Citizen Science Collection
Mon, Oct 15, 2018 7:32 PM
Informative, applicable, & appropriately ordered.
Having no prior knowledge of the term "citizen science", I found these articles to be very enlightening. The first article "21st-Century Citizen Science" effectively defines citizen science and elaborates on the steps of the global science education continuum. These steps show the progression a teacher could take their classroom as they work toward the ultimate goal of citizen science: global contribution. "Citizen Science in Your Own Backyard" challenges the common narrative of students addiction to video games and social media to show them the immense worth of contributing to the world by collecting data in their own community. Several examples and stories are given about students' excitement and ability to gather data and contribute to science, all while learning valuable skills in the process. "Citizen Scientists: Investigating Science in the Community" further informs us of the citizen science programs available to students in their communities, focusing especially on bird-watching and astronomy. My favorite article, "Communities, Cameras, and Conservation", details a program based in Colorado where students gets hands-on experience collecting data of mountain lions that live right in their community. This program is brilliant because the students get to collect their own data using cameras and get excited to learn about science as they discover these lions are in places they normally hike and mountain bike. Lastly, "Project Citizen: Promoting Action-Oriented Citizen Science in the Classroom" appropriately wraps up this collection and gives educators steps to incorporate citizen science into their classroom. Students have the opportunity to identify a public issue, research it, present solutions to lawmakers and reflect on their learning experiences. Overall, these articles not only defined citizen science for me, but gave me ideas I can take with me as I begin my teaching career.