Technology in Outdoor Education by Denee, Jessica P., Dane, and Tessa

Apps for:

  • Species identification and information
  • Contributing to citizen science
  • …

 

Research

  • Recommended readings:
    • 1: How technology can undermine the aim of being outdoors, but how it can also create opportunities to enhance outdoor learning experiences
    • 2: Benefits of outdoor education and apps that you can use for outdoor education
      • Top 10 apps included

Pros

  • Enhancing learning
  • Opportunities for students to make contributions as citizen scientists
  • Encourages dig. lit.
  • Stdebts can see and learn about places, plants, and animals they may have never seen

Cons

  • Every student needs a device
  • Increased screen time and reliance on technology

Risks

  • Tech could detract from outdoors if used inappropriately

What apps do they recommend?

  • iNaturalist
    • Useful in identification of any plants or animals
    • Collaborate with others where they can comment – if you get verified by the app you can contribute to the research database
    • Goals are to connect people to nature and contribute to biodiversity data
  • BioBlitz
    • Communal citizen-science effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible.
    • Come up with a lot of information within a given area – could get the whole school involved
  • Seek
    • Same general idea as iNaturalist, but it’s very user-friendly.
    • Could take class outdoors into forest and hold up to a plant or animal you want to identify, and information about it will pop up.
    • Using research grade data from iNaturalist database, but NOT contributing to the research.
  • iTrack Wildlife
    • Provides information about animal tracks
    • Each animal track goes into information about the animal (what it eats, its behaviour)
    • Does cost money – ~8$ to install
  • Merlin
    • Free bird identification app
    • Take picture or describe and it generates what kind of bird it likely is
    • Provides map of where you can find the bird, its birdcalls
    • Live webcams
  • Marine Debris Tracker
    • Citizen science based as well
    • Platform for tracking marine debris
    • If you’re doing a beach cleanup you can record what you found and contribute to research about plastics and garbage in the ocean, potentially where it’s coming from etc.
  • Seaweed Sorter
    • Makes identifying seaweed easier – uses dichotomous key
  • PeakFinder
    • Identifies the names of peaks around you
    • Simply hold up your smartphone camera and  your screen will label the peaks
    • This can be useful for taking students on outdoor trips as well as for orienteering
    • Can explore areas – “travel” to the Swiss Alps
  • Peak Visor
    • Like PeakFinder but it’s free – comes with built-in compass and gives you a view of the mountains that are around you
  • Globe Observer
    • Data collection for weather, mosquitoes, tree height, and land cover
    • Can discuss satellite imagery
  • NASA app
    • Lots of information about space and images of earth from space
    • It connects you to the ISS – there’s a live stream
    • Connected to tides and lunar cycles
  • Skype A Scientist
    • Website where you can connect your classroom to a scientist
    • Hundreds of scientist to choose from, from all different areas and subjects of science (biology, chemistry, etc.).
    • Also have live sessions on youtube and can watch previously held sessions

 

Language and Communication Tools by Alicia, Laurel, Colin and Sioned

Two communication obstacles: English language learners and learning impairments

Language

  • Increasing number of immigrants emerging in classrooms
  • Increasing difficulty to structure learning to fit all students

How can we bridge the communication …

Communication tools for language Learners

  • Imagine how exhausting it must be for students who don’t speak any English

Language technology: technology for English Language Learners

  • Google Translate: Live transcribe function and Google Lens
    • This is the main staple of how they’re communicating with ELL in the Sooke District
    • App has a lot more features than just using it online
    • Allows for conversations, downloading whole language so you can do offline translation, you can store phrases, you can draw words and it will translate them, can translate images of texts
    • Considerations:
      • it’s not perfect, there are some errors in translation
      • Classrooms can be noisy, making it hard for the app to isolate and translate voice
      • Conversations can be unnatural because if you take a pause the translation will begin
  • Powerpoint
    • You can have your voice translated as you present – have to speak very slowly and classroom must be completely silent
    • Can also record your audio for each slide so students who are learning the language can rewatch it later and go as slow as they need
  • WT2 Translator
    • Wireless headphones that offer instant translation in real time
      • 36 languages
      • 84 accents
      • 3 translation modes
    • This technology could be brought into a classroom to bring students mental and emotional relief
    • There are different modes so it’s not continually translating
    • They’re around $250 for a pair of headphones

Assistive technologies

  • Augmented and alternative communication
    • Touch Chat – allows students to click on a tile that then communicates for them. Pictures on each tile can be customized to represent images from their own life.
  • Rewordify: students can copy and paste a sentence that contains words they don’t understand, and the app simplifies the words that they don’t understand. Allows for students to have more independence and problem-solve for themselves
  • Teacher to student communication:
    • video modelling – take recording of a routine and have students who are struggling to remember routines or who might need a bit of extra help following routines
    • have a set schedule for the day so students know where they’re headed throughout the day, and if they miss a class they know what they’ll be headed to next
  • Tips:
    • keep devices for learning and playing separate – can be confusing if students are using the same device for both (might have trouble focusing on learning when they also have access to what they play on).
  • Universal Design
  • Cons:
    • Cost of technology
    • Data storage
    • Application in the classroom
    • Know the app before you use it so it helps for learning rather than causes frustration for both you and your student

 

Digital Storytelling by Fran, Lauren, Hailey and Emily

A brief history

  • in the 70s there was a movement towards seeing access to digital media as being an important way for marginalized groups of people to tell personal meaningful stories
  • Storycentre: organization that works with many other organizations and has trained 15000 people in the art of digital storytelling

What is digital storytelling and why bring it into the classroom?

  • “A way to use the computer to communicate with pictures”
  • Includes voice recording to tell their stories
  • It’s a multimodal literacy that enables students to create a deeper understanding and emotional connection with their audience through narration, music, and images

7 Elements of digital storytelling that should be included

  • Point of view: what is the purpose of story?
  • Dramatic question: a key question that holds viewers until the end
  • Emotional content: connect with the viewer through use of common emotions
  • Voice: record voice narration to help the meaning of visual content
  • Soundtrack – add music to compliment the story and invoke feeling
  • Economy – a picture tells a thousand words
  • Pacing

Pros

  • Very multimodal
  • student voice and engagement
  • digital literacy
  • gives students the time to review and learn new information
  • Promotes critical thinking and decision making
  • Can be adapted to teach different subjects/cross-curricular
  • Promotes deeper thinking
  • Way to work on communication skills

Cons

  • Time consuming
  • limited by what technology and applications are available to students
  • Students need a device to keep the project so many not be an easy keepsake
  • Assessment criteria needs to be clear

Tips

  • Making out stories first before going to technology – use of storyboards
  • Set criteria so students know what need to be included in their stories – but also leaving room for students’ creativity
  • It’s good to scaffold the use of apps – practice using the technology first so you can focus on the storytelling aspect when you’re using it

Ways digital storytelling can be used

  • English language arts: book trailer, personal narrative, family history, comic strip with voice over
  • Social studies: social commentary
  • …

 

How can video be used in the classroom? By John and Janel

Videos are a good way to show students about what they’re learning about in a more meaningful way – would you rather read a description of how to do the running man, or watch a video?

Pros

  • Can be used to replace written text to keep subject material diverse and exciting
  • Student made videos (video journaling, creative films, how to videos)
    • iMovie for macs
    • Shotcut for PCs
    • Use of iPads for younger students
    • Youtube (but you have to be 13 or older to have a youtube account).

Some ideas for using video to teach

  • Have a big question to keep them critically engaged
  • Choose content that will require multiple viewings – go back and rewatch, pause and prompt to tie it back to the big question
  • Keep videos short – if you’re choosing longer videos, break them up
  • Use a third party tool like edpuzzle, Flipgrid