Page 87 - EdViewptsSpring2021
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Citizen Science: Using Technology
to Get Students Outside!
By Coleen Weiss-Magasic, Supervisor of Science & Industrial/Technology
Education, K-12
Children are naturally the question, how can we engage Many citizen science projects are
curious and like to explore. students in science from a virtual based on observations of critters or
plants, or naturally occurring events.
classroom, or in a socially-distanced
They are not caught up in our setting? Insert citizen science here For example, Project Squirrel is
everyday rush. They will see and — an opportunity to engage students a citizen science project in which
hear things adults might not notice, in authentic research with the added scientists are looking at squirrels
and then love to ask “Why?” These benefit of involving family and as an indicator of changes in local
traits resonate in the goals of the Next community. environments. Participants simply
Generation Science Standards, one of need to look for squirrels and record
which is “...to ensure that by the end What is citizen science? how many they see, where, and when.
of 12th grade, all students have some Citizen science is exactly what Once these observations are made,
appreciation of the beauty and wonder it sounds like - citizens doing the data is uploaded to the website for
of science.” The three-dimensional science, usually without the need further analysis.
nature of the standards - disciplinary for extensive knowledge in a subject Some projects require the citizen
core ideas, science and engineering area or complicated equipment. scientist to snap a picture of a critter or
practices, and crosscutting concepts - Citizens gather data and share it with plant and submit it. iNaturalist is one
ensures that students do not just read scientists who study it to have a better such project where citizen scientists
about science, but actually experience understanding of nature or scientific upload their images, even if they are
science. Our current challenges raise
phenomena.
Educational Viewpoints -85- Spring 2021
