PocketMacro is a mobile app designed by The Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University to help users better identify benthic macroinvertebrates commonly found in streams and other waterways. In Summer 2021, the app and other supplemental materials were highlighted during trainings for educators held at the Stroud Water Research Center.
The evaluation team from Rockman et al Cooperative (REA) surveyed and interviewed educators who participated in the summer trainings to determine what they took away from the experience and to gather feedback about the PocketMacro app.
The trainings using the PocketMacro app provided educators with valuable resources to engage students and volunteers with aquatic macroinvertebrates and to support their developing identification practices. Educators liked that the trainings included time to collaborate with others and share ideas about ways to incorporate PocketMacro into their own learning contexts.
Educators thought that the PocketMacro app was most effective at helping them:
- View macroinvertebrates closely
- See relevant features to conduct an identification
- Differentiate between insect groups
- Confirm an ID
Educators thought that the app would help students and volunteers:
- Feel more confident and be more accurate in their IDs
- Focus on an organism’s diagnostic characteristics
- Increase their interest in and knowledge about aquatic macroinvertebrates, environmental stewardship, and waterways
Possible applications of the PocketMacro app included:
- To figure out what was in educators' own local streams
- To utilize with individuals or organizations for water quality biomonitoring efforts
- To prepare students for streamside specimen collection and identification
- To provide lab-based experiences when outdoor collection is not possible
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