Since I'm doing my capstone project on outdoor education and how to integrate technology into it, I used an app called Seek with my students. It is a plant and animal identification app. It is amazing how many plants and animals it can identify. The app has challenges and you can pass levels after finding a certain number of plants or animals. It keeps a log of all the species you find. It gives you information about the organisms you find, and has a very cool range map that shows where other people have found the same species, all across the United States. The downside to this app is that it needs WiFi or a satellite connection in order to work. When we used it in my class, only a handful of students has smartphones to use it on. We did a scavenger hunt to see how many different plant species we could find on campus. The kids who were taking pictures with the iPads instead of smartphones could only snap photos. They could, however, once back in the classroom, point a smartphone with the Seek app at their photo and identify the species that way. Today I took the app outdoors and completed the "Connectivity Challenge" by walking around my block and identifying at least ten new species of plants. I found a Mediterranean Spurge, a Japanese Camellia, Silver Ragwort, Glossy Abelia, Saucer Magnolia, Wild Daffodil, Fortnight Lily, Oleander, Glossy Privet, Tsutsusi Azalea, California Poppy, Wolly Hedgenettle, Green Liveforever, Rosemary, Mission Prickly Pear, Cuban Oregano, Aloe Vera, Fiddle Leaf Fig, Western Sword Fern, Common Ivy, Italian Arum, Mexican Tea, Bermuda Buttercup, Heavenly Bamboo, Spider Plant, Larustinus Viburnum, Golden Pothos, and Hubei Anenome. Whew! It was great! It got me out of the house! It was a beautiful day and I might not have realized that unless I practiced with this app. While the kids enjoyed it, I think the format is not ideal for third graders. It is a bit mature for them. So I tried a different app for younger students called Nature Cat. It is designed for much younger users. It has nature challenges, but does not identify species. You take pictures of plants, animals, and "cool things" and put the pics into you journal. A good feature of this app is that you can write and record your notes about each photo. Tomorrow I am taking my class on a walking field trip up Oat Hill Mine Trail. We are bringing our nature journals, watercolors, iPads, and smartphones. I'm looking at how the kids interact with these different tools to help me decide how to design another study I'll be doing on our field trip in April. Wish us luck!
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Melissa
2/24/2020 09:15:18 pm
Jeremy,
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AuthorJeremy Smith teaches third grade at Calistoga Elementary School. Archives
July 2020
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