Holodomor Mobile Classroom: A Revolutionary Approach to Immersive Learning

Forge Media + Design Transforms a Bus into a Traveling Classroom

The inspiration behind the Holodomor Mobile Classroom was to create an engaging and immersive digital experience that would forever change students. The Forge team worked closely with the Canadian Ukraine Foundation and educators to translate their traditional curriculum into a groundbreaking multi-sensory experience.

The bus, transformed into a traveling classroom, is equipped with diverse technologies that work in unison to deliver a powerful lesson. The system employs 32 iPads, a MacPro server, two iPad apps, and cinematic content on a 24-foot display, all communicating in real time. This advanced ecosystem is built on an array of programming languages and integrates inter-app communications, cinematic visual animations, and real-time collaboration/content sharing.

The design team faced the challenge of translating a traditional lesson plan on Ukrainian Genocide into an immersive and interactive educational experience. The primary challenge was to rethink this lesson plan and implement it on a bus converted into a technologically advanced classroom. The result is a cohesive platform that imparts a powerful lesson to students across North America.

Students play the role of a historian, hunting for clues hidden in old photos and documents using the iPad apps. The findings are input into the app and then appear on the large screen sparking discussion and sharing of different perspectives. The LCD array envelops the students in the experience, immersing them in an intense display of audio and visuals. The lesson unfolds, becoming brighter and more hopeful, as students learn how to make a difference in the fight for human rights.

The Holodomor Mobile Classroom continues to travel to schools across North America, inspiring youth one class at a time to stand up for human rights. This project is a testament to the power of design and technology in transforming education and making learning an engaging and immersive experience.