Doors Open iOS: Culturally Responsive Storytelling in Outdoor Education

Outline

Introduction (10 minutes)
-Icebreakers, ask participants the following questions: “What experiences have you had in outdoor education? How do you perceive the representation of different communities in these spaces?”
-Share data on the lack of representation of equity-seeking groups in outdoor spaces
-Discuss how Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP) increases student belongingness
-Discuss how technology can lower barriers of access in outdoor education

Engage with Technology (15 minutes)
-Demonstrate key features of each app: Camera, Mark-up, Notes, Freeform
-Participants share their experiences with technology in outdoor settings.

Hands-On Exploration (20 minutes)
-Groups explore a designated outdoor area (if available) or images of nature and create their own visual collage

Sharing and Collaboration (10 minutes)
-Participants shares experiences using the built-in iOS apps to the group.
-Discuss how the technology allows them to relate to the outdoor environment in their own way

Reflection and Q&A (5 minutes)
-Participants reflect on how they can incorporate iOS devices into supporting students’
-Reflect how using iOS devices, through a CRRP lens, can support students to learn in outdoor spaces

Conclusion (5 minutes)
-Summarize key takeaways from the workshop.
-Share additional resources (i.e. outdoor education apps such as iNaturalist, Seek, eBirds) for integrating technology in outdoor learning.

Supporting research

So you want to use iPad for Outdoor Learning? (https://books.apple.com/us/book/so-you-want-to-use-ipad-for-outdoor-learning/id1485233114)

Outdoor recreation has historically excluded people of color. That’s beginning to change (https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/us/national-parks-history-racism-wellness-cec/index.html)

Nature Gap: Why Outdoor Spaces Lack Diversity and Inclusion (https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2020/12/outdoor-diversity-inclusion/#:~:text=The%20lack%20of%20diversity%20and,exploring%20race%20and%20ethnicity%20in)

The whiteness of green spaces: The cyclical nature of exclusion in environmental professions (https://www.michigandaily.com/statement/the-whiteness-of-green-spaces-the-cyclical-nature-of-exclusion-in-environmental-professions/)