Collaborative processes in species identification using an internet-based taxonomic resource

Abstract

Visual databases are increasingly important resources through which individuals and groups can undertake species identification. This paper reports research on the collaborative processes undertaken by pre-service teacher students when working in small groups to identify birds using an Internet-based taxonomic resource. The student groups are conceptualised as 'knowledge-building communities' working in a 'joint problem space' comprising the collective knowledge of the participants interacting with the taxonomic database. Collaborative group work and associated dialogue were recorded with digital video. The recordings were analysed for the categories of dialogue and the categories of knowledge used by the students as they interacted with the taxonomic database and how they drew on their previous experiences of identifying birds. The outcomes are discussed in the context of the interplay of individual and social processes and the interplay between abstraction and lived experience in the joint problem space. ARTICLE HISTORY

Nordic Student Teachers’ Views on the Most Efficient Teaching and Learning Methods for Species and Species Identification

“…There exist, however, only some minor studies about how people usually identify organisms, what characteristics they observe and what strategies they use. For example, young children identified animals mainly by direct observation of some anatomical features and only seldom by behavior or habitat [56], while student teachers identified birds by their nesting habitat, coloring and markings, shape and size of different parts of the body as well as their special behaviors [57]. Regarding plants, some students identified them only by matching pictures of plants with living plants [58].…”

“…Despite living animals and plants, teaching and learning materials have included for example stuffed animals, dried plants, plastic models, identification books with photos or drawings, dichotomous identification keys, signs and tracks of animals, videos and animations [3,59]. Additionally, identification of species has included the use of the Internet [60], Internet-based taxonomic resources [57] or web-based key characteristics of species [61]. According to Randler [62], there is a positive relationship between different kinds of animal-related activities and species knowledge.…”

CyberParks Songs and Stories - Enriching Public Spaces with Localized Culture Heritage Material such as Digitized Songs and Stories

“…2. The website, as the main portal for crowdsourcing activities (Kontkanen et al 2016) which integrates digital assets creation and visualisation tools. The web-based access GUI enables remote visitors to become users of data and metadata available for crowdsourcing applications that will drive not only dissemination policies of the cultural players involved (e.g., Museums, collections and archives) but will also empower the system's analytical capacity in research with the power of the many.…”

“…It envisions to provide plural meanings and interpretations of (and on) heritage to citizens through collective and collaborative methods for semantic classification, contextualisation and augmentation of digital assets and associated metadata by means of machine learning, social analysis, gamification and crowdsourcing. The proposed method has similarities to what Kontkanen et al (2016) used for species identification in terms of collaborative mechanisms.…”

How can Smartphone-Based Internet Data Support Animal Ecology Fieldtrip?

“…This identification skill is important in supporting conservation efforts. Improving the identification skills can be done collaboratively with the help of the internet, video recording and Facebook applications as a simple new method [13,14,15]. The identification skills can be extracted by the real evidence available in nature freely, learning is not always limited to the classrooms, nature has provided an authentic learning resource to be learned in revealing the facts contained in the environment [16,17].…”