Designing engaging interactions for exploration and sharing of multidisciplinary outcomes in environmental education

Abstract

The recent advent of mash-ups based on geobrowsers and social networking technologies holds great potential to use maps for sharing outcomes of activities in Environmental Education and to raise awareness around environmental sustainability issues. However, in this paper we argue that further interaction design research for online community applications in the context of Environmental Education is required in two ways. Firstly, this project is investigating how exploration, contribution and sharing of environmental outcomes can be seamlessly embedded in the existing practice of Environmental Education to engage students in environmental activities. For this purpose, it is investigating various facets of ubiquitous computing, namely web-based interfaces, mobile technology use and tangible media installations. Secondly, this project analyses challenges to the dominant map and planet metaphors as virtual copies of the real world and explores design and metaphor alternatives which integrate outcomes of multidisciplinary, environmental initiatives that may not necessarily be location-specific. In line with the strong participatory strategy of Environmental Education itself, this practice-led design research uses a participatory design methodology and includes students, educators, organisers, and mentors of environmental activities in an initial user needs analysis, the design process and evaluation of prototypes.