world saturated by digital media and devices, a ... environmental education instructional methods ... 56 percent also agreed that âThe use of technology.
11. Mobile technology in urban environmental education HIGHLIGHTS
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! Mobile technology can be used in the field to enhance exploration and inquiry, data collection, and connections between people and their environments.
The role of technology in the field of environmental
! These tools can be used in formal and informal educational settings with a variety of audiences.
by video games and text messaging. In this society
! While mobile technologies have permeated everyday life and educational settings, care must!be taken to consider the learning objectives and the context of instruction when using devices to support urban environmental education e"orts.
education is a critical and timely issue. We live in a world saturated by digital media and devices, a world where unstructured play outside is taken over of increasingly indoor people, how do we, as
Ilya Shmulenson Susan Baron Maria Moreno Justin Smith Jillian Agnello to screens in everyday life, and so little time is devoted to paying attention to the ecosystems in which we live? Like any tool or technique, using mobile technology in the field has its constraints and limitations, but also presents many opportunities to deepen and enhance environmental education programs.
environmental educators, facilitate connections
Technology in environmental education is often
between people and the environment around them?
most useful when used “to support and extend
Environmental educators have a complex relationship with using technology in their work. In a survey of non-formal environmental educators, researchers found that educators’ attitudes regarding learning technology were nuanced and sometimes seemed contradictory. For example, about 78 percent of respondents agreed with the statement: “Integrating technology and environmental education instructional methods would enhance my students’ learning,” while about 56 percent also agreed that “The use of technology
learning activities rooted in outdoor experiential learning” (Bodzin, 2008, p. 48). Mobile technology can serve as an entry point into the world of outdoor exploration, fuel curiosity, and build on outdoor experiences, essentially meeting people where they are in their own comfort levels. In this chapter, we highlight some ways mobile technology can be used in the field to enhance exploration and inquiry, data collection, and connections between people and their environments.
inhibits learning in natural settings” (Pe"er, Bodzin,
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& Smith, 2013). Perhaps some of the concern
There is a great deal of conversation about the role
reflected in the second statement comes from the
that technology should play in teenagers’ lives.
phrase “in natural settings.” Why take screens and
Many teens are reluctant to put away their
devices into nature when so much time is devoted
smartphones during class or remove their ear buds 65
when someone is speaking. How is it possible to encourage teens to reconnect
In a recent evaluation, one of the partner teachers was asked how her Green
with nature while they are plugged in? The Keep Austin Beautiful Green Teens
Teens used the technology. She said, “[We] took pictures with the tablet – the kids
program does not ask teens to unplug, instead, it encourages teens to explore the
just can't get enough of the microscope as well. It doesn't matter if the lesson
world around them using familiar mobile technology.
actually requires a microscope – they are ALWAYS using it to check out things they find outside.” She continued by stating “our students loved looking at just
Keep Austin Beautiful is a nonprofit organization, which provides resources and
about anything with them (from plants and bugs to the carpet in the Library...)”
education to engage citizens in building beautiful communities in Austin, Texas. Through its city-wide programming, Keep Austin Beautiful engages 11,000
This use of mobile technology is particularly pertinent to urban environmental
students and 20,000 volunteers annually in service learning opportunities. The
education. It allows the immediate environment around students to become “the
Keep Austin Beautiful Green Teens is a youth development, after-school program
field.” There is no need to take the students to any place designated as “the
that gives teens the opportunity to engage with their local community in a way
outdoors.” Everything can come under investigation and can be explored. The
that cultivates pride of place and a sense of self. It empowers them to be active,
students’ immediate environment becomes the area under investigation, and
to identify problems, find solutions, and take action.
questions about the urban flora, fauna, and built environments can generate inquiry.
The Keep Austin Beautiful Green Teens use tablets and digital microscopes to explore the world around them. The microscope digitally connects to the tablet, and the laboratory activity takes place outside (Photo 1). There is not any need to fund a lab space and expensive microscopes; the technology is cheap and
Photo 1. Studying macroinvertebrates with a portable microscope and tablet. Photo credit: Keep Austin Beautiful.
Data,collection Mobile technology can be used for more than exploration. Once students are
available. Teens
engaged with the subject matter, they begin to ask questions. Mobile technology
already know how to
can then be used to collect data about these questions. The Earth Partnership
use tablets, and
began in 1991 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum as a place- and
instead of spending
project-based program that combines ecological restoration, water stewardship,
time asking them to
climate change awareness, environmental health and service learning with
put away their
professional development for formal and informal educators, community partners,
mobile devices,
elders and students. Earth Partnership's “Follow the Drop” employs photo-
educators can shift
mapping to understand patterns of water movement at school or in the
the conversation so
community, connecting students to the larger watershed. Students can observe
it fits both student
and collect information about water runoff on their school property or community,
interests and the
survey the grounds and identify the natural flow and contours of how water moves
ideas they are
over the land. They mark this information by taking digital pictures (Photo 2). GPS
teaching.
coordinates are matched to pictures, locations, times and places. Finally, students write a brief description of the images that are uploaded to a Google Map and shared. 66
Mobile devices can also facilitate data collection for citizen science initiatives. Citizen science projects encourage people from all walks of life to collect data that will contribute to a large data set – much larger than teams of scientists could produce. There are many apps for mobile devices that make it easy for people to participate in science that interests them, while continuing to learn more about their chosen topic. In addition to encouraging individual learning, environmental educators could use citizen science programs to enhance their own programs with large data sets that connect the Photo 2. Collecting field data. Photo credit: Earth Partnership.
observations of students with those made by others. Many of the apps would be particularly
well suited to urban areas, tracking data about waterways, weather, noise and light pollution, birds, insects, and phenology, among other topics. The apps simplify the data-collection process and standardize the information collected so it can be compared to data collected by others. Some citizen science projects can result in significant social outcomes, as they can provide communities and scientists with the data they need to bring about positive change (Bonney et al., 2014).
Mobile,technology,as,a,connector Sharing experiences, inquiries, and achievements digitally is an important way to use mobile technology to inspire more people to become interested in the outdoors. These shared stories are central to general processes of diffusion and adoption of innovation in practice (Rogers, 2010). New technologies and networks can help increase public visibility and open doors to include greater numbers of participants in learning about the environment. For Earth Partnership, digital storytelling has become an important component of the program. During Earth Partnership’s one-week Institute, students are introduced to the theoretical, conceptual, and technical aspects of creating a digital story. Students identify what aspect of the story interests them, then produce a draft focusing on their story, goals, content, concept, and argument. The draft then directs them to community members they need to interview and serves as a map of the story prior to actual filming. Students are guided in producing and editing. The result is a two to three minute video or a photomontage including music and voiceover about their topic of choice. Finally, mobile tools can also help document the evolution of people’s thinking and experience over time. By integrating data collection, storytelling, and social media tools, students and educators can create e-portfolios. These are essentially digitized collection of media objects including images, written reflections, videos and other resources that reflect student thinking about particular topics or experiences (Barrett, 2001; Lorenzo & Ittelson, 2005). Together, the integration of these tools provides a powerful framework for engaging people in learning, inspiring others about the environment, and creating opportunities for civic action around environmental issues (Rheingold, 2008).
Considerations Several issues should be taken into account when using mobile technology. The pace of technology development presents a serious challenge to educators in terms of remaining relevant and effectively using these tools in their work. At the 67
Earth Partnership, the teachers’ technological knowledge lagged behind the
In the coming years, cloud computing will continue to expand, and the culture of
students’ knowledge, resulting in challenges to teacher credibility. Many
mobile technology use will only intensify. We have a real opportunity to define the
environmental educators do not receive much training in how best to use
trajectory of mobile technology use in environmental education, while also
technology in their teaching, and so there is a great opportunity for the field to
increasing the role of environmental education in multiple modes of learning in
begin to provide some of that training. Additionally, mobile technology tools can
modern society.
be too expensive for many programs and participants to afford, suggesting some will develop higher technical sophistication while leaving others behind. Access and digital literacy must be taken into account as a matter of equity in our work as environmental educators. In addition to gaps in technical knowledge and access, there are other considerations that must be noted. For the Keep Austin Beautiful Green Teens, one of the biggest issues that arises with the technology is usability in the field. It can be difficult to read tablet screens when they are in the sun, and rain and moisture can damage electronics. The strength and availability of GPS and wireless internet signals can limit the use of some software in the field. Mobile hardware, such as smart phones and tablets, can break or become obsolete in a matter of years. Due to privacy concerns, particularly with youth, educators would be wise to investigate the privacy policies of any programs or applications they are considering using, as well as set any user-controlled privacy settings to an appropriate level.
Conclusion
References Barrett, H. (2001). ePortfolios: Digital stories of deep learning. Work, 1(11/9), 89. Bodzin, A. M. (2008). Integrating instructional technologies in a local watershed investigation with urban elementary learners. Journal of environmental education, 39(2), 47-57. Bonney, R., Shirk, J.L., Phillips, T.B., Wiggins, A., Ballard, H.L., Miller-Rushing, A.J., & Parrish, J.K. (2014). Next steps for citizen science. Science, 343, 1436-1437. doi: 10.1126/science.1251554 Lorenzo, G., & Ittelson, J. (2005). An overview of e-portfolios. EDUCAUSE learning initiative, 1, 1-27. Peffer, T.E., Bodzin, A.M., & Smith, J.D. (2013). The use of technology by nonformal environmental educators. Journal of Environmental Education, 44(1), 16-37. doi: 10.1080/00958964.2012.688775 Rheingold, H. (2008). Using participatory media and public voice to encourage civic engagement. Civic life online: Learning how digital media can engage youth. Edited by Bennett W.L. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. Rogers, E.M. (2010). Diffusion of innovations, 4th Edition. New York: Simon & Schuster.
In conclusion, mobile technology and associated software present significant opportunities for advancing the field of environmental education in new and exciting ways. Use of these tools can facilitate learning and outreach, while also providing students with technical skills that can transfer into more advanced inquiry. In order for educators to make effective use of digital mobile technologies, they need to consider the limitations associated with them. As with any tool, these technologies are not always appropriate, and care must be taken to consider the learning objectives and the context of instruction when using them.
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