Students did not know this world of insects existed in the water and were genuinely fascinated by the mini-ecosystems thriving somewhere they never thought to look.
Students captured images and created field cards from their images that others in our local area could use as a resource to identify local species. Students were excited about the prospect of their image becoming “research-grade” and that in itself became a competition within the classroom. They were even commenting on their images and interacting with people who could help them identify what they had taken a picture of. One student commented, “The ability to take a picture of an organism and have others identify them was satisfying.” Another student noted, “It (iNaturalist) allowed me to find and look for organisms I would have never found or identified on my own.”
This unique interaction was something I had not experienced before as an educator and it was amazing to see my students use the community within iNaturalist. In the past I had used field guides and the like for identification purposes, but this technique was much more engaging for my students. They are learning the skills of photography, identification and communication through the biodiversity in our own backyard!
Although the BackyardBio for this fall is over, I still have students capturing images and maintaining interest in finding what is around them where they live. I received an email one weekend evening from a student who couldn’t wait to share his find of a Jerusalem cricket, which he had already identified using iNaturalist. This is an experience students will never forget. It may help them take interests in areas they had not considered before.
