In exploring the structure of a traditional classroom setting, there is room to incorporate advancing technology and push barriers. But what if a class could actually revolutionize learning as we know it?
I recently began reading a book called The Majic Bus: An American Odyssey, by Douglas Brinkley. Published in 1993 the book describes the 6 week course Professor Brinkley created that allowed students to visit 30 states and 10 national parks while on board a sleeper bus. The class would also read 12 novels by great American authors and experience many of the wonders and famous locations that exist in the United States. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that class? It’s always better to see and experience than simply discuss.
I think Brinkley’s creative idea for a non-traditional class sparked many other professors and teachers to take a look at their own classes and maybe even “spice” them up a little bit. I think Brinkley’s rolling classroom could be taken a step further to meet the growing arena of social media. Social media does not have to stop at the classroom door; just as Brinkley showed there are many ways to learn.
If a class like that described and logged in The Majic Bus were to take place now, specifically at McDaniel, the college could utilize its connection to our sister campus in Budapest. Students here could tour the U.S., while students there could tour Hungary and the surrounding countries. The book list could be split between the two, 6 famous American works and 6 famous from Hungary and surrounding European countries.
Then the fun part. Students from each class could meet in a virtual world where they could interact and discuss their experiences with their neighbors across the globe having similar experiences in their own country. The students’ avatars could meet over coffee in a virtual cafe and discuss how the books they have read really display their country’s characteristics. Students could discuss their differing cultures in a park or chat about seeing a historic landmark for the first time in a laundromat. It doesn’t matter that the students are an ocean apart, the virtual world allows them to make connections to other students while still discovering their own heritage.
Students would also blog about their personal experiences in each class. The blog almost serves as the type of travel log Brinkley created. The point is we don’t realize how similar people are and how we share many of the same experiences no matter what our culture is. A virtual world creates an even playing field. Sometimes we need to get out of the classroom to understand why we are learning the material in the classroom in the first place.
A little more info on the book, check it out.
