I have learnt of the new tools for procrastinating that do hold great value in the scope of education, that is if you are learning in the areas of Science, Geography and Media. Of course you could include other areas such as English and Creative Arts.
What’s this tool you ask?
Why Zoo Cam, of course. It has had my now 19month old all the way to my Year 1 child intrigued and glued to it. My favourites are Australian, Melbourne zoos “Animals at Home” and Taronga Zoos “Taronga TV” these 24 hour viewing platforms are amazing, from showing the different ‘habitats’ of animals, to feeding and sleeping habits. I am not ashamed to admit that I have starred at sleeping Snow Leopard Cubs for an hour or so. Of course these are not the only live stream cams available online during this current crisis. San Diego Zoo has set up multiple cameras in a variety of animal enclosures. The opportunity for discussion not only about the animals but the timezones and hemispheres opens up the opportunity for inclusion not only in Geography but also in Mathmatics with students able to select zoos from around the world to include in their investigations for learning.
Zoos link to their own social media sites and live stream infromation sessions to those who follow them, meaning that there are a wide range of platforms available for all to interact in some way without directly being in contact with the zoo.