Paper Title: On Promoting Environmental Education for Middle School Students Using Digital Tools
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Abstract:
To provide experiential learning in environmental education the use of latest technologies can be a boon. Supporting environmental education through the use of technology can lead to innovative practices in formal and informal educational settings. Technologies can increase student interest while enabling them to capture experiences of local environments, to collect and share data with each other and with broader audiences. This paper highlights the result of an iNature project which was launched for grades 6, 7 and 8. The main objectives of the paper were to study the impact of using technology in green education and how to engage students in environmental education using technology. Google lens is a powerful technology which was used by the students to identify the local environment around them. In addition students could also use the seek app to identify the plants around them. The students were asked to post pictures of the identified plants on a padlet specifically created for this purpose. Padlet is a powerful educational technology that can be used for showcasing group work to enhance collaboration and communication. Students were also encouraged to comment on each other’s pictures. Students were then asked about their opinion on the importance of plants and trees in keeping the environment clean. All the content had to be posted on the padlet. A pre and post survey was conducted to study the impact of the project on increase in student’s learning in recognizing the flora and fauna around themselves, understanding the diversity of plants, understanding the role of plants to human and society and plants as symbol in our culture. Student attitudes related to experiential learning and self-efficacy about the project were also collected. Results of the survey are also presented in the paper. It was found that the project was successful in promoting experiential learning and self-efficacy.
Keywords:Environmental Education, Technology, Padlet, Google Lens
DOI Link – https://doi.org/10.63431/AIJITR/2.III.2025.99-104
Review By – Dr. Chandan Adhikary, Dr. Parimal Sarkar and Amit Adhikari