Biodiversity – the extraordinary variety of ecosystems, species and genes that surround us – is not only important in its own right, it also provides our society with a wide range of ecosystem services upon which we depend, such as food, freshwater, pollination, protection against floods, etc... However, biodiversity is in crisis. In Europe, almost a quarter of wild species are now threatened with extinction and the majority of ecosystems are degraded to the point where they are no longer able to deliver their valuable services. This degradation represents enormous social and economic losses for the EU. Key drivers of biodiversity loss, such as habitat change, overexploitation of natural resources, the introduction and spread of invasive alien species and climate change, have increased, offsetting the positive effects of actions to stem biodiversity loss. The aim of the project is to raise and develop students‘ awareness of plant biodiversity and activities focused on preventing or reducing its loss through a combination of virtual events and practical outdoor research activities with the use of Pl@ntNET mobile application. The project will employ methods of exploratory pedagogy based on virtual events and practical research activities suitable for students aged 16-19 with graphical interfaces that help to overcome language barriers and hide potential basic computational complexity. This educational approach combines classroom learning, virtual demonstrations, nature visits and online cooperation, which enable students to build on mutual experience through teacher mediation and in the context of European school network. Teaching activities will be carried out by experts in the field of environment and teaching. Students with a lack of opportunities (disabled) aged 16-19 will also be involved in the project under the guidance of special needs teachers. The approaches aimed at problem-solving will encourage students to find solutions to prevent or reduce biodiversity loss, which can also find application in students’ everyday lives including nature protection. Students will get to know methods used in their own countries, compare individual approaches and find out about methods of the future. The aim of the Pl@ntNET project is not intended to compete with existing environmental education curricula. Instead, it aims to provide extra-value online tools which complement existing approaches and encourage the cooperation between European schools while developing ICT skills in students. In order to maximize the impact of the project objectives, ICT-based learning activities are designed to be delivered through existing school curriculum channels, such as field education or extra-value methods which enhance learning process, and not as separate learning modules. The use of existing school curricula facilitates the adoption of proposed educational methods even after the completion of the project. The proposed activities will be verified through the implementation of the project by involving teachers and pupils in experiential learning activities, enabling students to use the tools developed in practical research meetings and to work with students in other countries through a network of schools that exchange experiences and build awareness of the international character of environmental sustainability issues. Finally, Pl@ntNET aims to support the learning process by providing recommendations on best practices aimed at both teachers and students with a focus on teaching, teacher associations and policy makers with a regard to the smooth integration of the proposed solutions into the instructional processes and their dissemination through on-line portal services. This comprehensive, vertical implementation approach, which addresses all interested parties in education, will further facilitate the adoption of the proposed methods after the completion of the work plan.
Biodiversity–the extraordinary variety of ecosystems,species and genes that surround us–is not only important in its own right,it also provides our society with a wide range of ecosystem services upon which we depend,such as food,freshwater,pollination,protection against floods,etc.However,biodiversity is in critical condition.In Europe, almost a quarter of wild species are now threatened with extinction and the majority of ecosystems are degraded to the point where they are no longer able to deliver their valuable services.This degradation represents enormous social and economic losses for the EU.The key causes of biodiversity loss,such as habitat change,overexploitation of natural resources,the introduction and spread of invasive alien species and climate change,have increased,offsetting the positive effects of actions aimed to prevent biodiversity loss. The aim of the project was to raise and develop students‘ awareness of plant biodiversity and activities focused on preventing or reducing its loss through a combination of virtual events and practical outdoor research activities using the Pl@ntNET mobile application.The project employed methods of exploratory pedagogy based on virtual events and practical research activities suitable for students aged 16-19 with graphical interfaces that help to overcome language barriers and hide potential basic computational complexity.This educational approach combined classroom learning,virtual demonstrations,visiting nature and online cooperation, which has enabled students to build on mutual experience through teacher mediation and in the context of European school network.Teaching activities were carried out by experts in the field of the environment and teaching.Students with a lack of opportunities (disabled) aged 16-19 were also be involved in the project under the guidance of special needs teachers. The activities were aimed at: Environmental education:Organizing courses and lectures on the topics of biodiversity protection, correctly disposing of waste,reducing one's carbon footprint and sustainable habits and practices. Visiting nature:Organizing trips to protected areas, natural reservations and parks in order to raise awareness of ecosystems and how living organisms and the environment influence each other. Gardening activities:Teaching students about growing plants, making compost and gardening techniques, which can support sustainability and raise awareness of the need to protect the environment. Recycling and using recycled materials: Including students in class recycling programs and creating art or practical items from recycled materials. Campaigns and events:Organizing environmental campaigns and events at school in order to raise awareness of important environmental issues and encourage taking specific action to adress them. Group discussions and projects:Enabling students to express their thoughts and ideas regarding environmental protection utilizing group discussions and susbsequently working on projects, which include their interests and ideas. Propagating sustainable lifestyles:Creating educational materials, which would support sustainable lifestyles and encourage responsibilty. Cross-curricular integration:Including environmental topics in various subjetcs and lectures at school in order to develop well-rounded and multidisciplinary knowledge about environmental protection. Qualitative results: 58 physical and 2 virtual techers' mobilities 2 expert mobilities 117 physical and 38 virtual students' mobilities 4 mobilities for students with a lack of opportunities 6 affiliated organizations 8 conferences many teleconferences 1 interactive exhibition 6 thematic days 6 professional trainings/lectures/academic debates/events 16 outdoor research activities 16 workshops 7 arts workshops 1 motivational and informational video 6 multilingual dictionaries 1 set of revision question cards/113 flash cards 1 calendar 9 infographics 12 posters 1 eCatalogue of plants 1 logo 8 videos 360 posts on the appllication many planted trees and shrubs many quizzes Kahoot 3 social media 1 eTwinning website 1 project website Qualitative results: increasing awareness and knowledge of students,teachers,parents and the public concerning environmental protection and climate change encouraging changing of attitudes toward pro-environment behaviour in one's daily life in terms of individual preference,consumer behaviour and lifestyle aiding in contetualizing the relationship between real life and abstract concepts improving digital and language skils stimulating critical thinking, improving students' decision making and problem solving skills developing responsibility,cultural awareness and team cooperation skills teachers' professional development improving the quality of education improving international cooperation. The project was pitched and executed in regards to the environment and societal interests,as it would offer a sustainable solution for future generations.