A group of scientists from the United States has set off around Australia to
explore traditional Aboriginal culture. Their adventures are being
transmitted
live to thousands of students in classrooms across the world, via the
Internet.
On October 3, a team of seven scientists from Classroom Connect set out
across 1200 miles of rugged terrain on bicycles to stream an education
program called Quest Australia to an estimated 1.2 million students in
classrooms throughout 122 countries.
"They can't believe how rough our roads are, they are getting punctured
tyres, having lots of problems with their equipment, and buggering up
their necks," Aboriginal Australia Managing Director John Whiting said.
Classroom Connect has teamed up with the South Australian based Web site
Aboriginal Australia www.aboriginalaustralia.com to help the team
explore the country from an Aboriginal perspective.
"The focus on Australia could never be achieved by a tourism body no
matter how much money was spent, just wouldn't get the same coverage as
the Internet," Whiting said.
Through the interactive Web site www.classroom.com, students are
accessing the site daily to see how the team is progressing along the
ancient
trade routes that span the continent. The majority of students
taking part are in their final year of high school.
They join in the journey from the classroom by determining the route the
group is following, solve ethical dilemmas, and make crucial team
decisions.
"They are following trade routes, family contact and story connections
that ran across Australia for tens of thousands of years," Whiting
said.
"We become icons on a screen and the kids direct our every move with the
click of their mouse. Kids become active learners rather than passive
consumers of knowledge," expedition leader and VP of Classroom Connect,
Dan Buettner said in a statement.
Equipped with palm-top computers, digital cameras, a laptop video
editing suite, and two satellite dishes, the Quest Australia team are
travelling with a vehicle support team, including Aboriginal guides from
different communities.
According to Quest team anthropologists John Fox, "American children
know little about Australia and even less about Aboriginal Peoples, our
goal is to sensitively explore the wisdom that 21st century world
citizens can gain from the oldest surviving society on the planet."
"They are covering a massive part of the country in such a short
timeframe and a pretty inhospitable part too. Today they had a lack of
water, so an aboriginal lady showed them how to get it. She took them
to a creek bed and told them to start digging," Director of Diverse
Travel Australia Kristi O'Brien said.
With ten days to go, Quest Australia will transmit from the centre of
Australia, stories told by aboriginal guides about the dreamtime. They will
also watch customary dancing before they finish up at Uluru with the
traditional owners of Ayres Rock.
