Celebrate a New York Neighborhood
Summary:
Working in teams of two, three, or four, students will take on the role of marketers hired to promote one neighborhood in NYC. Each team will research their neighborhood, create a brochure highlighting its most intriguing features, and give a 25 minute presentation that will entice people to want to move to, or visit that neighborhood. This project can be broken down into parts, depending on what skills you would like to teach your class and the amount of time you can allot to this activity. It is a fantastic skills-builder activity, incorporating many different programs if the project is completed.
Overview
Skill Level: Challenging
Activity Goals:
- Students will practice using a variety of computer programs towards one project goal
- Students will learn about a New York City neighborhood, and will creatively market it to a specific audience.
- Students will practice their artistic and writing skills.
Materials Needed:
Depending largely on which
portions of project are completed:
MS Word
MS Excel
Internet Explorer
PowerPoint, or Illustrator, or MS Word art
Computers (no more than 2 students per workstation)
Prerequisite
Skills:
- Know the basic features of Microsoft Word
- Familiarity with Microsoft Excel and its charting functions
- Basic knowledge of how to use Microsoft Internet Explorer to gather research
- Familiarity with creating a slide presentation using PowerPoint, or how to use Illustrator, or at least MS Word Art.
Procedure:
Discussion:
Instruct students that in this activity they have
just been hired as marketers by the Mayor's office
to convince a specific target market to move to, or
visit a particular neighborhood in NYC. Divide the
class into teams of one, two or three and assign (or
have teams pick) a neighborhood in New York City. Each team must keep in mind the market they are targeting as they research their neighborhood, prepare a comprehensive and persuasive presentation about that neighborhood, and create a compelling brochure highlighting the neighborhood's most attractive features.
Description
In this activity, you and other students will work
together as marketers hired to promote one neighborhood
in New York City. The objective is to prepare a slide
presentation and promotional brochure designed to
entice a specific target market to want to move to,
or visit your neighborhood.
Step A
Gathering Research
Software: Internet Explorer
WHAT TO DO:
Begin your research by gathering as
many facts and as much information about the neighborhood
you've been assigned to promote as possible. Each
team will be responsible for researching the following
categories: (a) job opportunities; (b) cost of living;
and (d) recreation.
You can access a great deal of information about your
neighborhood from the World Wide Web, using Microsoft's
Internet Explorer and a search engine such as Google.
Use the neighborhood name or a place in the neighborhood
as a keyword. Keep in mind that as marketers, you
need to discover great and attractive things about
your neighborhood. However, you also need to be aware
of the negative aspects of your neighborhood and determine
the best way to address them.
The New York City website is an excellent place to
begin your research as well (www.nyc.gov) By clicking
on the "City Agencies" drop down menu to
the left of the City's homepage, you can select individual
websites for agencies that may help you learn more
information about your particular neighborhood. For
example: the Parks website will give you information
about recreation centers and activities in the parks
of your neighborhood.
Now, using the research you've gathered, decide who the most logical target market is for the neighborhood you will be promoting. Is it families? Or singles? Or seniors?
Step B
Organizing Your Ideas
Software: Microsoft Word
WHAT TO DO:
Remember that the different categories of your research (job opportunities, cost of living, and recreation) must work together in one presentation to promote the entire neighborhood.
Organize your information according to the three categories listed. One easy way to start organizing your ideas is by creating an outline. Go To: Format> Bullets and Numbering and select the "Outline Numbered" tab. Choose an outline style that suits your project
and begin typing in the three category headings: job opportunities, cost of living, and recreation. When pressing Return and then Tab after each of these headings, you will get an indented bullet to list out various sub topics. For example, for Job Opportunities you may list the sub categories: Companies, Government, Non Profit, etc. and within each of these categories (by pressing return and then Tab again) you will list the various jobs available.
Step C
Mapping Out Your Presentation
Software: None
WHAT TO DO:
Each team should now begin to map out its presentation. Teams should meet to identify the most interesting or attractive features of the state. What information would be most appealing to your target market? What information in each category is positive? Which negative? What parts of the information is quantifiable and can be charted using Microsoft Excel? In what order should the information be presented to the audience?
Step D
Charting Data
Software: Microsoft Excel
WHAT TO DO:
Be prepared to create at least three charts. (Microsoft Excel has 14 different chart types.) Think about the data you wish to present and choose the type of chart that you feel will present your data most effectively (see below).
Possible charts you may choose to create, others are always welcome:
Column Chart
To show recreation growth (or decline) - sports, culture, entertainment, events - over the past 10 years
Pie Chart
To show cost of living expenditures - housing, food, transportation and medical
Line Chart
To show population growth (or decline) of your neighborhood during the last 25 years
To create a chart, highlight the range of data you want to include in the chart. Then go to: Insert>Chart, or click on the Chart Wizard button on the toolbar. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the chart type and options you want. Be sure to label the title and x and y axes. Hint: you can modify the font and size of text within the chart by double clicking on a particular word that you would like to adjust.
Keep in mind the following points: Are your charts accurate? Are they readable and clear? Do they present interesting information?
Step E
Creating Slides
Software: Microsoft PowerPoint
WHAT TO DO:
Anytime you are presenting information to a group of people, you want that information to be as clear as possible. PowerPoint enables you to quickly and easily create slide presentations that communicate information effectively.
The entire presentation should take no more than 25 minutes and consist of no more than 30 slides.
You can copy and paste photos from the internet easily into your PowerPoint presentation. Right click on images you would like to include and select "copy." Open a new PowerPoint document and Paste the image onto one of your power point slides.
Use a variety of visuals, with as little text as possible on each slide. The Apply Design command on the Format menu lets you add a colorful background to all slides.
With PowerPoint, you can also include sound and narration to create a multimedia presentation. Speaker notes can be added to each slide by choosing Speaker Notes from the View menu.
Print the Notes Pages to help guide you when delivering your presentation. Be sure to add slide transitions and animations to each slide. These features will make your slides more interesting and provide you with more control over the pacing of your presentation.
Step F
Creating the Brochure
Software: Microsoft Publisher, Illustrator, PowerPoint
or even Word
WHAT TO DO:
Create an eye-catching brochure designed to appeal to your target audience and complement your presentation.
Be sure to include pictures and charts from your research. For additional help, click the Help button on the status bar.
Of course, you'll also want to type your own information in the brochure.
Make multiple copies of your brochure to hand out following your oral presentation.
Step G
The "Dress Rehearsal"
Software:Microsoft PowerPoint
WHAT TO DO:
Now do a "dress rehearsal" of your presentation. The Rehearsal feature in PowerPoint monitors the time spent on each slide so you don't spend too much or too
little time on any one slide. You can get timings for your slides before you rehearse, or you can get them automatically while you rehearse. Ask the Office Assistant about "rehearsing."
Step H
The Presentation
Software:Microsoft PowerPoint
WHAT TO DO:
Your presentation can be given as a slide show on the computer, or if your room is equipped it can be projected onto a screen using an LCD type panel.
Practice good presentation skills,
such as using a slow, clear voice and avoiding distracting
gestures. Following your oral presentation, distribute
copies of your brochure to classmates. After all the
class presentations are finished, choose the neighborhood
you would most like to visit based on the information
presented.