Blog 2- Geocaching

Geocaching is similar to a scavenger hunt that uses technology. Geocachers hide a collection of items for someone else to find. Some caches use a waterproof container with a logbook to record journeys and other assorted ?treasures?. The person chooses a certain location, then posts the longitude and latitude coordinates of the locations on a geocaching website. They provide clues and other pertinent information to help find the location of the object. People can search for caches hidden in their area and use GPS (global positioning) handheld units and basic map skills to locate them. You can also create a multi-site cache where you have to plug in the units and complete a calculation to determine the next set of units.  The GPS unit can be used for a variety of educational purposes.   

In the Lary article, she introduces several uses for GPS in the classroom. One concept is called "locationless caching". This strategy involves creating a cache and describing a type of object they are searching for. The students take pictures or write descriptions of the object and post them online using their longitude and latitude coordinates. The article also discussed a concept called "travel bugs," which are tags that can be attached to objects. A cacher chooses a place for the bug and "releases" it into a cache. The students take note of each move and records the different movements on a geocaching website. This would be great for elementary teachers to use during science lessons. Lary received positive feedback on this concept from both the parents and students. Lary also discusses hiding content related caches in different locations in a schoolyard. Students can work together to solve the clues, or have one cache lead to another cache, which is known as a process called ?multi-site caching.?

            I like this tool because it uses a few different learning modalities to reach the needs of your students. It can really engage your Naturalists, Kinesthetic and Logical learners. This idea can get students outside, moving around, and become problem-solvers. This would be easy to sell to all ages, especially to younger students.

Since I teach elementary students, I thought geocaching would be great to introduce basic map skills and positional words. I could have them search for a cache in the schoolyard. They could work cooperatively to find the location of the different objects. This would teach my students how to work together to solve problems, while developing the oral language to master different skills. The students could also have different responsibilities such as a photographer, a logbook keeper and a GPS user.  I could also use a travel bug by sending it around different parts of the campus. My students would take note of the different locations and we could create a physical map of where the bug had been. During the activity students can explore nature such as plants, animals, insects, rocks, wind, clouds, etc. This could really create an integrated and authentic lesson. I am excited to try and use this tool in the next upcoming school year.

Posted at 11:08PM Jun 11, 2006 by CANTELUPE, CARICE in General  |  Comments[0]