Woohoo! Back to blogging with a bang! I read through all of the Maize cohort's Connections Across Disciplines assignments and although they were all very well done, I had to choose one to write about. I ended up choosing the Biology group's "BYOD-to-Discover-Tree-Species" because they took such a different approach than my group did. The Biology group gave an excellent example of how students using their own technology could benefit a Biology classroom. The students would go out into the woods and take pictures of different tree species. The use of technology is beneficial here because students can document their observations in a quicker and more accurate way than, for example, drawing out each species they find.

I really liked that this group addressed how they would handle if students did not each have their own device. Each group only needed to have one device so it is likely that there would be enough student's with electronic devices that this would work out. I liked this lesson plan because it was very hands on. The students got to go outside and interact with nature which for a generation of students so technology-focused, going out in nature may be a rare encounter for them. It also showed them how technology can actually help bring them close to nature as this app "Leafsnap" could be used as an electronic field guide to identify tree species. This was a nice contrast to the usual use of technology that brings students farther away from nature.

The group referenced the success of the field trips at Scarlett Middle School during the summer program that were successful in having the students engage actively with nature. I liked this connection and their continued focus on bringing students outside in order to learn more about the world around them. Due to the unique aspect of this lesson where students would go outside instead of staying in the classroom, I would have liked to see a bit more maybe about how the group thought about how they would talk about appropriate behavior before students went out into the woods. Before going out into the woods at Scarlett we always discussed with out students how important it is to respect nature and how much more you would see and observe if you are quiet. The group did discuss how it is important to use all 5 senses which I liked a lot!

Overall, I think the Biology group came up with a great lesson and I think it would function well in either middle school or high school. Students these days do not interact with nature as much as past generations did and this is detrimental to their development in general and detrimental to the formation of their relationship with the natural world.

COOL TREES!