Exploring the Intersections of Botany, Learning, and Technology

Mobile technologies enable users to discover, explore, and engage with the natural world in amazing ways. Judith and Christine Bush are developing hybrid educational apps that explore the intersection of botany, learning, and... [ view full abstract ]

Mobile technologies enable users to discover, explore, and engage with the natural world in amazing ways. Judith and Christine Bush are developing hybrid educational apps that explore the intersection of botany, learning, and technology. Our initial offering is a free mobile app available for iOS and Android, part of a larger project that we call BumbleApps™. This name conveys our curiosity about the natural world in a playful way while also evoking the holistic enterprise central to understanding the interconnectedness of an ecosystem as exemplified by bees and flowers. Our first tier of BumbleApps™ provide users with a gentle introduction to the history and phytology of a target plant and then invites them to casually explore a carefully curated collection of photo and video references. Some of the photos or videos are of the target plant. Others share some, but not all, of the target’s characteristics. Others are dissimilar. These assets are embedded in interactive galleries in which users playfully gain experience in correctly identifying the target plant and recognizing which of its distinguishing characteristics support their claim. Unlike many apps which attempt to identify a plant for you (based on characteristics you provide), our early apps shift the focus from using mobile technology as a field appliance to turning smart phones and tablets into the field itself. Inspired by connectivist learning strategies which have shown that learning is increased through interaction with and creation of content, BumbleApps™ present users who might have only a layperson’s appreciation for flora with a fun, intuitive, beautiful way to interact with the botanical key. Core development strategies include use of open software and openly licensed educational assets. Additional tiers will include a digital magazine, and a field journal which will facilitate sharing data collected from the real world with other citizen science communities.