Photo Galleries
I use GPS receivers and geocaching activities in my graduate classes at Arizona State University. To view any of my classes in action, click on a link below and then scroll through the photo gallery. To view the larger version of any photo, simply double-click on that photo.
I also am an active geocacher and user of GPS receivers for hiking and exploring the world around me. I love introducing students, friends, relatives, and even total strangers to the fun, challenging, and exciting opportunities that GPS units and geocaching offer.
Podcast
Watch the Podcast here: http://www.alicechristie.org/geocaching/podcast/
The podcast requires QuickTime Player | Download QuickTime Player for Mac or Windows as needed
Conclusion
Teachers can create technology-rich, constructivist learning environments that engage students in student-centered, personally meaningful, authentic, and collaborative learning that is inquiry-based, requires informed decision-making, views mistakes as opportunities for growth, and values information exchange among all learners. One plausible way to achieve this goal is to use GPS receivers and geocaching in K-12 classrooms. This article provided a theoretical rationale (E6 Learning Model) for such an approach. It also provided specific examples of classroom activities that incorporate GPS units and geocaching, specific steps a teacher should take to create similar curricular lessons, as well as examples of clues teachers could include in geocaches to increase student understanding of any curricular area. Finally, it provided numerous online resources (and a podcast) that provide teachers with additional ideas for making GPS receivers and geocaching integral tools in their engaging, empowering and enlightening classrooms.
About the Author
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Dr. Alice Christie is an exemplary teacher with forty years of experience in both K-12 and university classrooms. She is a frequent presenter and keynote speaker at regional, national and international educational technology conferences. She was recently named as one of four Arizona State University President's Professors.
Alice is an experienced GPS user and geocacher. She has taught numerous GPS and geocaching workshops that her participants describe as highly effective, instructional, and applicable in K-12 and university classrooms. She has located geocaches across the country and has hidden many geocaches in Arizona. She finds each geocaching experience to be a learning experience.
alice.christie@asu.edu
http://www.alicechristie.org
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References
Honebein, P. C. (1996). Seven goals for the design of constructivist learning environments. In B. G. Wilson (Ed.), Constructivist learning environments: Case studies in instructional design (pp. 17-24). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
ISTE (2006). All children must be ready for a different world. Retrieved December 1, 2006 from http://cnets.iste.org/intro2.html
Jonassen, D. H. (1991). Objectivism versus constructivism: Do we need a new philosophical paradigm. Educational Technology Research and Development, 39(3), 5-14.
Jonassen, D. H. (1994). Thinking technology: Context is everything. Educational Technology, 34(4), 34-37.
Murphy, E. (1997). Constructivism: From philosophy to practice (Report No. SP 039 420). St. John's, NL Canada: Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED444966). Retrieved December 1, 2006 from this link.
von Glasersfeld, E. (1995). A constructivist approach to teaching. In L. Steffe & J. Gale (Eds.), Constructivism in education (pp. 3-16). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wilson, B. & Cole, P. (1991). A review of cognitive teaching models. Educational Technology Research and Development, 39(4), 47-64.
