I don’t consider myself a “tech savvy” person. In fact, I have avoided as much technology as possible by using it as little as possible but I know that I have to learn more about 21st century teaching and learning in order to keep up with the interests of my students and the rest of the world who have adopted this new forum of learning and teaching. I get overwhelmed by the availability of resources online through social media and online platforms. I started thinking about my experience with technology and when it served to inspire and motivate my students to dig deeper. It all started during our daily nature walks. Yes, outside. Who would have thought.
Going for nature walks outside with my class gave me time with students to explore freely while answering and directing their inquiries. Often questions would arise from observing their surroundings. We took pictures to record their inquiry and to help us look further. I used an application called “Google Lens” (https://lens.google/).
The application allows you to take a picture of something and search for information based on what is in the picture (please refer to Fig. 1). This led to all sorts of inquiry and knowledge. Students were always engaged when they would discover something and want to find out more.
This type of inquiry addresses the Core Competencies of Thinking, Communication and Personal/Social (https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/competencies).
Moreover, students are able to learn more about the physical world around them.
I believe that the self-directed inquiry process and open-endedness is a pedagogy that allows students to find their own interests by coming up with their own questions and answers.
There are a variety of digital technologies that can enrich, enable, and enhance learning. For example, Google Lens leads to finding more information from sources like: Wikipedia, Britannia and other specialized websites on any given topic.
Keywords that I want to explore further are: Inquiry, Critical Reading, and Digital literacy.
Using this application has shown me how engaging technological tools can be in the hands of students. I want to learn more on how to amplify this learning so that my students can learn transferable skills and become lifelong learners.
This is a good first post. I appreciate your personal, reflective tone. I also appreciate the multimedia elements you have included. You have a strong focus here for further reading and research. I look forward to seeing where your learning takes you.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am look forward to learning about apps that will engage and motivate my students to dig deeper!
DeleteI love the plant apps so much! I use them all the time when I'm out biking to find things to add to my garden. Thanks for reminding me as it would be a great tech piece for earlier developmental stages.
ReplyDeleteThank you. This is a built in app on my Google phone. However, it is available for phones without the built in feature. It's not strictly a nature app. It's an app that you can use by taking pictures and searching for similar pictures online. That leads to finding more information on topics that pertain to the picture.
DeleteThanks Julieta for sharing your pictures and this nature app! I found that going out for walks and taking pictures of plants during the first Spring of the pandemic helped me envision the passage of time better.
ReplyDeleteI did the same. I started to look up birds and plants. This is a built in app on my Google phone. However, it is available for phones without the built in feature. It's not strictly a nature app. It's an app that you can use by taking pictures and searching for similar pictures online. That leads to finding more information on topics that pertain to the picture.
DeleteHi Julieta!
ReplyDeleteIt seems everyone likes the plant app you shared, myself included! I have been taking my class on nature walks to look for local culturally significant plants to local First Nations. This app will be a perfect addition to these nature walks!
Thank you! I love the idea of going for walks to look for local, culturally, significant plants. I use this app a lot. I take pictures of anything I don't know and look it up. This is a built in app on my Google phone. However, it is available for phones without the built in feature. It's not strictly a nature app. It's an app that you can use by taking pictures and searching for similar pictures online. That leads to finding more information on topics that pertain to the picture.
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