Here we have two students, Drakkart @Drakkart (an adult minecraft gamer and YouTuber from Germany) and some parents in a Google hangout talking about Minecraft and why it is so special. This past Saturday, we had an awesome conversation. We spend too much time talking about kids and not enough time talking with them. So, in this session of the Gamifi-ed Open Online Community (OOC) we talk Minecraft. Why is Minecraft special? Is it a good game for kids to play? How does it work? Why do kids like it so much? Why do adults play it too? How can it be used in education? As I listened to Drakkart and the kids talk, I finally "got" Minecraft and started to understand its attraction. I also can now see ways that we can use it in my classroom both as "plain vanilla" players and in learning to code (see last week’s article on how my son is learning Java as he mods Minecraft from Youth Digital.) Gaming is something we can use, if we learn how. So, let’s learn. What is Minecraft? A Video Explanation for Parents & Adults Who Don’t Get It Drakkart also made a trailer to share with educators and parents to help them understand the appeal of the game. If your child (or grandchild) plays Minecraft. Before you take the approach of saying "no" before you check into it, take time to listen and realize that this game is a far cry from Call of Duty or other games that they could be playing instead. And join in on upcoming events on the OOC. We have Colin Osterhout helping us begin playing Minecraft and panels on gaming in higher ed and early childhood and more coming. Lots of gaming goodness. Again, we’re not investigating gaming because we’re experts, but because we want to learn more as we talk to the experts and sharing it all with you. Feel free to join in and share what you know about gaming to #gamifi-ed. Hats off to Verena Roberts for the stellar job she’s doing organizing the OOC. The post What is Minecraft? Should kids play it? [Video] appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Make your own trailer or rap with Cinebeat (on Ios) called Autorap on Google Play. Some of you teachers are going to be all over this one. In the show this week Leo LaPorte on a recent episode of iPad Today went on and on about Smule and all of the music apps they have. This cute app has you record 15 seconds of video from 3 different angles to make a video. It will mash it up to make a cool video. There are filters that they have for free and others for charge. (They are giving one away today for free.) Download on iTunes Download on Google Play You could do all kinds of things with this app but I could see using it for funny announcements, reminders, or a trailer for your class. (Free on iTunes and Google Play) Cinebeat will guide you through recording 15 seconds of video from 3 angles. This is great for funny reminders or class trailers about an event. It is fast and cute. Will you share a link to what you do in the comments below? The post APP REVIEW: Cinebeat App (by Smule) appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Do you need to screencast but you’re not sure how to start? Let’s solve that problem right now. There’s a simple tool that works on any PC or computer with a web browser. Java has to be enabled for it to run.  Screencast-o-matic  is free and easy. Let’s talk about how it can be used in your classroom to easily record screencasts. Step 1: Pick a Computer and Play Screencast-o-matic can be used on any computer. Go to the website and click Start Recording and just test it out. Before you set up, make sure that you can run the program on your computer. Just play. Microsoft Surface for Me My favorite screencasting computer is my Microsoft Surface Pro. It  is the best laptop I’ve ever had. (And no, I’m not sponsored by Microsoft.) I always have it open and on my desk.  I take the keyboard off and lay it on my desk and run screencastomatic. It is also great because we have PC’s in my classroom and I want the screen to look familiar. Touch Screen is Great But Not Required If you don’t have a Microsoft Surface, don’t worry, just use your screen on any computer to record what is happening and talk into the microphone. Touch screen is nice because you can write on the screen more easily than using your mouse but it isn’t required. (Remember that if you’re on an ipad you’ll want to use something like Explain Everything or another app, but we’re talking computers today.) Why I Use Screencast-o-matic While I’ve used lots of apps for Screencasting, my go-to now is Screencast-o-matic just because I can have it on any computer anywhere (it uses Java.) (I also don’t have it in my budget purchase Camtasia right now.) Just go to Screencast-o-matic and click "start recording." Do check your microphone. If you’re nervous, watch their videos because they walk you right through it. Step 2: Plan Your Points (One Note) One Note for Planning and Writing When I am recording a review video for my class, I like to open up One Note with a tab for each thing I need to cover and then turn on Screencast-o-matic. Using a pen, I draw on the One Note tabs and then I have a video and drawings in One Note that I can share with my students. (See below for a review of microprocessors.) Other options If you want to draw and have touch screen, you can use anything that you can draw in - Paint - or even PowerPoint slides and turn on the pen feature. Just make sure you’re recording and test before you start. If You Don’t Have a Touch Screen If you don’t have a touch screen, go ahead and get your drawings ready, or you can draw with your mouse with a bit of practice. (I was never very good at it.) You can also just have PowerPoint slides ready and talk through them. There are so many options - but go EASY with something you already know how to use. Step 3: Record and Share Typically, I record AFTER I’ve taught the lesson because it is fresh on my mind. It is rare that I have to edit these at all. Screencast-o-matic Pro gives you some editing features, but if it is short, you may not have to edit at all. (I rarely do.) The free version has 15 minutes per upload (scroll down to see features), lets you record from your screen AND a webcam. You can publish to YouTube or 3 other major formats that you can upload or put somewhere else (like in your Dropbox.) When you finish, it will ask you how you want to share. You can also upload to screencast-o-matic and email out the link. For Every Classroom, Not Just for Flipped Classrooms I don’t flip my classroom. We’re in rural Georgia and far too few of my students have high speed internet at home. It just wouldn’t be fair or practical. Augmenting your my classroom teaching with videos is a good idea because it helps you reach every child. Not every student remembers or learns the same way. Give them videos to help them review.  (Eventually every textbook should include helpful screencasts you can use for this.) When you record a review video, you give them a way to learn it again and in a different way. I made the video above and embedded it on the wiki page for review before we had our test. Students may have missed other things, but I had only one who missed anything about the configuration of processors. Tools Used: Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet (I have version 1) Microsoft One Note (comes free on the Surface) Screecast-o-matic Pro (The free version just has a Screencastomatic logo in the corner. You can get 3 years of pro for $29) A generic stylus YouTube Account (there are other options besides YouTube if it is blocked for you.) We should all know how to screencast Here’s the thing about screencasts. Once you record one, you have it! Play with screencast-o-matic free and you can even put the video in other places besides YouTube. The post How to Screencast in 3 Simple Steps appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

While I did enjoy David Burgess’Teach Like a Pirate, and the hangout he  shared with us, I’ll admit… it made me kind of sad.  Not because of the content itself!  But because of the hard memories it brought up.  I used to teach creatively and encourage innovation in my classroom like that. When I graduated college, I was chock full of ideas and adored hands-on learning.  But my communication skills with parents was very weak and my administrator was a frustrated man who decided his best way of control was micromanaging.  It’s a bit of a long story, but the end result is I was knocked down to stop being creative; to just follow the curriculum and to push worksheets. When I read books like Burgess’, I’m first angry because it validates that I was correct, but too inexperienced to take a proper stand; and then I’m sad because of what I have lost.  I am appreciating these types of classes, and having built a PLN, because I’m slowly coming back to the teacher I once was, but even better because I have more experience and wisdom now. Mrs. Pickrell’s Technology Adventure (Alaska: #etlead class with Dr. Lee Graham, February 17, 2014) The post Getting Back to the Right Way to Teach [Quote] appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Gamification in many parts of education is a sham. Listening to the researchers and experts in this area has convinced me of that. If you’re interested in making your classroom more intriguing and powerful, read on. We can do better. Who Is Shaping The Gamifying Education Conversation? In this week’s conversation with Australian Gamer and researcher Lauren Ferro we all went on a bit of a rant about the ridiculous state of badges in education. Teacher Alice Keeler uses games all the time (and doesn’t give grades). Sixth grade teacher Michael Matera reinvented his whole sixth grade classroom as a Games Based classroom and shares how he did it. A Higher Ed Panel had a powerful conversation for why we need games in highered.  (Jackie Gerstein, Beth Ritter-Guth, Alice Keeler, Lauren Ferro and Lee Graham) Colin Osterhout shares how to do Minecraft for beginners if you want to start. Pete Rorabaugh inventor of Twitters vs. Zombies talks about how these principles can be applied to your HigherEd or High School Class. Two kids talk with Drakkart from Germany to help parents teachers understand why Minecraft is so cool to kids. Raymond Yan from DigiPen University talks about how to teach kids to program. Dave Burgess challenges us to bring passion back into our teaching. Kyle Gomboy shares the potential of Unity 3D for creating virtual worlds that can be accessed from any device. The organizers of Gamifi-ed talk about what on earth this thing is. All of these are YouTube videos that have been recorded over the past week and a half as part of the Open Online Community (called an OOC) focusing on games in education. This material is being created as Open Education Resources (OERs) which means you have permission to use, remix, and reshare in any way for educational purposes. What I love most about these recordings is that real teachers, researchers, and practioners are in each session discussing gaming. I have 3 take aways from the learning so far: #1: The Way We’re Doing Many Badges In Education Is A Joke Are we giving badges for taking up space? I was in sessions in an online conference where attendees were more upset about not having received a badge for the previous session than in listening to the amazing presenter who was sharing. To me, badges imply having DONE SOMETHING. Give them a badge when they reflect or add to the conversation, for goodness sakes. Honestly, I could log into a session and go outside and play with Wag the dog and then get a badge for having attended. Doesn’t this run contrary to what we’re trying to do? But as we continue through one of the most powerful learning experiences I’ve ever joined with the Gamifi-ed OOC one thing is clear: We can’t slap points and badges on it and claim we’ve gamified it. There are many more levels to gamification than that. There are two different pieces of gamification that I think are the most important to get your hands around. Game Mechanics should be considered as we discuss gamifying education. See: http://gamification.org/wiki/Game_Mechanics #2: Understand Game Mechanics So You Can Gamify Your Classroom The first is Game Mechanics.  There are 24 of them and they are all important. Take time to go through the Game Mechanics | Gamification.org page and start understanding the things that can make a game. (Hat tip to Raymond Yan  for stressing this point in his session.) We had an incredible conversation about gaming in school as my students told me that really the "Free Lunch" is cheating in school and adds an element of gaming to school for some kids. (I’m still wrapping my head around that comment.) The Bartle Test is used in planning and appealing to all players of a game. Are we going to let the semantics of having a "killer" player type keep us from effectively applying gaming in the classroom? See: http://gamification.org/wiki/Personality_Types #3: Understand Bartle’s Taxonomy of Player Types and Design so You can Reach All of Them Lauren Ferro brought up Bartle’s Taxonomy of player types. There are four of them: Achiever, Socializer, Explorer, and Killer. (There are Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology you can take to see which you are.) Recommended Reading: Bartle’s Taxonomy of Player Types (And Why It Doesn’t Apply to Everything) - Tuts+ Game Development Article In Lauren’s session we had a bit of a conversation about the term "Killer" player type in that it doesn’t really mean someone who kills (a horribly negative connotation for sure) but rather, a person who thrives on combat and building or destroying in the game. They love to pit their skills against others. So, yesterday as we were talking about this in class, a student came out off the chart on the killer player type and nonexistent on achievement. For this student grades are simply not important and as we discussed the meaning of all of this in just a cursory way (because Bartles is not a diagnostic tool and I’m just learning) it gave me some interesting insights into what makes him tick that I never knew. In fact, it may have been a breakthrough moment. Games, as we’re learning in our gamifi-ed work, have so much potential for helping us teach. I’ve found through this course, that you can gamify, make things fun, and use games to teach. My son just asked me a question about variables and has already learned why spelling things correctly is so important. Games have a place in our toolkit. We Need To Get Better At Gamification Gamification and gaming is not a joke. There is some incredible potential here. But gimmicks, adding a count down, and some badges is so missing the point here. Education and the games we play here should mean something. It should represent REAL achievement and accomplishment. We should level up in legitimate ways that represent real achievement and meaning. We should learn how to use gaming elements to make education and learning more sticky and exciting. Gamifi-ed has become one of the most transformational experiences in my own learning journey as we wrestle with learning about something that needs more attention. Hope you’ll join us. Today we have a panel on gamification in early childhood and the primary years. The post Gamifying Education: Do We Really Know How to Gamify the Classroom? appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Students are asking to proof each other’s work and teaching themselves how to screencast. They are learning how to do new things, earning experience points, and excited about learning. When Michael Matera @mrmatera decided to divide his classroom into houses, guilds, experience points, and badges in a competitive gamified environment, he had no idea what would happen. But he loves it and it shows. If you want to know how Michael did it, watch this video where Michael transparently shares how he did it and what it is like. He addresses issues some have as a concern in terms of rankings (his don’t relate to grades) and how he assesses. It is so mind blowing, I’m going to have to rewatch. If you want to understand the leading bleeding edge of gamifying the classroom, this is  a must watch video. Gamifi-ed OOC is classroom changing, join us. The post Michael Matera Gamifies Sixth Grade [Video] appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

To help your classroom be engaging and fun, you have to be a lead learner. Here’s an assortment of classroom ideas that will get you trying something new. Set a goal to try something new THIS WEEK. Try something new if only to keep you from becoming a stressed, boring minion (see cartoon.) Leveling Up Learning always starts with the lead learner — YOU!  (And for your laugh of the day — enjoy the cartoon: If Teachers Were Minions…) Classroom Idea #1. Publish a Book: Classroom Authors or DIY Classroom Authors"Students from all over the world can collaborate in their classrooms and at home to create and publish books using Classroom Authors web based publishing application."Very cool website — this from the publisher "Our software was developed working with Colombia University Teacher’s College and over 40 classrooms with the purpose of engaging students in the writing process through collaborative book publishing."This looks to be a very cool website and another way to have students publish books and have an authentic audience. tags: education news writing bestpractices  5 Free Easy Ways to Publish eBooks - AJ Juliani shares how you can do it yourself publish ebooks with your students. Classroom Idea #2. Have Students Create Interactive Images: ThingLink Make Your Images Interactive - ThingLink Thinklink has made some upgrades for teachers. There is an improved student sign up, the ability to organize students by class. You can create image "channels" and interactive albums and you can have a more safe way to find images and use them.Students can log in with Google plus (enable it if you have student apps for education. You’ll want to apply for ThingLink Education status which means that you can set students up without emails and as as "profile-less profile" (COPPA Compliant.)For safe status, if students are logged in, they can only see images created by other students, teachers, or created by thinglink staff. Also, if they use Google Video safe search they put the maximum limits on it.I recorded a session on my podcast this week about UDL and Beth Ritter-Guth highly recommends Thinglink to use with students.tags: education news app bestpractices all_teachers udl Classroom Idea #3. Create Flashcards with Your Friends: CardKiwi CardKiwi | Create flashcards together with your friends and save a ton of time ! Lots of kids share flashcards for studying, here’s another way to create the cards but to do it TOGETHER. Cool. tags: education news flashcards memorization edu_newapp Classroom Idea #4. Make Graph Paper inside Excel Turn an Excel sheet into graph paper - TechRepublic You can put graph paper on an Excel sheet. This is useful for those of you wanting to type numbers in and have the students graph the work. It is also useful for math corrections or any other time you might need graph paper with a little different size than you buy in the store. Here’s how. It might save some of you some time. .tags: education news graphing math excel trick all_teachers Classroom Idea #5. Find deals and freebie Kindle eBooks This one is probably more for you, but you can put watches on your favorite children’s authors, etc. if you want to download or get deals on their books to share with your classroom. eReaderIQ | The Easier, Faster, Smarter Way to Kindle!This website tracks deals and freebies for Kindle books. You can also upload your Wish list and it will tell you when the price drops or it goes free. It is really one of the easiest websites for tracking and finding good reading deals (that are worth your time.) Very cool site.tags: news education ebook Classroom Idea #6. Learn How to Make a Screencast How to Screencast in 3 Simple Steps. Using screencastomatic, you can make your first, simple, free screencast. It isn’t hard and you don’t need a lot of fancy, expensive software. Classroom Idea #7: Learn How To Turn Your Google Search Box Into a Timer Turn Your Google SearchBox into a Timer. Yep, just type Timer: 5 minutes and Google starts counting down. Here’s a 30 second video to help you see how. Classroom Idea #8: Find Something Else Cool IF none of these interest you, try these other resource and idea lists. 89 cool apps, sites, and tools for the classroom 89 lesson plans and ideas for teaching math 62 Ideas, Lessons and Humor for English Teachers I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand is in what direction we are moving. What direction are you moving in your classroom? A little poem to get you started Yes, you have a curriculum and things to do, but try to bring in something new. Excite your students, wow your friends, show kids that learning never ends. You’re not too old, you’re not a dud, take the time to help learning bud. Life is short, but a teacher’s influence is long, when you’re always learning you can’t go wrong! LEARN SOMETHING NEW TODAY! The post 8 Great Classroom Ideas To Level Up Learning appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Bev Berns @B_Berns (Iowa), Kim Powell (Michigan) @powell4thgrade live and work in different states supporting their teachers. That has not stopped them from connecting and creating projects for teachers everywhere (including theirs). In fact, I believe that they are redefining what regional support staff should be doing: Making connection opportunities for their teachers. Upcoming projects include Weather Wonders in March and Service Learning in April. (February is Book Trailer Month, cool.) Who should listen to Kim and Bev’s story? If you’re an IT integrator or District/ Region / State technology support staff, you should listen to this show. If you’re a teacher looking for cool new projects, you should also listen as they have great ideas for math, history, and literature projects. My favorite part of the show was when they talked through their plans for the whole year. While it is February now and some of these projects are past, it is not too late to get in on some of their very cool end of year projects.  6 Connected Classrooms Project Ideas in Practice: Mystery Skype. If you want to plan Mystery Skype, you’ll want to see their Mystery Skype overview and their overview for K-2 teachers. Blogging. Here’s how they got classrooms Blogging and writing Community of Writers (Blogging) Project (They used Kidblog and linked to Pernille Ripp’s Kidblog Tutorial.) Math. Math teachers should watch their video story problem channel to use with their kids (with Ben Rimes). This is fantastic for math teachers - there are 195 video story problems to use! (See how they did it and the Common Core Standards met. This is a great example of how you can join with what others are doing.) Book Video Trailers. Right now, they are creating Book Trailers with their students and YOU CAN STILL JOIN IN! (Free and yes, aligned to Common Core Literacy Standards.) Weather Wonders. (Coming Soon) Connect to Weather Experts. Service Learning (April) Learn More: http://connectedclassroomsprojects.wikispaces.com/home Listen to Every Classroom Matters Episode 21 : Bev Berns and Kim Powell Listen Now! Listen on iTunes "Connected Classrooms: Bringing the World To Your Students" Add Bev Berns and Kim Powell to your PLN Bev Berns Twitter: @B_Berns Website: http://www.aea1.k12.ia.us/en/school_technology/tech_in_the_classroom/ Kim Powell Twitter: @powell4thgrade Website: http://kimberlypowell.org/ Link to their projects: http://connectedclassroomsprojects.wikispaces.com/ You should take time to look at these projects as you consider how you’ll connect your classroom.  (and if this is your thing and you want to know how to do it yourself, consider picking up Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds). Every Classroom Matters is a bi-weekly podcast by Vicki Davis on BAM Radio network dedicated to excellent education. Listening will help you teach with better results, lead with a positive impact, and live with a greater purpose. Subscribe.  Learn to Plan Your Own Global Projects The post 6 Ideas for Connected Classrooms appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Note to My Blog Readers: I am now writing a weekly column for some local newspapers in my area. Two weeks after I post the article, I’m going to be running them on my blog so I can archive and share them further. If you want to know more about this column, check out my newspaper page. This will be one general interest technology column a week, but I’ll have a few extras I have to post to catch up with what I’ve already shared. As I post these columns, they will appear on my Newspaper Archive page. It won’t take away from the main mission of this blog in that many of you will (hopefully) use these technology tips to improve your lives and help people see the usefulness technology can have when used well. From now on, I’ll just disclose this at the bottom of the post. If you think your local newspaper might be interested, let me know. 4 Money Saving Apps Let’s start our technology tip series with some free apps available on all types of smartphones that can save you money. Money Saving App #1 RED LASER Website: http://redlaser.com Red Laser is an app for your smartphone that lets you scan the barcode on a product and it looks up prices for that product on the Internet. When we were traveling to Atlanta last year, we stopped at Tanger and my daughter found THE dress for Homecoming. THE only problem was THE pricetag was over THE top. So, I told her to hold on as I scanned the pricetag on my iphone and found that I could get the SAME dress for over $150 less than the one I was holding in my hand. I ordered it while standing there and it was in the mailbox at home before we got back from our trip. Now that is THE sort of thing that smartphones should do for us. I recommend using Red Laser for more expensive items, even if just to make sure you’re getting a fair price. Don’t forget shipping! Many online sites charge shipping so unless the price difference is more than it would cost to ship, it is often best to buy where you are. Remember also that sometimes stores will price match if they are way off if you ask kindly. Red Laser Tip: Some stores are putting their own barcodes over the manufacturer’s so you should look for the original barcode by the manufacturer. Gas Buddy is an excellent site for finding deals on gas, particularly in more urban areas or along interstates. APPS TO FIND CHEAP GAS Money Saving App #2 Gas Buddy http://www.gasbuddy.com/GasBuddyMobileApps.asp Road Ninja helps you really scout out exits. Money Saving App #3 Road Ninja http://www.roadninja.com While sometimes these apps aren’t as accurate in small towns, they are a must-use for traveling. These apps will help you find the cheapest gas. Sometimes an extra half a mile off the Interstate can save you money. If you find the app is off, you can usually report the correct gas prices. The Grocery IQ app is my go-to app, especially because my family can share lists AND because I can click the microphone and dictate my grocery list into it. Money Saving App #4: GROCERY IQ Grocery IQ: http://www.groceryiq.com You can make (and share) lists using Grocery IQ, but it will also find coupons for what you’re buying. Tip: print out the coupons before you leave home because some stores don’t take coupons on smartphones. WHAT APPS CAN’T GET YOU Unique needs, personal attention, fast help - these are all things you only get from shopping locally. I like to buy wedding gifts locally, for example, because local stores are very kind about exchanging and making sure that new couples are able to mix and match and get what they need. Technology can improve your life but it is only as smart as the person using the app. Thanks to Carl Stokes for asking me to help us all use technology in better ways. Let me hear from you if you have questions. Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher is a full time teacher and author of the award winning Cool Cat Teacher Blog and the upcoming book Reinventing Writing. This newspaper column first appeared in the Camilla Enterprise and Pelham Journal in January 2014 with permission from Vicki Davis. All rights reserved, Vicki Davis. The post 4 Money Saving Apps appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

There are 3,673 of them hidden within 30 miles of Pelham and at least 2,015 hidden within 30 miles of Camilla. They are on the river, they are hidden beside the road, one is even hidden near Debbie’s Restaurant, but unless you know how to find them, you’ll never know they are there. Geocaching is a new outdoor hobby that combines technology and nature. Using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology, caches are being hidden everywhere. Think of it like a world wide treasure hunt. How to find a cache The most popular geocaching website is geocaching.com but there are more including earthcache.org (promoting earth science education), terracaching.com (with challenging caches) and GPSgames.org (a gaming site with GPS games like Geodashing, GeoGolf and even GeoPoker.) Just enter your zip code and you’ll find clues and GPS coordinates for where caches are hidden. Enter these coordinates in your GPS receiver and you’re off to find your hidden object. Most Geocaches include a log book and other items. If you take an item, you must leave one of your own. Here, you can see someone has used an airtight plastic container. What is in a Geo cache? There are many kinds of caches, here are a few of the most popular. Traditional Geo Cache The Traditional Cache is usually a watertight container with a logbook in it where people who have found the cache log their usernames from the site they are using. (Don’t use your real name.) Sometimes people will leave an item that represents them and take one. Never take anything unless you leave something. Multi-cache The Multi-cache involves two or more locations where the first locations have a physical clue to the next location. The final location includes a physical container. Geocaching has been used for quite some time in educator as a way to teach latitude and longitude as well as to engage students who learn better in nature. Map skills and so much more can be taught with geocaching. Puzzle Cache A Mystery or Puzzle Caches require you to solve a puzzle of some kind. Often the cache is NOT at the posted coordinates but is within a couple of miles with the latitude and longitude based upon the puzzle that you solve. The Event Cache Event Caches are hidden for events where people are searching for a prize. Used to promote events and festivals, these caches are removed after the event. Caches can come in any size container - as long as they are airtight, keep your eyes open, you never know! Who takes care of caches? Geocachers have a creed http://j.mp/geo-creed) which includes not endangering others, observing laws, respecting property rights, and minimizing the impact on the environment. No one has permission to place a cache on your land without permission. Each cache is placed and registered by a person who becomes the "owner." If someone goes to a site and something is amiss, they report it on the geocaching website and that site reports it to the owner. If the owner doesn’t respond or take care of it, the cache can be de-listed. Each site has its own ownership rules. Some organizations place caches to promote ecotourism. Others just love the outdoors and like to encourage people to see beautiful spots that are special to them. A safety note: I advise buying a receiver since the cell phone service in South Georgia is often as reliable as a chocolate teapot. (See http://j.mp/gps-receiver) Why would someone geocache? People geocache for many different reasons: to get into nature, to live a healthier lifestyle, or just for fun. As a beautiful area with lots of natural resources, geocaching is a fantastic way to encourage people to come to our community and to get our own children and families out into nature. —- Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher is a full time teacher and author of the award winning Cool Cat Teacher Blog and the upcoming book Reinventing Writing. This article first appeared in the Camilla Enterprise and Pelham Journal in January 2014. For information on having this and other articles in your paper or to see other columns, visit the newspaper column page on this blog. This column has been edited for the web. The post Geocaching : How To Use Technology To Get Into Nature appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.