In implementing my Wicked Problem Project of relating real-world distances to a map either on a computer screen, on a wall, or in a book, I had the opportunity to take my nieces and nephew out to geocache around town. This observation allowed me to gauge whether or not they understood what I was trying to teach. Little did they know, but they were learning the whole time when they thought that they were simply searching for "treasure."
As I prepare to start the 2011 - 2012 school year in less than three weeks, I am able to reflect on what I have done and improvements I can make. After initially teaching the concept of geocaching and how it will enable students to better understand distance, I would create a series of assessments. They would begin as formative, allowing me to guide the students with verbal cues, take notes on problematic issues, and provide instant feedback. Through this approach, students will have the opportunity to experience real-time feedback while they are utilizing a GPS device to locate their goal. Therefore, if they found something to be frustrating, rather than waiting for them to have arguments or meltdowns, I could provide them helpful tips designed to keep them focused and learning before attitudes escalate.
Once they have proven that they understand how to read their device and follow its lead, I will be able to assess them through summative means. By this time, I would understand which students are more independent with the technology and which ones have difficulties. The summative assessments will be designed to take place throughout the school year and not simply once they have demonstrated learning with the GPS device. I foresee this learning experience to be something that is reviewed and utilized throughout the school year, thus tying it into other subjects such as math, reading, social studies, and even art. With the summative assessments, students working in groups would be required to find hidden locations around the school, retrieve an item or take a digital picture from that location, and move onto the next point. Once they have completed this portion of the assessment, they would utilize a computer application such as Google Maps where they could pinpoint and label the locations and upload their picture.
From my own experiences of working with this concept this summer, I know that the solution to my Wicked Problem will work because students will begin to understand the importance of understanding distances and how it can be translated into a real-world setting. Even without a handheld device at their disposal, once they have used this technology, they will be able to accurately estimate the distance to a certain location based on the information they have learned.
For example, this past week, I took my nieces and nephew to a new location this past week. We had an endpoint highlighted on our GPS device, but did not know where it was located. My eldest niece (age 12) had the device and I asked her to keep us posted with the distance to our goal. When we were within 500 feet, I asked my other niece (age 10) and my nephew (age 7) to estimate where they thought we would find our goal. Not surprisingly, they calculated with an acceptable degree of accuracy. It is my hope and anticipation that my future students will be able to understand similar concepts and scenarios and thus gain a better understanding of distance.
I know that my solution to this Wicked Problem is what I intended to address because students will be able to actively participate in their learning through hands-on experience. Their learning will not be confined to a certain space, but it will be encouraged through outdoor trial and error. Also, through thinking with this project, it is important for students to gain an understanding that goes beyond our school campus. I would like to design a check-out system so that students could take a device home, and with the guidance of an adult, they would be able to locate other hidden caches and report their findings (and frustrations) with the class. To understand distance will also give them the skills to accurately convey their knowledge by identifying various distances in other towns and cities on maps. By knowing that it is "three point four miles from our school to the fairgrounds," students will then be able to calculate the same distance between other locations such as the Roman Colosseum and another Roman tourist destination.
Also, I will know that my Wicked Problem is being solved because students will be able to give me a general location based on latitude and longitude. Through using the GPS devices, they will see that every place in the world has its own unique set of coordinates, so by understanding this, they can synthesize this information and make educated guesses as to where other coordinates are located. This, in turn, will also help students understand the eastern, western, northern, and southern hemispheres.
