Read how these Indiana schools are examples of best practices in action as they promote learning in their classrooms.
Observation, collaboration, perseverance, and appreciation are a few of the skills students are learning as they become high-tech hunters seeking the hidden treasures of geocaching. This problem-solving activity involves the use of a hand-held GPS (global positioning system) in deciphering cache web page clues for finding a treasure container located at a specific latitude and longitude, and sharing the experience. The most common geocaches are "Traditional" which include at the minimum a logbook, and "Puzzle" in which coordinates are determined once the mathematical puzzle is solved.
"Students love to solve puzzles," explains Susie Highley, Creston Middle School media specialist in Warren Township. "Many times they look at things differently than I do and can figure the puzzle out quicker than I can." Highley hides caches on the school grounds to provide students with practice in deciphering science problems and using the GPS’s. After-school field trips provide students the chance to put skills to work in seeking geocache adventures in nearby parks. Highley also plans to have parent information meetings where the students will train their parents on geocaching. "It can be such a fun family activity with the involvement of all ages within the family."
Students in Bruce Nelson’s 4th grade class at Indian Creek Elementary in Lawrence Township set up their own cache by developing the questions for the puzzle. Students used concept skills from Indiana history, math, algebra and language arts to develop their questions. Finders of this cache, "Are You Smarter than a Fourth Grader," had to share on the website log a personal experience from 4th grade. From reading these logs, Nelson’s class learned about a cache hunter who attended 4th grade in a one-room schoolhouse and another whose 4th grade remembrance was of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. "This has provided students with a great connection to real people," shares Nelson.
Many times caches include a prize or trinket for the hunter to take. "The rule is if you take something, you leave something," notes Nelson. "Students are thrilled with the quest for the unknown and have learned to replace what they take with something of equal or greater value." Students at Indianapolis Public School’s Broad Ripple High School also enjoy seeking the unknown treasures. "Students work hard to improve their reading skills because they realize they need to read the cache pages for the clues themselves and not rely on others to tell them what it says," explains Debbie Wolinsky, mathematics teacher at Broad Ripple. Approximately 60 students have accompanied her on geocaching adventures. "Students are excited and eager to do this and ask to go out on weekends and vacations." She shares, "It is a rewarding experience for students to find their first geocache and makes them want to do a 'touchdown dance.'" The skills learned by geocaching have translated into overall improvement in many students’ grades with some making the honor roll for the first time.
A first step to geocaching is setting up a free account at Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site. It provides access to over 700,000 geocache web pages located around the world including more than 9,000 in Indiana. Teachers have found applying for grants from school educational foundations, PTOs, McDonalds and Donor.org have assisted them in obtaining GPS systems for their classrooms. Given the adventure and excitement of the task along with the chance to work with the GPS, students’ interest and involvement comes naturally. They never realize they are learning so many skills while seeking their treasures.
This article appeared in the ETC...and More! volume 2, number 7 newsletter and is published by the Buddy
Project
(Corporation for Educational Technology), in
collaboration with the Hoosier
Educational Computer
Coordinators (HECC),
Indiana Computer Educators (ICE),
the Indiana Department of Education, and Promoting Achievement through Technology and INstruction for all Students (PATINS).
Visit our BTLC Partner Web Site!
The Buddy Teaching and Learning Center site, www.btlc.org, is the place to find and register for quality professional development and technology training opportunities offered by the team of Buddy facilitators who are all experienced Indiana teachers and administrators.
Broad Ripple High School students search for their latest cache treasure.
Since caches are often camouflaged, Creston Middle School students Quintin and Kayla examine the surroundings to see what looks different, or seems like it doesn’t belong.
Fourth graders at Indian Creek celebrate finding a cleverly camouflaged cache in the schools' outdoor lab.
