Geocaching!

The PSLA conference is over and it was back to the old grind today. However, I need another couple of days just to sort through and flesh out all of the ideas that are swimming around in my head right now from all the great sessions.

One of my favorite sessions was by Bridget Belardi on geocaching. I had heard of the term before, and knew vaguely what it was, however, I wanted to learn more about integrating it into the classroom. Geocaching is basically a treasure hunt using GPS technology. A cache can be placed at any location and then seekers must use coordinates and GPS devices to pinpoint the location. The direct connection to geography is obvious, but there are many more ways to use geocaching in the classroom.

The only equipment you need is a GPS device (Garmin was recommended) or an iPhone with Groundspeak's geocaching app. The official geocaching website is great for personal use or to have a generic class acount, but the presenter did not recommend that each student have their own account.

Obviously this is only a project in the making. I plan on talking to my geography teachers tomorrow and seeing if we can write up a proposal to purchase some GPS devices. I would love to be able to implement it next year!

Classroom Ideas:
ideas from Geocaching with Kids
ideas from Science Spot

Additional Resources:
Edcaching wiki
Geocaching (Belardi's webpage)
Educaching

Geocaching photo used under Creative Commons license from http://www.flickr.com/photos/90146879@N00/52849909/.