GPS GLUB
|
||
|
|
||
| GPS GLUB |
||
|
Newark Students Learn GPS
Students at Newark Community High School are learning how to use GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System.
GPS includes a hand-held device that is sized and designed similar to a calculator or palm pilot. The device read signals from satellites above and can be used to pinpoint exact locations. There is usually accompanying software that allows users to apply the GPS information to create and document maps and graphs and other useful information. “Our goal is to show students how to use GPS in real life,” reports Mike Hall, social studies teacher. “There are over 1,000 uses for the GPS technology. My World History students have come up with a list of 40 that apply to their specific uses. That list includes things like obtaining driving directions while in the car, tracking their UPS shipments or finding the best fishing spot in their favorite fishing hole.” Students in Hall’s World History class have been one of the first to use the software and units. Specifically, students have learned how to use the devices, created a path, tracked it with the GPS unit and used the software to make a map of their path.
So far, the school has purchased ten GPS hand-held devices. In addition, software to coordinate with the GPS units has been purchased and incorporated into the classroom. Hall will be adding GPS training into his Sociology class next semester.
These associations will in turn use the information from NHS students to update their systems and to create new, more accurate maps. Newark’s freshmen class also had the chance to use the GPS devices at their retreat in Silver Springs State Park recently. The class went geocaching, which is a modern day treasure hunt. Hall and Ken Diehl, science teacher, are in the process of creating a GPS Club at Newark Community High School. Any students who do not have the opportunity to learn GPS in class can come to geocaching opportunities which are offered on a monthly basis. |
|
Newark Community High School District No. 18 Pauline
Berggren, Superintendent 815.695.5164 (Voice) |
“This technology teaches the students map skills as well as problem
solving skills,” explains Hall. “They can add symbols, change
colors and make notes on the maps they created. And the students love
it because this kind of learning includes hands-on experiments. It’s
fun and interesting to all types of students."
“We’ll be doing two service learning projects in which our
students will be submitting the data to organizations such as the US Geological
Survey and the Kendall County Historical Society,” says Hall. “One
project will involve going to all historic buildings in Newark and marking
the coordinates. The second project will be a cemetery study.”