It’s Fun! It’s Educational! It’s GPS* Technology! * Global Positioning System Susan Cornett Technology Teacher, Newark Charter School Delaware Instructional Technology Conference April 14, 2005

What is GPS Technology? GPS stands for Global Positioning System Refers to a system of 24 satellites that orbit Earth and send signals to receivers, often called GPS devices or GPS receivers Designed for military purposes, it is now popular with outdoor enthusiasts everywhere

What does a GPS receiver do? GPS receiver (GPSr) allows you to pinpoint your location, anywhere in the world, within 327 feet accuracy, based on latitude and longitude coordinates It can tell you in what direction you are heading Some models can show you: –how fast you are going –your altitude –a map to help you arrive at a destination

How does the GPS work? Using satellites in the sky, ground stations on earth, and a GPS receiver, the distances between each of these points can be calculated. The distance is calculated based on the amount of time it takes for a radio signal to travel between these points. This allows the GPS receiver to know where you are, in terms of latitude and longitude, on the earth. The more satellites the GPSr can “see”, the more accurate your reading. The GPSr must “see” the satellites, so it does not work well in dense forests, inside caves, underwater, or inside buildings, but it does work at night.

Why teach it to kids? The technology is becoming part of many devices, such as on-star systems, cell phones, and PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistants). Kids today are naturally attracted to technology Encourages people to get up and go outside Kids are motivated to become more familiar with maps and trail markings since you must always be ready for a mechanical failure

What items do you need? GPS receiver or a GPS card for your PDA Directions on how to work the GPS. A basic understanding of longitude and latitude The coordinates of your destination Additionally you might need: Map Compass Camera Cell phone Hiking safety gear: (First aid kit, hat, walking stick, bottles of water, jacket, sun screen, etc.) Items to trade if you are geocaching

How do I use the GPS? GPS devices vary in terms of features, but the basic functions are the same. The model we will use today is the eTrex Legend by Garmin

First Identify All the Buttons The POWER button and the CLICK STICK will be used the most. Hold the Power button about 3 seconds.

Go To The Satellite Screen The GPS will begin searching for satellites. When it has found enough satellites to know your coordinates, it will say “Ready To Navigate” If you are walking, just walk in the direction you need to go to make the coordinates of your destination match those on the GPSr.

Track Up vs. North Up You can set the GPSr to “North Up” which means that North is always at the top of your screen, as shown to the left. Students often find it easier to navigate if the orientation is set to “Track Up” so that the direction they are facing shows at the top of the screen.

Choose ‘North Up’ or ‘Track Up’ If you want to change it: –Press the CLICK STICK down to highlight Track Up or North Up, depending what it is currently setting. –Press in on the CLICK STOP to change it.. From the Satellite screen: –Move the CLICK STICK to the left to select the Options Menu. –Press in on the CLICK STICK (The screen will look like it does at the left). Check to see if the setting is what you want

How does this fit the standards? It is obvious how using GPS technology fits the Geography Standards, but what about other subjects? GPS technology can be integrated into other subjects in a variety of ways. Think creatively, or get on-line and check out various web sites to find ideas, such as:

History Learn about early explorers such as Columbus and Vespucci Learn about early navigation techniques. Make timelines to show how recently the GPS technology was developed Take pictures of local historical sites and post them to –Geocaching.com as a virtual cacheGeocaching.com –Shutterspots at GPS technology was first used in the Gulf War (‘90-’91). Discuss the topography of the area and why the lack of landmarks and other physical features made GPS so important.

Math GPS Technology is built on math Discuss concepts of: Time, Distance and Speed Convert coordinates in hours & minutes to decimal Set up a cache with math problems hidden in them Use math problems to discover the coordinates of the cache Check out: GPS: Global Positioning Systems and Mathematics at (you must scroll down to find the link or go to:

English/ Language Arts Set up a mini geocache. Have students find the cache and then write about their experience. Teach students to use the GPS and have them write basic instructions for others. Put writing prompts in the caches for students to find. Read books about explorers.

Science Use the GPS receivers to mark the coordinates of various plants, animals or ecological features. Study Astronomy and talk about navigation by stars vs. GPS NASA has many good lesson plans their web site:

Physical Education Teach students to use the GPS receiver to track their fitness routes- be it walking, running, biking, rollerblading, etc. If the GPSr has distance and speed capabilities this could help a student with their physical training on the track or on the local walking path Geocaching encourages kids to get outside and hike or walk Use GPS receivers to track and map paths in the local woods or parks for walking or hiking

What is Geocaching? All around the world, people have hidden “caches” and posted the coordinates on a website. Anyone can go on the site and write down or download the coordinates of the cache to their GPS and go find it. Once you have found a cache (or even if you haven’t), you can go on the site and report your findings This activity started in May of 2000, when the government lifted the “Selective Availability” of the GPS signals so that consumer GPS devices where as accurate at the military devices. There are over 156,000 active caches in 214 countries. (April 2005) In the last 7 days, there have been 116,252 new logs written by 21,321 account holders. (April 12, 2005)

How do I start to Geocache? Go to (or other geocache site) Click on “Hide and Seek” Enter a zip code, city and state or coordinates near where you want to hunt. Note the level of difficulty, the type of cache and when it was last found. Once you have selected a cache to hunt for, you can: Download or manually enter the “waypoint” to your GPS Print out the page with the coordinates, hint and logs

Far away caches If going on vacation, look before you leave for possible geocaches: Locate your destination on MapsOnUs.com (use whitepages.com if you don’t know the exact address) Change the “click” feature to Latitude and Longitude Get the coordinates Go to geocaching.com and enter the coordinates Select caches near your destination

Types of Caches Traditional caches- can be any size; –usually have a log book or paper and a pencil for you to sign –trinkets or items to trade with items you have brought –May contain a “Travel Bug” Micro caches- small containers, such as film canisters or magnetic key cases; usually only have a log in them for you to sign Virtual Caches- The spot is the cache itself. May be a historic site, a place with a unique activity, or scenic sights. Multi-tier caches- have clues inside for you to follow to get to the next cache which may lead to another cache Benchmarks- these are permanent markers placed around the US government for surveying purposes. Some people enjoy seeing how many of these markers they can find.

Now what? Go find the cache. If your cache is a distance you might want to drive to a location near the cache. If your GPS has mapping software on it, your GPS will help to navigate you there Following the GPS coordinates, locate the exact coordinates given at the site. Look around. Depending on the accuracy of the GPS of the person who hid the and your GPS, the cache should be somewhere around where you are. If you are having trouble, you can decrypt the clue given at the site, or read the logs of others for help.

I Found It! Once you find the cache, open the container. Sign the log If you want to trade items you may, but never take anything without leaving something. If the web page asked you to do something special, please do that (such as take a picture or answer a question) Close the cache up tightly and PUT IT BACK EXACTLY AS YOU FOUND IT! When you get back to a computer, log on to the site and log your visit, even if you didn’t find the cache.

Stash a Cache Yourself Once you have found a few caches, you may want to create your own cache for others to hide. Be sure to: –Get permission for the land owner or manager –Be sure the cache will not cause a disruption to the wildlife or or hurt the geography in the area (such as dunes or wetlands) Enter the cache on the website of your choice. Be sure to get the coordinates correctly. If you use your GPS to mark the waypoint when you hide the cache, you reduce the risk of a typo.

Educational Resources From a Distance- NASA site with Information and Lesson Plans All About GPS (tutorial) GIS and GPS Lesson Plan Resources What is Latitude and Longitude How GPS Receivers Work GPS Guide for Beginners (PDF download)

Geocaching Sites Geocaching.com - Number 1 site for geocaching; the one that started it allhttp:// Navicache.com - Number 2 web site for geocachinghttp:// Geocacher’s Creed Today’s Cacher - online magazine for geocachershttp:// Geocacher University Markwell’s FAQ’s kwellgcfaq.htm kwellgcfaq.htm Buxley's Geocaching Waypoint KeenPeople.com The First 100 Geocaches Geocaching with Kids

Sites of similar activities Letterboxing Bookcrossing GPS Drawing Benchmarking or Benchmark hunting Degree Confluence Project GPS Games

Citations Dixon, Conrad. Using GPS. 2nd ed. Dobbs Ferry: Sheridan House, Letham, Lawrence. GPS Made Easy. Seattle: The Mountaineers, McNamara, Joel. Geocaching for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, 2004.