In January 2022, I was fortunate to take a course with my program director, Professor Joseph Blatt, who has taught a course for decades called, HT-123 Informal Learning, otherwise known as "the Sesame Street class." 

Professor Blatt has had a long standing relationship with the Sesame Workshop organization and has been a huge proponent of the creation and design of the Sesame Street television series and educational program. His ideas on informal learning are thought-provoking, especially at a time of great strife in the educational landscape in the United States. 

It is easy to become weary and disassociate with the world when our nation's report card on 3rd grade literacy continues to be abysmally low compared to most developed countries in the world, research from the National Literacy Institute indicates that 54% of adults in the US read below a 6th grade level, or when our newly elected leader of the free world proposes to terminate the entire Department of Education. 

However, Professor Blatt stressed the importance of unconscious, incidental, and intentional forms of learning that occurs everyday through different settings and mediums. "Keeping an eye on the mission will help bring the experience into fruition." he stated in one lecture. 

From there my friends and colleagues attempted to create a YouTube series that focused on the importance of outdoor education. The idea is a bit ironic when we think about our purpose, however it stretched our imagination, allowing us to think about what sorts of learning models can exist outside of the school and formal educational environment. 

Please feel free to take a look at the trailer I created using Adobe Premiere!