| abstract | - GetOuttaTown.tv is the online presence of Get Outta Town! - a travel entertainment show geared towards a youth audience. The show will air on CBC in Canada and Starz in the United States. The GetOuttaTown.tv Web Channel compliments and enhances the experience of Get Outta Town! the television show, offerng a high level of interactivity, rich media, global themes and user-generated content. The content on the site is geared towards two distinct groups: young people aged 14 to 24 who are interested in traveling and experiencing different cultures; and educators who want to utilize the educational value of Get Outta Town! the TV show. This section (or TRACK as it is known on the website) contains lesson plans and learning tools focusing on global citizenship, geography, arts, history and cultural diversity. The website is extremely rich in media and streaming content and contains a large number of video clips, interactive games, quizzes and surveys. The site also gives users the ability to interact with the television show’s presenters and contestants. The content on the site is divided into three tracks: TRACK 1: THE ADVENTURE This is the primary track and will probably be of most interest to teens and the youth audience. It offers two adventure pathways: The Gold Rush! The television show will feature a game called Gold Rush! in which four international teams will compete for the big prize during thirteen weeks of intense competition. Each team has four contestants aged 14-18, selected after nation-wide high school searches. The four teams so far are: Canada Team – starting in Toronto, they will travel to Kenya, then Cairo, then Tallinn and end their journey in Amsterdam. USA Team – they will start in Chicago, then head to Bangkok, then India, then Athens before ending in Amsterdam. Portuguese or Spanish Team – starting in Lisbon, going to Barcelona then Venice, then Malta before ending in Amsterdam. Irish or UK Team – starting in Dublin, they travel to Moscow, then Berlin, then Paris before ending in Amsterdam. Each team has to make crucial decisions during the trips and will require help from the audience at home. The host of the show - there is one for each team/country - will monitor the progress of the team and contact them via internet, satellite and cell phone. Each week, the audience at home has to solve puzzles, find information and send it to their team to help them along. They do this by logging on to GetOuttaTown.tv and accessing the downloadable multi-media content, which provides them with clues and information about next week’s episode. The viewers of the show can also win points and prizes if their team succeeds. The Interactive Journey The Interactive Journey is an experience-oriented virtual trek which offers users games, outcomes, rewards, factoids, video clips and surveys. The user signs up for an adventure with the goal of filling his/her backpack with experience points and valuable information along the way. The online presence of each user is represented by his/her passport which is a record of where they have been and what they have done. The hosts of Get Outta Town! the tv show encouraged the viewers to register on the website and take advantage of features like extra video clips, community interaction areas etc. TRACK 2: THE SERIES This section of the website anchors all the content related to Get Outta Town! the television series. This track serves visitors who are specifically interested in the television show. The visitors to this section will be able to view show scripts, transcripts, call sheets and other production artifacts. The track also contains show trailers, and downloadable content for mobile devices such as ringtones, wallpaper photos and art. Each episode of the show will also have a dedicated side-channel that will include useful facts and travel guides for each destination. TRACK 3: THE KNOWLEDGE This track is reserved for educators and provides access to classroom guides and learning aids. It will also include an e-commerce component where teachers can purchase high-quality lesson plans and tools written exclusively for Get Outta Town! by educational experts. Teachers also have the opportunity to submit their lesson plans and see them published if accepted.
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