SoftwareIntegrationClass

Lesson Plan:

I will explain to students what geocaching is based on my own experiences & by watching some videos I have found on geocaching. Students will set up an account on geocaching.com I will show them my account & how to log a cache. Students will search for caches in our area to see how many there are around their own homes. I will explain the Garmin units and how to use them. I will explain latitude and longitude & we will use google earth to find the latitude and longitude of their own homes.

After explaining geocaching & the Garmin units, students will use the units to find caches that I have hidden on school property. They will then understand how to sign a log and what types of items they may find in a cache. Different sizes of caches will be used so students will have a better understanding of what they are looking for when they search for caches created by others.

After a few simple caches, students will be given math, science, & history questions in order to figure out the longitude and latitude of a cache. They will then again search for a cache on school grounds. Multi caches will be introduced at this time also.

I will obtain permission from local businesses and building owners to place caches on their property. I will then have students create caches with their own math, science, & history questions for determining coordinates. Historical facts obtained by the students will be cited in the description of the caches. Students will determine the longitude and latitude of the caches they place, what container to use for their cache, and where to place their cache at the buildings or residents that have been approved. Other classes in our school and/or our history day club will then find the caches in our town and the caches will be set up on geocaching.com for others to find. Math or history worksheets will be created for students to complete depending on what classes will be searching for the caches.

Next, I will explain what a geocoin is and what a travel bug is. I will show them examples of these items. Students will create their own travel bugs that represent our school to be sent out for others to find. The class also will determine what jobs the travel bugs may have as they go on their adventures. We will have maps posted in our classroom to track which states and cities the bugs go to. We will also track the miles that our bugs travel throughout the course of the school year.

Students will be assessed on creating an account on geocaching.com, using google earth to determine the latitude and longitude of the homes, finding caches created by myself, creating cache descriptions & worksheets for determining coordinates to the caches they create, placing a cache, creating a travel bug that represents our school and a job for the travel bug, and keeping track of their travel bugs progress.

Updates of our travel bugs progress will be posted on our class wordpress page. At the end of the school year the outcome of our project will be posted on our class wordpress page for the community and world to see.

The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•S) and Performance Indicators for Students 1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression. c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues. d. identify trends and forecast possibilities.

STUDENTS WILL OBTAIN THESE BY COMING UP WITH IDEAS FOR THEIR OWN CACHE, FINDING THE CACHES I HAVE HIDDEN, AND DETERMING WHERE THEY THINK THEIR TRAVEL BUGS WILL GO.

2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures. d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

STUDENTS WILL OBTAIN THESE BY WRITING THEIR OWN DESCRIPTIONS OF THEIR CACHES BASED ON THE HISTORY OF THE SITES WE HAVE CHOSEN, SINCE GEOCACHING IS KNOW WORLD WIDE THEIR WILL BE A GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING OF OUR AREA BASED ON THEIR DESCRIPTIONS.

3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students: a. plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. d. process data and report results.

STUDENTS WILL OBTAIN THESE STANDARDS BY CREATING THEIR OWN CACHES, AND LOGGING WHERE THEIR TRAVEL BUGS HAVE GONE AND HOW FAR THEY HAVE GONE.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students: a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation. b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions. d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

STUDENTS WILL OBTAIN THESE STANDARDS BY DETERMING WHERE TO PLACE THEIR CACHES.

5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students: a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning. d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

STUDENTS WILL OBTAIN THESE STANDARDS BY UNDERSTANDING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEPING THE CACHE IN TACT AND MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students: a. understand and use technology systems. b. select and use applications effectively and productively. c. troubleshoot systems and applications. d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

STUDENTS WILL OBTAIN THESE STANDARDS BY USING WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED AND APPLYING IN TO OTHER WEB 2.0 SITES THAT THEY WILL BY USING IN MY CLASS.

PA Academic Math Standards 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6 will be met learning how to used latitude & longitude, figuring out math problems to determine latitude and longiture, and in figuring the milage accomplished by the travel bugs.

PA Academic History & Science Standards This will be determined when the actual questions have been created to determine latitude and longiture.