Rather than solely using technology to be engrossed in cyberspace activity, Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy is utilizing technology to foster connectivity and exploration among the natural world outside the classroom walls.
The Green Club at Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy, a STEM focused magnet school, has planted an arboretum with 38 species of trees, shrubs, and grasses native to South Florida. To help students in both middle and high school research classes to become familiar with plant life from the local environment, the school has developed an activity in which nature and technology merge.
Each species of plant is labeled with a number from 1 through 38 and students are given a field guide that describes common plant names, and QR codes for websites that describe the plants. In comparing online descriptions to the actual plants within the arboretum, groups of students record their answers to be graded.
For more information on the activities at Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy contact 305-557-5931.