Shared Waters

Dive into watershed science with Shared Waters, an immersive learning experience that connects environmental science with technology. Designed for educators and classroom use. This app connects learners to their local environment and blends augmented reality (AR), interactive simulations, and real-world science to help users explore how water moves across the earth, how ecosystems function, and how people can make a difference. The Shared Waters Mobile App can be used by itself or with watershed and stream study curricula, including the Shared Waters curriculum. This mobile app enhances the Shared Waters curriculum with AI environmental career avatars embedded into lessons and resources, including an interactive runoff simulation and a classroom watershed poster. The AR macroinvertebrates also enhance user experience and ability to identify stream bugs. Built on the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience framework, this app facilitates inquiry, exploration, and action, empowering learners to move from observation to understanding to stewardship. Key Features to Explore: Augmented Reality Aquatic Biology Bring stream life into your class and explore detailed 3D AR models and videos of aquatic macroinvertebrates, the small insects, crustaceans, and worms in the streambed. Rotate and zoom to examine physical features and movement, and discover how organisms act as bioindicators of water quality. This interactive experience goes beyond static images, helping users see what scientists see under microscopes. Tools help users identify macroinvertebrates in a completely new way. AI-Powered Career Avatars Explore STEM career pathways through interactive avatars - from ecosystem scientists to water treatment specialists, these digital guides share their work, answer questions, and help users envision their future careers. Grounded in authentic careers and local contexts, avatars were created using research-based watershed content and recorded interviews with professionals in the field. The AI used for the avatars is limited to watershed content and career sources. The avatars are programmed to NOT ask users any question. They will redirect users to inquire about scientific and STEM career content if a user asks about other topics. Blending Real and Virtual Exploration Shared Waters is an invitation to explore, question, and act. By combining cutting-edge technology with real-world science and local relevance, it empowers learners to understand their environment and take steps to protect it. Use the app and curriculum with field experiences, classroom lessons, or stream studies to connect real observations with interactive models, strengthening conceptual understanding and scientific thinking. Designed with learning in mind, this app and curriculum increase classroom engagement, making high-quality environmental science accessible. Collection of Your Information This app is initially intended for use by students and teachers in a current National Science Foundation-funded education research project, and Stroud Water Research Center does collect some information from use. The only student discussions with AI STEM career avatars that will be analyzed for research purposes are from those who have already consented to be involved in the research. Non-identifying user analytics will be collected only from users who have already consented to be part of the research project. This data includes typical web-based user analytics like user clicks (# of times each item is selected) to view augmented reality macroinvertebrates. User information will not be transmitted outside the education research team. The team follows strict procedures approved by Millersville University’s Institutional Review Board to conduct research with human subjects. Users who are not in the research project may use the app. Their data will be deleted and not analyzed. No login is required and the app does not collect identifying information.