While ‘technology and nature’ might seem like an oxymoron, leveraging technology to capture learning during an excursion/field trip can be incredibly effective.
This term, in Science and Technology, our students have been exploring the history of farming, its evolution over time, and the significant impact technology has made. To deepen their understanding, students were recently fortunate to embark on an excursion to Brookfarm. They gained hands-on experience at a macadamia farm and explored a native rainforest onsite, observing indigenous plants, animals, and insects to better understand the ecosystem supporting the macadamia crop. Students were also fortunate enough to tour a processing plant, where they witnessed firsthand how macadamias and other ingredients are blended into premium muesli.
The students were genuinely excited and engaged, effectively using the camera app and their learning journals in Keynote to capture these valuable learning moments. By documenting their experiences through photos and videos, along with thoughtful responses to reflection questions, the excursion's success was significantly enhanced. This approach truly solidified their learning and enriched their understanding. We were even able to sample some of the delicious muesli!
If you've ever debated the use of technology on a field trip, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome and its positive effects on learning.
Have you tried something similar in your class? What has worked for you? How do you incorporate learning outdoors? If so, please share in the comments below. I have included an example of the Keynote Excursion Journal which can be adapted for your context.
July 19, 2025 .
English
Mary your downloads are so helpful. Easy to grab that Keynote and make it our own for our own next field trip.
Agree, taking that iPad outside and documenting learning on the go is such a rewarding experience for students (and teachers!). Love that it is packaged all in one "jack of all trades" device and no wifi needed to move back and forth between the Apple native apps to record, write, and take photos. Really a science (and history) teachers dream for collecting and documenting. Once back on a network - uploads and shares can occur.
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