February:
Wed 8 Feb Kirstenbosch 10h00
Tue 13 Feb Tygerberg 09h00
Thu 15 Feb Glenwood HS George 08h30
Thu 15 Feb Saasveld 14h00
Fri 16 Feb Saasveld 09h00
Fri 16 Feb Saasveld 14h00
Fri 19 Feb Swellendam 11h00
Wed 21 Feb Kirstenbosch 09h00
Thu 22 Feb Steenbras 10h00 (intro - CoCT)
Sat 24 Feb Kirstenbosch 10h00
March:
Tue 13 Mar Kirstenbosch 09h00 (Georgina Jones)
Thu 15 Mar Cape Town 14h00 (CoCT interns: Leanne Mossop)
Sat 17 Mar Walter Sisulu NBG 09h30 (RSVP: Michelle (deklerk.m@gmail.com))
Wed 21 March Pretoria NBG 09h30 (Michelle)
Thu 22 Mar Pretoria NBG 09h00 (Taxonomy: Biogaps: Janine Victor)
Thu 29 Mar 09h00 Helderberg Nature Reserve (staff & Friends)
April:
Fri 6 Apr Empangeni 17h00 (CREW: Suvarna)
Wend 14-15 April: Citizen Science Expo & field trip Kirstenbosch (CREW)
May:
Sat 12 May: Kirstenbosch 09h00 (CREW and Table Mountain Honorary Rangers)
June:
Fri 8 June: Stanford 14h00 (CREW)
Thu 14 June: Kirstenbosch 09h00 (Kirstenbosch interns)
July:
Sat 14 July: Pietermaritzberg: Bew Herbarium 09h00 (CREW)
Mon 16 July: Paradise Valley Durban 08h00 (CREW)
Tues 17 July: Durban 08h30 (CREW)
Wed 18 July: Kokstad 09h30 CREW-Eastern Cape
Friday 27 July: Nelspruit 09h30 CREW & Mpumalanga Parks Board
Monday 30 July: George Saasveld (Science Week):
beginners course 13h00, advance course 14h00.
Tues 31 July: Goudini Spa: Fynbos Forum 14h00.
August:
Tues 14 Aug: Cape St Francis. 14h00
dates undecided: Helderberg (after 16 April - CREW: organizer Carina)
Introduce the philosophy of the site. How it is designed and works. This centres around:
The layout:
• Observations
• Species
• Places
• Projects
• Guides
• People
How it works:
• What makes an observation.
• Species and the dictionary and links
• Extracting and showcasing your data
The differences between iSpot and iNature and how to think iNature.
Practical coursework:
• How to upload an observation
• How to edit observations, including bulk edits
• How to custom access data and updates, and use your dashboard
• How to manage your account
• How to add CREW data
• Creating Places and species lists
• Creating Projects and managing data
• Creating Guides
• Reviewing IDs and contributing identifications
• Anything you find interesting and would like to explore in more detail.
Please bring to the course!
o Your computer (laptop, palmtop, ipad, cellphone, smartphone or equivalent, with Wifi or Bluetooth capabilities), and powercord.
o Between 10 and 20 pictures suitable for uploading to iNaturalist: of 5 to 15 different organisms. Plants, animals or fungi – not people, pets or places.
o If you are into checklists and guides, please bring along a checklist to your nature reserve, farm, garden or whatever. Just a list of species names without authors.
o Please sign up before you come to the course: www.inaturalist.org - make sure that you are properly registered. Bring along your user-name and your password – and preferably an email address that you can access at SANBI (not one tied to your home line).
o Yourself, with lots of questions.
See also our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/iSpotNatureZA
Comments
Courses updated for 2 weeks time:
iNaturalist Course evaluation (revised June 2018)
Thank you for attending our Introduction to iNaturlist courses. We would love your feedback so that we can improve our courses. Please complete an evaluation below.
In case you need to check, the course structure is above.
How to do an evaluation:
Highlight the 10 points below.
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* paste them (with your mouse or right click paste or Ctrl-V)
* Answer the points
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Please be critical: we want to improve the course. Your honest and uncensored opinion will be appreciated.
Very many thanks.
Rate on a scale of 1 to 5:
Did you enjoy the course (1) or was it a bore (5)?
Was the course too long (1) or too short (5)?
Was it too basic (1) or too difficult (5)?
Was it presented too fast (1) or too slow (5)?
What did you expect that was not covered?
What could be left out of the course as it is unnecessary?
What would you do differently if you had to give the course?
Do you feel that you can ID a species on iNaturalist?
How can the course be improved?
What do you especially like about the course or iNaturalist.
&. Any other comments or special requests:
Did you enjoy the course (1) or was it a bore (5)? (1)
Was the course too long (1) or too short (5)? (4) Too short. It is a lot of info to take in for people starting on this. In order to get a firm grip on the depth of the uses of the application a full day would be helpful.
Was it too basic (1) or too difficult (5)? (3) It was presented on a level that assisted various levels of understanding.
Was it presented too fast (1) or too slow (5)?(3) It was a good pace considering that those who fell behind could catch up again.
What did you expect that was not covered? I would have liked to spend more time on the more detailed aspects and to have a rerun of some of the points to get a grip on it.
What could be left out of the course as it is unnecessary? Nothing.
What would you do differently if you had to give the course? Choose a venue with lights.;-)
Do you feel that you can ID a species on iNaturalist? Yes and more
How can the course be improved?
What do you especially like about the course or iNaturalist. It clarified many things that iNaturalist can do and that I can learn from and contribute
&. Any other comments or special requests: Yes, please come again and present another one.
Rate on a scale of 1 to 5:
Did you enjoy the course (1) or was it a bore (5)? 5
Was the course too long (1) or too short (5)? perhaps too short given the amount of detail covered.
Was it too basic (1) or too difficult (5)? 3
Was it presented too fast (1) or too slow (5)? 2 9 (but there was a lot to cover)
What did you expect that was not covered? Nothing
What could be left out of the course as it is unnecessary? Cant think of anything
What would you do differently if you had to give the course? Allow a bit more time to cover same content.
Do you feel that you can ID a species on iNaturalist? Yes
How can the course be improved? Clone Tony to reach more people
What do you especially like about the course or iNaturalist.
It can really assist in encouraging citizens to collect data to support research while also supporting them on their journey of discovery and exploration as they get to learn their plants.
&. Any other comments or special requests:
Thank you
Did you enjoy the course (1) or was it a bore (5)? 2
Was the course too long (1) or too short (5)? 5
Was it too basic (1) or too difficult (5)? 3
Was it presented too fast (1) or too slow (5)?2 but that's inevitable the little time allowed for the course
What did you expect that was not covered? nothing
What could be left out of the course as it is unnecessary? nothing
What would you do differently if you had to give the course? spread it over at least a full day or two.
Do you feel that you can ID a species on iNaturalist? yes, in our fields
How can the course be improved? Plan refresher courses
What do you especially like about the course or iNaturalist. Its vast scope across all organisms. The construction of guides was particularly smart.
&. Any other comments or special requests:
Dear Tony
Thank you very much for your enthusiastic presentation of the course. Because of my limited computer skills, I have been unable to reply as Delia did on the site, so hope you don’t mind me e-mailing my response:
Did you enjoy the course (1) or was it a bore (5)? Enjoyed it (4)
Was the course too long (1) or too short (5)? Too long for morning only (1)
Was it too basic (1) or too difficult (5)? Perhaps too difficult for someone like me who probably needed a basic course. (4)
Was it presented too fast (1) or too slow (5)? Personally got left behind because of various factors. (2)
What did you expect that was not covered? No expectations.
What could be left out of the course as it is unnecessary? Nothing
What would you do differently if you had to give the course? Ensure the venue was conducive to success of course.
Do you feel that you can ID a species on iNaturalist? Not yet!
How can the course be improved? Perhaps holding it over a full day
What do you especially like about the course or iNaturalist. Such a powerful tool (if mastered).
&. Any other comments or special requests:
Comments:
• Firstly I would like to complement you on the enthusiastic manner in which you presented the course.
• However because you know the programme so well, the pace was a bit fast for a total beginner such as myself, but was probably fine for the majority of attendees
• I was disappointed that I did not rather take notes, instead of trying to follow your course practically on my computer.
• The computer became a liability because of the lack of power points at the venue *(no fault of yours!).
• I also got left behind because of my own poor computer skills, but also soon lost power on the computer, probably because it is also old!
• Because of the above, I felt that I did not benefit as much as I could have done.
Special requests:
• In future there should be a clear request that the workshop venue has facilities suitable for computer use by all attendees.
• I would be most grateful for any written notes that you may have, for the basic skills required to use iNaturalist, so that I can work through it again, without having to rely on my poor memory!
I wish you every success in spreading the doctrine of citizen science.
Kind regards
Dave. (the bloke who arrived early and manages “Tullach Mhor” nature reserve!).
Did you enjoy the course (1) or was it a bore (5)? 2
Was the course too long (1) or too short (5)? 4
Was it too basic (1) or too difficult (5)? 3
Was it presented too fast (1) or too slow (5)? 1
What did you expect that was not covered? nothing to contribute
What could be left out of the course as it is unnecessary? nothing to contribute
What would you do differently if you had to give the course? Placing much more emphasis on ensuring people could see where "clicking" happened. Also, make everyone draft the exact same account settings for the course purposes. In adding other criteria, I got different results affecting my map view, and I was completely lost for quite some time. People should look up (as a class) and watch a sequence of actions on the big screen, and then re-enact them on their own pc's.
Do you feel that you can ID a species on iNaturalist? I am hesitant to say yes right now. I think I first need more practice.
How can the course be improved? More demonstration of features while attendees just watch, again ensuring that "clicks" are clearly made
What do you especially like about the course or iNaturalist. There is a lot of information at one's fingertips that is placed there by like-minded enthusiasts. There is the opportunity to engage with others, creating a nice, usually friendly, learning space.
&. Any other comments or special requests: Please supply sufficient extension cords to all areas of the training room.
Finally, well done! The course was well presented, and I appreciated your familiarity with the program. However, that enabled you to go at a speed which I was not able to keep up with, and frequently got left behind. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it all.
Posted by tonyrebelo 3 days ago
Did you enjoy the course (1) or was it a bore (5)? 3
Was the course too long (1) or too short (5)? 5
Was it too basic (1) or too difficult (5)? 3
Was it presented too fast (1) or too slow (5)? 1
What did you expect that was not covered? I expected us to do more. personally. I learn through doing things for myself, not through sitting and listening but the course was rushed and there was no time for practice.
What could be left out of the course as it is unnecessary? A lot of the latter material could have been left out and dealt with at a later date. The important thing was to get everyone on board with the basics.
What would you do differently if you had to give the course? I would have cut down what had to be covered, or arranged a full day for the course. I would have done it more practically- short talk on what iNaturalist encompasses and why its important, then a more practical approach with all of us doing it together to make sure everyone is able to load pics and understands what happens to them and why.
Do you feel that you can ID a species on iNaturalist? A few birds perhaps. I''m not a specialist so its better that i stay away from that aspect!
How can the course be improved? See #7 Also we started late because things were not set up and w-fi was not available. These are things that should have been tested before we even came in. I recognise that there is always a curved ball, and maybe these things could not be helped., but it made the course that much more rushed.
What do you especially like about the course or iNaturalist. I love the concept. I love the care with which it has been thought out so that nothing is accepted for real till it has been fully identified. I like the fact that there is room for discussion. I appreciate that what we post could be moved to areas where it might be of use in such things as atlassing, looking at species spread, species interaction and so on. I enjoyed the practical paret of posting photographs on the course and seeing what happened to them. I liked Tony's confidence and knowledge, I just wish we had had time to learn more from it.
&. Any other comments or special requests: Thanks for making this course available and for giving us a way of feeling that we may be contributing a bit to the citizen science movement.. I have been critical because you asked us to, but it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it! Im giving you the perception of an ordinary person, not a practising academic.
Did you enjoy the course (1) or was it a bore (5)? 3
Was the course too long (1) or too short (5)? 3
Was it too basic (1) or too difficult (5)? 3
Was it presented too fast (1) or too slow (5)? 2
What did you expect that was not covered? It more than matched my expectations
What could be left out of the course as it is unnecessary? There was a lot of information- all interesting and important.
What would you do differently if you had to give the course? I would have liked a table to work on, more space to move and bigger distance from the main screen- Laptops balanced on laps in cramped spaces made working difficult. I was also very close to the main screen which made focusing on the screen and then the laptop awkward. Perhaps a basic introduction then a bit of time to work on ones own and ask questions. Then a second lecture/input and time again to work with those things.
Do you feel that you can ID a species on iNaturalist? Probably
How can the course be improved? See #7 Perhaps holding it over a full day
What do you especially like about the course or iNaturalist. I am very grateful that we had this opportunity. iNaturalist is an amazingly useful tool
&. Any other comments or special requests: Perhaps a follow up. ...there are things I know we did that I can't quite get right
and I agree with Dave on the following points:
• Firstly I would like to complement you on the enthusiastic manner in which you presented the course.
• However because you know the programme so well, the pace was a bit fast for a total beginner such as myself, but was probably fine for the majority of attendees
• I was disappointed that I did not rather take notes, instead of trying to follow your course practically on my computer.
• The computer became a liability and I got left behind because of my own poor computer skills, but also soon lost power on the computer, probably because it is also old! -I also had this problem
Special requests:
AND MOSTLY.....
• I would be most grateful for any written notes that you may have, for the basic skills required to use iNaturalist, so that I can work through it again, without having to rely on my poor memory!
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