Lesson Plan 1: Collecting Biological Phenomena in Everyday Life

Cell Pone (Basic or smart) with the capability to take pictures and videos Computer with Web access (site accessed: flickr.com)

Ages

As a homework assignment, (with a parent, or an adult), students will use their cell phones to take pictures and/or videos of biological organisms that they encounter on their everyday travels. They will send the pictures, along with a short description of what they think the photo shows, to a private media storage site at Flickr.com. Back in the classroom, they will place their pictures on a digital map that shows where they discovered the organisms, and then classify them by type.

Student Benefits: Instead of students having to take samples of organisms outside and taking them back into the Science classroom, when students come across a plant or animal outside their home, or while traveling with a parent or an adult, they only need to take out their cell phones, snap a picture of it, and send the picture to the website assigned by the teacher.

Teacher Benefits: The teacher is able to set up one mobile Flickr account for all students to use with their cell phones. Back in the classroom, the teacher can use a teacher-station laptop or desktop with a projected screen, and log in to the mobile Flickr account. The teacher is able to ask each student to come up to the computer, click on his or her picture(s), and place their pictures on the Flickr map in the exact location where they discovered the phenomena and discuss with the entire class.

Lesson Plan 2: Local History Scavenger Hunt

Cell phone (basic or smart) with the capability to take pictures and send a text message Computer with Web access (site accessed: scvngr.com)scvngr.com

Ages

Students will complete a mobile scavenger hunt on local history to find clues, collect images. All of the data collected from the scavenger hunt will be compiled in the teacher's SCVNGR account (scvngr.com).scvngr.com

Student Benefits: Students are able to work in groups and complete the assignment over the weekend.

Teachers’ Benefits: Over the weekend, the teacher will be able to log in to SCVNGR at any time and see the results of the students' hunt. On the next class day, the teacher can open up the results of the hunt and go over the local history lessons learned from the students.