Learner Description: Students in grades 6 and up in a science class or nature study program.
Mobile Learning Activity Instructions
For this activity, you will need a mobile Internet device such as a smart phone or a tablet computer. You will go to an area where you are likely to see wildlife, such as a pond, forest, wilderness area, or park. (Even city parks typically have birds, squirrels, plants, and other wildlife.) Once there, you will observe the wildlife and make a record of your observations using your mobile device.
Before You Go
Go to the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch site. Select your state, and spend some time studying the types of wildlife that you may see in your area. Remember that wildlife includes not just animals, but also insects, trees, wildflowers, grasses, and other living things. You may want to choose one or two types of wildlife to focus on. You may also want to take some notes to bring into the field with you. Most mobile devices have a notepad feature that you could use for your notes.
Wildlife Observation
After you get to your observation area, find a place where you can sit or stand comfortably. Be as quiet as you can so that you do not scare the wildlife away. Be patient, and use all your senses. You may hear an animal before you see it.
When you see an animal, insect, or plant that interests you, spend some time observing it. What is it? What color is it? Is it large or small? Is it moving, or staying still? Is it interacting with any other creatures? Is it eating, resting, or playing?
After you have observed for a few minutes, enter your observations in the form below and click the Submit button. Your observations will be gathered with all of your classmates’ observations in a Google docs spreadsheet that you can review once you return.
If you need help identifying any wildlife, you can use the eNature.com field guides from your mobile device, or do a Google search for other field guides that are specific to your region or to a specific type of wildlife.
Observation Entry Form
[Open form in a separate window]
