ECO Explorer – digital nature trails for primary education
What can I do with Eco Explorer?
The increased uptake in mobile devices combined with a new focus on ‘the outdoor classroom‘, ‘Eco-Schools’ and ‘Forest Schools’ created a gap perfectly suited for Eco Explorer. Work began in early 2012 on a web-based outdoor learning platform designed for primary schools using iPad devices and Eco Explorer has been trialled, tested and developed in schools from St. Helens to Singapore.
Though much has been reported about the “positive and significant impact” tablet devices can have on learning most studies have been in the classroom. Outdoors the iPad can be used as a tool to record sounds, videos, images and data – perfect for science work. Eco Explorer is at the forefront of outdoor education – allowing children to learn in context it is flexible enough for teachers to use creatively. The class can spend the lesson outdoors and teachers can still assess everyone’s learning.
The aim of this project is to engage young children – not with computers – but with nature. The tasks contain 1000’s of high quality images of native UK species – helping to familiarise young children with the plants and animals in their local environment.
Key Features
- Hundreds of beautiful and individually designed tasks for all New Curriculum KS1 & KS2 Life Processes and Living things (Sc2) topics.
- Objectives and tasks created by freelance primary science consultant in liaison with current primary science subject leaders.
- Unlimited access for teachers and pupils.
- A simple to use assessment manager to track pupil progress.
- Easy QR scan log-in for pupils.
- Score tracker sets individually differentiated tasks based on pupils’ prior scores.
- 10 permanent codes placed around the grounds.
- Regular updates of the huge bank of tasks.