Sunday September 17, 2006

Hardware Blogs: 1 of 6

Integrating GPS Units into Career & Technical Education

The use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) units is not customarily associated with Career & Technical Education.  However, after reading the article, ?Hide and Seek? by Lynn M. Lary, several opportunities came to mind. 

First, we need to understand how GPS units function.  Handheld GPS units determine location by using latitude and longitude coordinates beamed from various satellites.  The unit must connect with at least three different satellites in order to triangulate the person?s current position and assist him/her in getting where they desire to go.  The technology was originally utilized by the armed forces.  Today, GPS units are used for both recreational and business purposes. 

In order to apply this technology in the classroom, a type of geocaching could be used.  Again, referring to the Lary article, ?geocaching is a high-tech, worldwide treasure hunt where a person hides a cache for others to find?.  We would obviously not be using worldwide coordinates, remaining local, but could expand on the multi-site cache concept.  Teachers could setup each site with clues relative to their particular curriculum to point the students toward the next coordinate where they would complete each step to complete a particular portion of the grading rubric. The treasure for the student at the final coordinate would be their grade. 

Types of uses in Career & Technical Education could include the following:  an agriculture teacher could locate various types of plants/shrubs/trees around the school campus or even in the surrounding community, record the coordinates and allow the kids to use the GPS units to locate and then identify the various flora and fauna with a little knick-knack located at the final location.  Of course, students would have to be allowed to take the units home if the work was assigned as homework.  I envision the same type of scenario in areas such as masonry or carpentry.  Locate examples of different architecture or styles of brick etc. and have the kids go find and identify them using the handheld units.

In our curriculum, especially with Digital Communications, this technology could lead to a very informative and exciting exercise.  I envision this treasure hunt would require the cooperation of many individuals within the area schools as well as the business community.  I would locate area businesses that utilize technologies discussed in the Digital Communications curriculum such as PDAs, digital cameras, camcorders, tablet PCs as well as various software packages.  Obviously, we would need to partner with area businesses with the understanding that at some point, a lot of kids would be dropping by at some point to see that particular piece of technology and to get the next clue.  Some technology, such as smartboards and tablet PCs are used within the school system so students would need to access area schools to see some of the technology.  This would obviously need to be a semester long project with the kids checking the GPS units in and out as needed. 

By including other individuals outside of our classroom and school we would be forming relationships with the business community and parents.  Increasing community involvement in educating the students would lead to a greater sense of ownership and accountability for all parties involved.