GPS & GeoCaching- Authentically Engaging Curriculum

Curriculum Connections! GPS units have been used in PE classes where student learn distance and time through tracking their own speed, direction and timing. Science classrooms have used GPS units for monitoring specific locations for changes over time as well as for many, many more projects. Read some of the ideas below to learn more. Check out our web site for links to many of the other resources available to educators world-wide.

Earth Caching EARTH SCIENCE & GEOGRAPHY: Earth Caches are a type of a virtual cache. They have no physical container or log book. However, Earth Caches teach the visitor something about the site. An Earth Cache is not just a scenic view or a locality. They present some lesson on how that place formed, about why that place is important scientifically or what that site can tell us about our planet.

CSI: Cemetery Scene Investigators Students in the class investigated a cemetery to understand why vital primary source documents (headstones) were wearing away. They also investigated the topography, geography, animal & plant life, and architecture existing in the pioneer cemetery. Students analyzed the data and built a web site explaining their findings. Visit the student web site as well as the "CSI WebQuest" to do you own project!

e-Bird with Cornell University eBird, a project developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, provides a simple way for you to keep track of the birds you see anywhere in North America. You can retrieve information on your bird observations, from your backyard to your neighborhood to your favorite bird-watching locations, at any time for your personal use.

Degrees Confluence Project The goal of the project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. The pictures, and stories about the visits, will then be posted here. The project is an organized sampling of the world. There is a confluence within 49 miles (79 km) of you if you're on the surface of Earth. found.

Students could create a 'confluence' project for their own community- pick set longitude and latitude differences and document.

Pictures are posted on the site for every confluence- check out the California listings!

Bernie Dodge- of WebQuest fame Bernie Dodge of SDSU has created a fantastic resource of ideas for using GPS in the classroom. Visit this site for more idea!