Let us bring the natural world and technology together for elementary students. One way to combine the powerful force that is technology into the classroom while also engaging children with the vital importance of the natural world would be to create a collaborative science project. I would implement three countries for the students to compare and contrast environmental effects on permaculture farms in those specific countries while asking essential and deepening questions. All of their research would occur collaboratively in a shared google doc with three columns for the students to contribute. I would be able to look for misconceptions, add deepening questions, and be able to see how they were progressing. I would navigate the students to various YouTube clips on environmental effects on plants and how that could effect us in the United States. They would present their findings in groups by creating their own short, playful YouTube video to upload to our private account. And finally, on the last day, I would invite guest speakers from the three countries they were researching to discuss what is currently happening on their permaculture farms. Having a conference call, in the moment, with the students would redefine their learning experience.
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This is such a great idea! I am concerned with overloading students on technology to the point of ignoring nature, so I love that you have an idea to incorporate both. Would you consider a community/class garden with your kids? I think there are huge benefits to the technology we have gone over (and there's obviously more out there) and taking into consideration the rate at which kids are familiarized with technology is WAY different than I grew up with, however there still needs to be a balance.
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