iNaturalist: A Tool to Connect Teachers and Students with Nature by Jennifer Cook

Article  by Jennifer Cook

It’s a hydrangea!  It’s a walking stick!  It’s….it’s….um….?  We’ve all been there with our children or students.  We are busy teaching and exploring when we get the one question that we just don’t know how to answer.  We try to pass it off as best we can and move on before it is known that we have no clue what we are talking about (shh...I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.).  But what happens when you come across an item in the field that you don’t know how to identify? iNaturalist is a tool that can aid in species identification.

iNaturalist is a free online social network that allows people to share their findings in nature. This tool shares the biodiversity of an area and helps others to learn about nature right in their own backyard.  Nature lovers can take pictures of their discoveries and post them to the site.  If the individual knows the species, they can identify it and it will be confirmed by their panel of experts.  The amateur scientists can place the picture on the site and, after three people have identified the species, it will be recorded on the site.  This processes enables an accurate list of species in an area and helps people connect to nature.

iNaturalist connects people with similar interests and helps them to meet new people.  Groups can be created on common species interests or certain areas of a state. Eventually, people can become experts in something that they are passionate about. Teachers can use this tool to engage students to become more aware of their environment through the mobile and webtools.  Teachers can also create a Bioblitz in their community and local parks.

iNaturalist does have its downfalls.  This is not an ongoing science project that is taking place.  It is an ever growing and changing community that seeks to educate and conserve the environment.  It cannot be used to identify non-living items, like rocks, water features, etc. (Sorry, you will still have to identify that sedimentary rock the old fashioned way. Although, I’m still holding out hope that the random box of rocks in my science closet will one day be identified.)

So, let’s get out our phones and tablet, download the iNaturalist app and get making those observations.  It’s time to explore the biodiversity and world around us with experts to help us in this journey.  On your mark...get set....explore...!

Author: Jennifer Cook