Hi all - I’m just thinking ahead about how I might use iNat with my photography students (grades 9-12) later this spring. I will not mandate iNat - it’ll be an option. But for those who are genuinely interested, I will encourage them to install it on their phones, make their own accounts, and shoo…

I am not sure what educators usually do, but I would not make a separate account or post observations on behalf of your students. Making a project based on user would be good. Have you read through the Educator’s Guide or about projects? https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/solutions/articles/1…

Thanks! I had read the former but not the latter. That was helpful. Now I wonder if I should make a Project at all? Projects seem to be about places, or times, or species, and not so much about participants. I just want to track the observations of those kids who decide to make their own accounts. …

[image] cbaer8: Projects seem to be about places, or times, or species, and not so much about participants. I just want to track the observations of those kids who decide to make their own accounts. the best thing is to set your project up to include only observations of project members, and …

iNat is meant for individuals to document their own interactions with nature, so group accounts don’t always fit well. But a project for members should work well, as pisum said. And if iNat seems like too much for your students, sell Seek may be a better option.

[image] cbaer8: Others will use our classroom DSLRs (lacking GPS, alas, but some with macro or telephoto lenses) it’s worth noting that even if your camera can’t get GPS coordinates itself, there are ways to still add the location after the fact, and it may we worth teaching your photography …

[image] cbaer8: But I still think I would like to post on behalf of some students - feel free to talk me out of it - I don’t want to mandate that they make an account, and some might not be interested in having an account (or new app), but they might turn in some excellent observations nonethele…

In regards to @thomaseverest 's post above, I want to add that it is ok for teachers to make group classroom accounts for students as long as they are actively managed and transparent. This is actually recommended for classes that have underage users or where there are privacy concerns. It is explic…

I appreciate the thought you are putting into this effort. I’ve worked with teachers on integrating iNat into their classrooms and these are my recommendations. Apologies in advance if I am stating the obvious. I have learned the hard way that there are two audiences when answering questions on the …

If you have macro lenses, this equipment can encourage students to look at the world from a different perspective. Instead of taking photos of that tree on the school lawn (almost certainly planted there), they can find the small things that others don’t notice. “Life in the Undergrowth” is a good i…

I think it’s important to introduce all of your interested students to the website in addition to the app. I’ve personally never used the app, but apparently it has fewer features and can cause misunderstandings of how iNat works.

Planning ahead for high school photography students

Educators

papernautilus October 26, 2025, 2:38am 26

I saw the comment, too, and there was nothing objectionable about it.

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Planning ahead for high school photography students

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