Rather a fetching title, but really this is a chance for me to begin to articulate some thoughts on a piece of academic reading that I did today on Adventure Learning.
Adventure Learning ... What is it?
Buettner & Mason, (1996) describe Adventure Learning as a "creative and promising way to engage learners ... through educational programs that revolve around expeditions and adventures [that are] grounded on the use of technology". Doering (2007) defines Adventure Learning as an approach to the design of online and hybrid education that provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through collaborative learning environments. Simply put, this could be a virtual window into a real world, as in the case of Arctic Transect and GoNorth!
These projects have been based on a similar narrative: Each year a team of explorers and educators traverse an Arctic region of the world on a dog-sledding expedition. Their adventures are made available to teachers, students, and parents from around the world on a distance learning adventure. The expeditions are based on problem and inquiry-based curricula that focus on a specific issue, a region of travel, the local people, and are enhanced by electronic media sent from the trail (e.g., video, audio, imagery).
As a distance learning student, Adventure Learning is of particular interest as it exemplifies the 'ultimate' in distance learning.
Buettner & Mason, (1996) describe Adventure Learning as a "creative and promising way to engage learners ... through educational programs that revolve around expeditions and adventures [that are] grounded on the use of technology". Doering (2007) defines Adventure Learning as an approach to the design of online and hybrid education that provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through collaborative learning environments. Simply put, this could be a virtual window into a real world, as in the case of Arctic Transect and GoNorth!
These projects have been based on a similar narrative: Each year a team of explorers and educators traverse an Arctic region of the world on a dog-sledding expedition. Their adventures are made available to teachers, students, and parents from around the world on a distance learning adventure. The expeditions are based on problem and inquiry-based curricula that focus on a specific issue, a region of travel, the local people, and are enhanced by electronic media sent from the trail (e.g., video, audio, imagery).
As a distance learning student, Adventure Learning is of particular interest as it exemplifies the 'ultimate' in distance learning.
