For approximately 3 weeks in September, the high school STEM class and the middle school Physical Education classes used GPS units to participate in geocaching on our school campus. In May, Maria Hoover and Gretchen Getz attended a workshop sponsored by Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) that focused on using GPS technology in our schools. The state allowed Central Cambria to borrow 28 Garmin GPS units to complete the activity. The STEM class started by studying GPS technology and its applications. The students then moved on to learn about geocaching. Geocaching is a real world treasure hunting activity using GPS enabled devices. The STEM students hid their own geocaches and obtained the latitude and longitude coordinates. These coordinates were shared with the class, and the students headed out into the great outdoors to practice geocaching. The STEM students then served as mentors to the middle school Physical Education students. They taught the students how to use the GPS units and how to find and stash their own geocaches. It was a great learning experience for all the students involved and a fun way to get active!
