Brainstorms


 * On this page, please post some ideas you have about how to use geocaching in education!**

[|Webster, NY] I have used geocaching with students and teachers to learn more about the ecosystems that we live in and around in our community. At a local park located centrally in our town we place several ecocaches that contain tasks related to observing a mini-ecosystem. Each cache has a specific task related to certain components of ecology (i.e. - searching and reporting on signs of human impact, searching for signs of consumers, sketching decomposers, living and non-living things, and more). Our first time doing this geocache/ecology event was held on a Saturday and parents were invited to attend and learn more about geocaching and what their child was learning in school.

Plans for future units include packing science probes into caches at locations for students to take water samples and record them on Palm Tungsten E2 handheld computers for analysis and reporting.

BrianC_Smith@boces.monroe.edu http://wiki.monroe.edu

I'm a librarian. Geocaching could be a much better and fun way for students to learn their way around the library and the various resources. A vitual cache or letterboxing would work. This would absolutely be more fun than the normal library orientation!

Geocaching! Use geocaching to draw folks toward historical sites, even local-town "insignificant" and "hidden" sites. Each community has a treasure of history, just waiting to be found. Planting a geocache nearby will allow such a site to be explored. (Greetings from Huntsville, Texas! --LR)

From the Geogeeks

Creative problem solving. Use for math problems related to distance speed area altitude. Link for ways to use gps in classroom. [|www.beckelhimer.com]

From the Uncoordinates:

__General Eduation Tip __When using parent volunteers, you can take pictures of the cache and its location as a cheat sheet for the parent.

When inputing coordinates, have two people enter coordinates for an accuracy check.

Think outside the box when looking for the cache.

Check everything as camoflage is very sophisticated and deceptive.

With students make sure you give plenty of hints to decrease frustration.