i actually wasn’t even envisioning this being used for a biology class at all. in my state, general biology is taught in the freshman year in high school, and frankly, i think that may be too early for kids to be using iNat (specifically, the observing function of iNat) as an entire class. advanced biology is an elective for older students, but i think that gets more into processes and structures, where i think iNat is a less good fit. i think it’s possible to incorporate iNat into things like viewing organisms under a microscope, but i think it would be used more for enrichment or extra credit, rather than as a core part of the lesson.
now, if we’re talking about something like an ecology class, then i can see Nat being integrated a little more fully into the coursework. for example, a classic lesson for such a class would be to go to a stream and monitor water quality by collecting and identifying organisms found in the water. this is a kind of lesson where i think iNat could be used to both as a means for identifying the organisms and for immediately turning the students’ work into a meaningful contribution to the collective knowledge about that particular body of water, especially if different classes sample the same stream over many years.
yup. i think the most interesting thing about iNat in the classroom is that when you go beyond just the observing function of iNat, it can be used in many kinds of classrooms. i can think of lots of different ways to integrate iNat into Mixed Media Art / Design classes or independent study, Music classes or independent study, Writing classes, and maybe even certain language classes.
i definitely agree that learning how to do some computer-aided mapping is a very useful skill for students. in high school, though, i think the most logical introduction to such mapping really should occur in a government class (assuming the existing teachers could be taught the skill themselves to a level where they could turn around and teach students).
i think iNat could be a good resource for teaching mapping, but i sort of think that the system’s stock mapping interface is good enough for a general biology course, and then custom mapping – where the real skill would be taught, i think – is more appropriate for something like an ecology or environmental science class, which i think would generally be electives (and so would have less broad reach than, say, a government class that everyone is required to take before graduation).