Geocaching problems!!!

Today I came across a link that showed how Geocaching could get someone in troble. Indeed it is intended for fun, enjoyment and educational use, however it can also create concern from the police, especially when a hidden device or package intended to be found by other participating in the game, can look like a suspicious harmfully device.  The article can be read from the Norma Transcript, "Geocaching device causes problems".

Geocaching Adventure

At the weekend in Ballybunion, I went Geocaching to try and find the geocache which was hidden by the nine daughters hole on the cliff walk. Having taken this walk many times before, the thought of a capsule tagged on a GPS map hidden on this route for people to find was unbelievable. I was thinking it must be gone or someone found it and stole it, however after following the hints and compass using the application on my iPhone, low and behold after some routing in a ditch over looking the atlantic ocean, there I found as described, an orange capsule with a log note, pencil, instructions and other items people left behind inside. I was the 39th person to sign the log page since it was planted there in April 2011. Also inside was a few adverts for restaurants in Minnesota, USA and Statford Upon Avon in the UK which others left to publicise there businesses.

The buzz I got when I found the capsule was great and I am now determined to find the 2 remaining geocaches in the area around Ballybunion and also plan to register a cache online myself for others to find. Here is a photo of the cache with the log page.

Geocaching and Education

Today I came across an interesting article concerning education while implementing new and exciting technologies into the class room such as geocaching. The article, "Using GPS and Geocaching Engages, Empowers, and Enlightens Middle School Teaches and Students" explores the idea that geocaching can transform a middle school classroom from teacher centered environments to a place where it becomes exciting to learn and help focus students engagement in the learning process.

This article turns geocaching into more than just a way for having adventures but allows the use of innovative technology to assist in the learning process. I had original thought about this notion of geocaching for educational use, however I was surprised to see some teachers actually use it. However considering that Iphones/smart phones are becoming more popular, then it would seem wise to utilize the tools that are around you. Also, I feel that one of the most important factors surrounding this idea is that if learning becomes fun, then it is more likely to be understood by the student, you keep the class focused and the concept is learnt, making the teaching time used more efficiently.

What is Geocaching?

Welcome to the beginning of the Interactive Media Geocaching blog space. This blog is to document our research and findings within the area Geocaching. Within one of our modules, Principles of Interactive design with Dr Avram Gabriela, we have to present to the class a topic within the area of interaction and design. We will present our findings to the class in groups of three and within the presentation we must involve an interactive activity. 

From the Geocaching web site they state that, 

"Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices.     Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location."

As a group we plan to investigate how Geocaching is being used today, and what interfaces can support this but also how such ideas could be developed to support education on many levels. This blog will post what other people think of Geocaching, linking videos, forums, controversial issues surrounding it and how it can be improved. We will map all our developments from our research and post this daily to allow viewers see our progress, suggest ideas and to help develop our presentation for the end of this module.