Uporaba aplikacije iNaturalist v biološkem raziskovanju in izobraževanju

Rode, Žan (author), Torkar, Gregor (mentor)

Uvod: iNaturalist je aplikacija za beleženje in določanje organizmov ter komunikacijo med uporabniki, namenjena je tako ljubiteljskim, kot tudi profesionalnim znanstvenikom. Namen: Namen magistrskega dela je bil pridobiti vpogled v uporabnost aplikacije v izobraževanju in raziskovanju. Metode dela: Pri izdelavi naloge smo uporabili različne metode dela. Skozi različne iskalnike člankov – Nature, Scopus, Web Of Science in Google Učenjak smo iskali raziskave, ki so vključevale aplikacijo iNaturalist v izobraževanju. Najdene članke smo nato pregledali in izdelali presek metod dela ter rezultatov, do katerih so prišli tuji raziskovalci. Nato smo preverjali uporabo aplikacije v šoli. Izkoristili smo sodelovanje izbrane osnovne šole v projektu Forgenius, pri katerem je bil namen pridobiti vpogled v raznolikost evropskih gozdov in njihovo odpornost na klimatske spremembe. Uporabo smo nato preverili še v eni osnovni šoli, pri čemer smo prilagodili način dela glede na povratne informacije učiteljev, učencev in prisotnih študentov ob prvi izvedbi uporabe aplikacije. Opravljen je bil tudi pregled vseh opažanj, zabeleženih na območju Slovenije – na ta način smo dobili vpogled v skupine organizmov, ki jih uporabniki aplikacije iNaturalist najpogosteje opazijo v naši državi. Nazadnje smo izvedli še intervjuje z uporabniki aplikacije. Izbrali smo skupino uporabnikov, ki so od ustvaritve aplikacije zabeležili opažanja vrst iz rodu bogomolk v Sloveniji. Te uporabnike smo kontaktirali preko spletne strani iNaturalist in jih pozvali k sodelovanju v intervjuju, s katerim smo pridobili podatke o njihovi izobrazbi, hobijih, zaposlitvi ter načinu beleženja in določanja podatkov. Rezultati: V celoti smo na različnih iskalnikih našli 13 znanstvenih člankov s področja uporabe aplikacije iNaturalist v izobraževanju. Ugotovili smo, da je pogosta metoda uporabe izvedba bioblitzev, aplikacijo pa uporabljajo z učenci z namenom izboljšanja znanja taksonomije ter za izboljšanje odnosa do narave. Pogosto je bilo tudi spodbujanje zavedanja pomena biodiverzitete. Pri naših poskusih uporabe aplikacije v šolskem okolju smo bili dokaj uspešni. Učencem je bila aplikacija zanimiva, prav tako učiteljem. Učenci so ob dejavnostih pridobili nova znanja o imenih rastlin in drugih vrst organizmov, prav tako pa je nekaj učencev navedlo, da imajo namen aplikacijo še naprej uporabljati tudi zunaj šolskega konteksta. Pri tretjem cilju smo pridobili podatke o zabeleženih vrstah v Sloveniji. Ugotovili smo, da je bilo do aprila 2022 v Sloveniji zabeleženih preko 60 000 opažanj, od tega več kot polovica primernih za raziskave. Ugotovili smo, da je bilo opaženih že preko 5300 vrst, med katerimi prevladujejo rastline in žuželke. Pri zadnjem cilju, pri katerem smo želeli pridobiti boljši vpogled v uporabnike, ki so zabeležili predstavnike iz reda bogomolk, smo ugotovili, da uporabniki pretežno uporabljajo aplikacijo kot metodo shranjevanja svojih opažanj ter metodo poglabljanja svojega znanja. V večini primerov je intervjuvance k uporabi aplikacije povabil znanec, ugotovili smo pa tudi, da velika večina uporablja za določanje biološke ključe in druge vire, kot pomoč pri določitvi organizmov. Razprava in zaključek: iNaturalist je aplikacija, ki hitro pridobiva zagon, tako pri strokovnjakih, kot pri laikih. Trend raziskav, ki raziskujejo uporabnost aplikacije v izobraževanju je naraščujoč, čeprav je količina le-teh še vedno premajhna. Avtorji člankov se večkrat osredotočajo na dogodke, kot so bioBlitz, saj so ti že nekako ustaljena praksa, kamor je zelo prikladno in učinkovito dodati še IKT vidik. Morda bi bilo primerno še dodatno preveriti uporabnost aplikacije v šolskem kontekstu – svetovati učiteljem, kako in tudi kje vključevati aplikacijo v svoj učni proces. Vidimo, da je uporaba tehnologije v razredu privlačna in da se pogosto uporablja »le zato, ker je novo«. Seveda se morajo učitelji vprašati, kje je smiselno in kje ne, pri tem pa jim bo v veliko pomoč nabor gradiv, ki jim bodo pri teh odločitvah in načrtovanjih pomagala in svetovala. iNaturalist ima na spletni strani že nekaj gradiv in nasvetov za učitelje, toda le-ta so v veliki večini napisana v angleškem jeziku. Z uporabo te aplikacije lahko v razred prinesemo veliko dobrega, tako na področju znanja, kot tudi pri doseganju emocionalnih ciljev. Trenutno stanje biodiverzitete in klimatskih sprememb nam kaže, kako pomembno je, da ljudje spremenimo naše delovanje, to pa najlažje začnemo spreminjati pri naših otrocih. Če bomo pri njih spodbujali pozitivna čustva v odnosu do narave in naravne raznolikosti, je to eden izmed prvih korakov, ki jih lahko storimo v smeri večje trajnosti.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: iNaturalist
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Year: 2022
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-137930
• COBISS.SI-ID: 113738243
• Publication date in RUL: 11.07.2022

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: Using the iNaturalist app in biological research and education

Abstract

Introduction: iNaturalist is an application for the detection and identification of organisms and communication between users, aimed at both amateur and professional scientists. Aim: This master thesis should give an insight into the usefulness of the application in education and research through different methods. Methods: We used a few different methods in this research. Through various article search engines – Nature, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar – we searched for research papers that used the iNaturalist app in the classroom environment. The articles found were then reviewed and a cross-section of methods and results obtained by foreign researchers was created. Another method was to test the usage of the app in school. We took advantage of the school's participation in the Forgenius project, which focused on gaining insights into the diversity of European forests and their resilience to climate change – here we saw great potential for using the iNaturalist app. The app was then implemented in another elementary school, where we adapted the way of working according to feedback from teachers, students and pupils who were present during the first implementation. The third method was to review the observations recorded in Slovenia – in this way we gained insight into the groups of organisms most commonly observed by users in our country. The last, fourth method was an interview. We selected a group of users who have recorded observations of organisms of the genus Mantis since the application was created. We contacted these users through the iNaturalist website and invited them to participate in an interview where we obtained information about their education, hobbies, occupation, and how they record and determine data. Results: In total, we found 13 unique searches about the use of the iNaturalist application in education on various article search engines. We found that a common method of use was conducting BioBlitz’s and using the application with students to increase knowledge of taxonomy and improve attitudes toward nature. Awareness of the importance of biodiversity was also frequently promoted. We were successful in our attempts to use the app in a school setting. The application was interesting for both students and teachers. During the activity, students acquired new knowledge about the names of plants and other organisms, and some students indicated that they would like to use the app outside of the school context. For the third objective, we collected data on species recorded in Slovenia. We found that over 60,000 observations had been recorded in Slovenia by April 2022, more than half of which were marked “research grade”. We also found that the observations concerned over 5,300 species, among which plants and insects predominate. In the last objective, where we gained insight into users recording representatives of the order of praying mantis, we found that users mainly used the application as a method to store their observations and deepen their knowledge. In most cases, respondents were invited to use the app by an acquaintance, and we also found that the vast majority used biological keys and other tools to identify organisms. Discussion and Conclusion: iNaturalist is an application that is rapidly gaining traction for both professionals and laypeople. The number of research papers investigating the educational benefits of the application is increasing, although the number of articles is still too small. The authors of the articles often focus on events such as the BioBlitz, since these are already an established practice to which it is very convenient and efficient to add an ICT aspect. It might be smart to consider the usefulness of the application in the school context and advise teachers on how and where to incorporate it into their learning process. We see that the use of technology in the classroom is attractive and often used "just because it is new." Of course, teachers need to ask themselves where it makes sense and where it does not, and a set of materials will greatly help them in these decisions and planning. iNaturalist already has some materials and tips for teachers on their website, but most of them are written in English. With this application we can bring a lot of good into the classroom, both in knowledge and in stimulating the emotional side of the students. The current state of biodiversity and climate change shows us how important it is that we change our behaviour, and the easiest place to start is with our children. Encouraging them to develop positive feelings towards nature and natural diversity is one of the first steps we can take towards a better and more sustainable environment.

• Keywords: iNaturalist