clips from the show!

Aloha Challenge will premiere on Hawaii's KIKU TV on November 7, 2008 at 8pm. Watch the show Fridays at 8pm or Saturdays at 3pm!

aloha challenge reality show concept

Telling stories requires learning of subject matter and creativity in conveying information. Producing high-quality short films with teammates who don't speak the same language very well adds another level of complexity.

Despite its "game" structure, LingoXtreme is an advanced language-acquisition and leadership curriculum. High school students participate on scholarships and undergraduates serve as paid interns. After their 14-week experience, participants achieve a quantum leap toward Japanese language proficiency, while also cultivating improved abilities for teamwork and cultural understanding.

2008 aloha challenge

competition features:

* 10 weeks online, team orientation and planning period
* 3 days intensive film production training
* 3 weeks competition
　- 5 production pitches
　- 5 experiential learning activities and productions
　- 2 ecotourism challenges
　- 4 team break (free) days
* awards

summer 2008 term: july 19th 〜 aug 14th
application deadline: sunday, april 6th

The LingoXtreme: Aloha Challenge is a 4-week competition to produce 5-minute videos about the most interesting aspects of Hawaii, its people, cultures, and ecology. Six American and 6 Japanese high school students, broken-up into three 4-member teams, are challenged to build personal relationships with teammates, exchange ideas to research and plan productions, and work together to produce the best short films.

The immersion experience begins with a 10-week online orientation and planning period, using the e-bukatsu.net website and VoIP telephone with teammates. During this time, teams will select from a list of 20 experiential learning activities, which will be the subjects of their productions. In Hawai’i, all participants will learn the basics of filmmaking and video editing. Then, each team will create five (5) multimedia presentations about their activities.

The e-bukatsu online community will judge teams’ productions and determine the winners. Members of the first place team will win MacBook computers and roundtrip airfare. The second place team takes home Casio electronic dictionaries.

internships: undergraduates

For the 2008 Aloha Challenge, four (4) non-Japanese undergraduates from U.S., Canadian, or European universities will be selected as interns. An equal number of native-Japanese undergraduates will be selected as interns as well. In all, there will be eight undergraduate interns.

The interns' challenge is to help teams of high school students (from Japan and U.S.A.) compete and win in a filmmaking contest. The 8 interns will serve as the team's producers, assisting in pre-program research and production planning, facilitating communications both online and in Hawai'i, encouraging team members to contribute and to work together, and ensuring that high-quality productions are completed according to deadlines.

The Game:

* there are three (3) teams of high school (HS) students, each team has 2 Japanese and 2 Americans;

* there will be eight (8) interns, 4 from Japan and 4 from America;

* there will be five rounds of competition, each lasting 4 days
(day 1: shoot; day 2: edit; day 3: edit & upload; day 4: results)

* before each round, interns will "pitch" or "sell" their talents to teams during "Directors' Meetings";

* each team will select one intern to serve as its "producer";

* "producer" interns each will select one "production assistant" intern for the job;

* together, the producer and assistant will help their team earn the most points by producing the best film;

* an online jury will decide the film rankings and scores for each round;

* producer earns an amount equal to the team's points, the assistant earns half;

* unemployed interns earn zero points, and are eliminated from the game if jobless in 2 rounds.

The intern who earns the most points in the LingoXtreme competition wins US$10,000 cash. The base compensation for all interns will be US$500, plus living expenses in Hawaii (upon completion of the program). Airfare is not included.

eligibility

Candidates must have at least 2 years of university-level Japanese language study. Those who have lived or studied abroad in Japan are preferred. Any undergraduate who is selected must pass a Japanese language interview using voice-over-internet telephone. A teacher of Japanese must submit an e-mail letter of recommendation on behalf of any applicant [to: infoe-bukatsu.com]. The teacher's recommendation should describe the candidate's academic potential, language ability, and leadership ability.

All interns are expected to participate in the online, pre-program, May 17 to July 17. The purpose will be to assist high school student in planning their summer productions using the e-bukatsu website and voice-over-internet telephone. All interns will arrive in Hawai'i on Saturday, July 19 and return on Thursday, August 14.

scholarships: high school students

LingoXtreme: Aloha Challenge is a scholarship program for high school students who are members of e-bukatsu. Only 6 high school students from the United States, Canada, or Europe will be selected to join with 6 Japanese high school students. Once selected, students pay NO program fee, and expenses related to room, board, and activities are paid by e-bukatsu.com.

peer-to-peer learning and teamwork:

the most basic unit of a LingoXtreme team is same-gender, one-to-one language-exchange partnership. On each team, 2 boys (1 American and 1 Japanese) and 2 girls (1 American and 1 Japanese) are partners. Partners are are challenged to help each other prepare for the experiential learning activities that are the bases for their short films. When joining as a team, they assist each other in explaining ideas and in achieving consensus for the best plans, delegation of responsibilities, and completing projects.

online orientation and planning (April 27 to July 18):

the e-bukatsu Internet site and voice-over-internet telephone are essential to pre-program orientation. Teams select their favorite 5 activities from a list of 20, then begin the process of researching background information. Once selected, they receive, and must learn, basic vocabulary related to each activity so that they can discuss and formulate production plans together. Teams must select the most appropriate method for story-telling: news format, documentary, dramatic fiction, comedy, abstract-free form, etc. No points are awarded for pre-program participation, but high-quality productions require understanding of the subject by all members. During this period, partners and teammates meet, exchange ideas, and develop respect for each others' talents and abilities.

pre-production pitching:

for each activity, one member of a team will be director for the production; each member will direct at least one production. On the day before each production, the director will explain ("pitch") the team's story idea to judges (professional filmmakers and staff). The director must pitch the team's production plan in her/his NON-native language. Teammates may assist in the pitch, but only by using their NON-native languages. Judges will award a maximum of 10 points based on the originality and feasibility of the plan, persuasiveness of the pitch, and preparation of the team.

short film production at experiential learning activities:

teams must arrive prepared at the activity locations, learn information and insights (not published on the internet) from activity hosts, incorporate new knowledge into their productions, and execute their production plans within a designated period of time. This means that all members must support the director and perform her/his role in the production. If a team succeeds in these tasks, their short film will be more competitive and will earn more points: 1st place - 100; 2nd place - 75; 3rd place - 50; 4th place - 25.

professionalism and manners:

it is only by the generosity and cooperation of activity hosts that we are able to create such interesting learning experiences. Hosts plan extensively, so they hope that students will appreciate their efforts. Teams demonstrate their appreciation by asking informed questions, cooperating with hosts to learn unique qualities about the location, and representing the location by producing creative and informative media that reflects new knowledge and experiences. Therefore, each host will award a maximum of 10 points based upon a team's performance during the activity.

eco-tourism challenges:

all work and no play makes for very restless students. So two rounds of competition are dedicated to outdoor, team activities. Similar to productions, points will be awarded as follows: 1st place - 100; 2nd place - 75; 3rd place - 50; 4th place - 25.

intercultural communications and understanding:

If future generations understood each other better, the benefits of a connected planet would be enormous. During LingoXtreme, students learn that language and cultural differences can be overcome by mutual effort, patience, and genuine interest in enjoying their experiences, together. When any one of these elements is missing, team morale and productions suffer. Language acquisition and personal growth accelerate when all participants commit to the success of each other.

eligibility

Applicants should be at least 16 years old and have completed at least 2 years of Japanese language study at the high school level. As a basic requirement, all candidates must be able to read and type (on computer) using the hiragana and katakana writing systems. A teacher of Japanese must submit an e-mail letter of recommendation on behalf of any applicant [to: infoe-bukatsu.com]. The teacher's recommendation should describe the candidate's academic potential, language ability, and leadership ability.

Additionally, all participants will need access to and proficiency with a computer and internet access. Specifically, selected students will meet each other and plan their summer productions using the e-bukatsu website and voice-over-internet telephone. Participation in the online pre-program is essential for team building, and weekly participation will be mandatory.

program schedule

dates	activity	location
may 17 to july 17	online training & planning	from students' homes
july 19	program starts in hawaii
july 20	beach party & BBQ
july 21 - 23	orientation & training	oahu island
july 24 - 26	production 1	oahu island
july 27	eco-tourism challenge
july 28 - 30	production 2	oahu island
july 31	free day
aug 1 - 3	production 3	other islands
aug 4	eco-tourism challenge
aug 5 - 7	production 4	oahu island
aug 8	free day
aug 9 - 11	production 5	oahu island
aug 12	cleaning day
aug 13	award ceremony	oahu island
aug 14	return home

aloha challenge reality series

All participants in the Aloha Challenge will be stars of the next "Battle for Babel" reality series about intercultural communications and understanding between Japanese and Americans. The series is used to develop fun cultural and listening materials for language learners. By combining the series with short films produced by students participating in experiential learning activities, e-bukatsu subscribers and language teachers world-wide benefit.