What's new

Digital technology has often been seen as a distraction from authentic outdoor experiences. This new materialist-inspired project explored how teachers thought about video-making and the more-than-human in outdoor and environmental education. Drawing on assemblage theory and attention to affect, the authors offer speculative findings on how video-making and the more-than-human together can shape outdoor learning, and suggest implications for educators.

Why it matters in Aotearoa

Teachers in Aotearoa often have to decide whether and how devices belong on outdoor trips. This paper gives them a way of thinking about that question that goes beyond banning or allowing devices.

Putting it into practice

Try a short video-making task on a field trip that asks students to pay attention to the non-human features of the place, then discuss how filming changed what they noticed.

How strong is the evidence

The findings are speculative and theory-driven. The abstract does not give sample or setting details.

What to read

The implications for educators.

Who it's for