Geocaching-Sarah

My Inquiry project question is: **How can geo-caching be incorporated into the elementary school curriculum?**

Geocaching is an activity that has been brought to light in recent years. It involves using a GPS system and finding a cache, which is like the treasure in a treasure hunt. Geocaching is starting to get recognition in schools, as I think it should, because it can be incorporated into many different subjects such as math, science, and social studies. Students will find this as a new and fun way to learn. There is also something called Ecocaching, which is the same idea as geocaching except that the coordinates take you to a natural cache, rather than a man-made cache. I chose this topic because it is something that is still not widely known or used in schools, but would be a very useful tool in the classroom. I hope to give an overview of how geocaching can be used in the elementary classroom so that others will have the confidence and ability to use these in their classrooms in the future.

My favorite quick resources: [| http://techchicktips.net/podcasts/tctgeocache.mp3]- podcast on geocaching in the classroom

"GPS and Geocaching in ANY classroom" media type="custom" key="4861599"

´References Adam, A., & Mowers, H. (2007). Can You Dig It? School Library Journal, 53(8), 40-42. Retrieved from the Ebsco Host database. o Anna Adam and Helen Mowers, authors of this article, are two teachers who are interested in finding new ways to incorporate technology into their classrooms. They wrote this article on Geocaching and how it can be used in the classroom. They claim that no matter where you are in the United States teachers can find some way to incorporate geocaching into their classrooms. o This relates directly to my inquiry topic on how geocaching can be incorporated into an elementary classroom because they give several ideas on how teachers can get started with geocaching and how to use it in elementary classrooms. They give ideas such as using the database on a website like geocaching.com and finding a geocache close by or just creating your own caches for your classroom.

Adam, A., & Mowers, H. Can You Dig It? Podcast retrieved from http://techchicktips.net/podcasts/tctgeocache.mp3 o This is a podcast done by the authors of the article in “Can You Dig It?” Adam and Mowers discuss geocaching and how it can be incorporated into the classroom. They give ideas on how teachers can incorporate other technology into geocaching, not just using a GPS. o This is related to my topic because they give specific ideas of how we can incorporate geocaching activities into the classroom. Some ideas they have was to make it a group or classroom project, write stories about it, use it in math, or use it for social studies and use cultural clues. A good idea they had was to bring a camera to take a picture of your class once they’ve located the cache.

Anderson, M. (2008, March). Geocaching for Fun and Learning. MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, 15(2), 32-35. Retrieved from the Ebsco Host database. o In this article, Anderson suggests that geocaching can be a fun way to learn in the classroom. The author first gives you tips on getting started with geocaching in the classroom and then provides examples of how geocaching can be incorporated into the curriculum. o This article is one of the most helpful because it shows teachers how easy it can be to incorporate geocaching into the elementary curriculum. For example, learning Math, Geography, map-skills, science – learning about habitats and plants and animals that you come across while looking for the cache. These are just a few ideas on how you can incorporate this fun tool into your classroom.

Joseph, L. (2006). Caching In on GPS. MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, 13(6), 21-25. Retrieved from the Ebsco Host database. o The article, “Caching in on GPS,” by Linda Joseph provides a list of great resources for ways to use a GPS and geocaching. It gives a brief synopsis of what the Global Positioning System is and how it works first and then lists a lot of resources to learn more about GPS and geocaching. The resources are on subjects from what the GPS is and how it works to websites for novice geocachers and using an Ecocaching. o I think this would be a useful article to teachers interested in incorporating GPS and gecocaching, especially novices to these items, because they give a great list of resources to learn more about the topics.

Guccione, S. (2005). Where in the World? Tech Directions, 65(2),16-19. Retrieved from the Ebsco Host database. o The article, “Where in the World?” explains several different activities that can be done with a GPS system. The author begins by explaining what the Global Positioning System is and how it works, then goes on to describe how it can be used. Several ideas that were mentioned include geocaching, letterboxing, benchmarking, GPS surveying, and vehicle/personal tracking. These vary in levels of difficulty and some would be more appropriate than others for the elementary classroom, such as geocaching, or letterboxing. o “Where in the World?” discusses a few activities involving the GPS that could be used in an elementary classroom: Geocaching, letterboxing, and a walking rally (like a scavenger hunt with each place leading you to the next spot). This article gives some new ideas that I had not seen on using GPS in the classroom.

ILEGA.ORG. (November 12, 2005). Illinois Educational Geocaching Association Retrieved from http://www.ilega.org/. o This website is the “First Educational Geocaching Association in the U.S.A.” The authors of this website believe that geocaching can be integrated into the classroom. They have many resources for geocaching such as lesson plan ideas, websites for educational grants, suggestions for GPS devices to use in the classroom, and a discussion forum, to name a few. o Ilega.org is a great website for teachers interested in incorporating geocaching or Ecocaching because it offers ideas for teachers who are just getting started. There are resources for teachers just getting started, and lesson plans that could be adapted. Even though it is an Illinois based company, the ideas can still be adapted and used across the country.

Geocaching & GPS in the Classroom. (2009). UCET Conference. Retrieved from http://edublog.sedck12.org/gps.php/2009/03/05/gps-aamp-geocaching-in-any-classroom-uce o This is a handout/pdf file from the Utah Coalition of Educational Technology (UCET) Conference this year. The author offers many great ideas for using GPS/geocaching in an elementary classroom. It offers ideas on how to incorporate it into the following subjects: math, social studies, geography, science, language arts, and electives such as art and physical education. o This is directly related to my inquiry topic in that it basically answers my question of how geocaching can be incorporated into the elementary classroom. It offers many great ideas for all different subjects, not just the common ones like geography or math.

Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.geocaching.com/ o This website is the Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site. It is a database of over 900,000 caches around the world. Anyone can register for free and then enter their zip code to find coordinates of caches near them. The website also has a list of geocaching activities or conferences coming up. It is a great resource for all geocachers. o I think that teachers interested in incorporating geocaching into the classroom would find this a helpful site because it is free and is a great place to start for geocaching. Teachers could check to see what caches are available near them and possibly use those, if the teacher doesn’t think those will work, the teacher can hide his/her own caches. There is a “resources” and “getting started” page also available that would be useful to teachers.

Geological Society of America. (2006). EarthCache. Retrieved from http://rock.geosociety.org/Earthcache_Lessons/ o This website promotes “Earth caching” which is like geocaching but the hunt takes you to a historical site, or something similar to that rather than to a hidden cache. This website goes into more detail on what an earth cache is and how to find them. There is a page specifically for teachers that has lesson plan and ideas on how to incorporate earth caches into the classroom. o I think this is a great website for teachers because an earth cache site can be very educational and are thus great for classroom use. There aren’t as many earth caches as geocaches, so they might not be as readily available, but if there is an earth cache close by, I think it can be a great learning opportunity.

In conclusion, I think that geocaching is a great tool to use in the elementary classroom. It is a relatively new tool that students would find fun and interesting. Geocaching promotes meaningful learning through engaging the students, whether it be through a math lesson, science lesson, history, or social studies lesson. It can be incorporated in many different ways. It gives students the opportunity to learn through hands on, meaningful activities. They are able to explore outside and then bring this knowledge back to the classroom and determine what this means. The websites and articles listed above are some great resources for teachers to use to get started using geocaching in the classroom. I know I found them very helpful and hope to use them in the future. I hope that this will give other teachers the information needed to incorporate geocaching into their classroom.