Digital docents: Preserving place through Geocaching Adventure Labs

Outline

The following content will be presented:
1. Student journey from concept to publication (e.g., goal setting, location selection process, design decisions, technical execution, publication process)
2. Authentic challenges and solutions (e.g., securing permissions, GPS accuracy problems, historical accuracy, necessary revision)
3. Community impact and results (e.g., user completion statistics and feedback, student learning outcomes)
4. Replication framework (e.g., step-by-step implementation timeline, curriculum integration across ELA, Social Studies, Technology, and Math standards)
5. Technical How-To Content (e.g., Adventure Lab app mechanics and navigation, GPS coordinate determination and verification, question writing for location-based learning, photo selection, publication approval process).

Audience Connection and Engagement Strategies

Participants will experience the Adventure Lab firsthand via their mobile device or the tablet connected to an external display. They will be asked to answer an actual question from the published adventure. This hands-on experience will create an immediate understanding of what an Adventure Lab is and why it engages learners. The elementary student presenter aspect also creates an authentic, natural connection. Due to the nature of a poster presentation, this session adapts to each participant’s context and interests. Post-session engagement continues through a student-designed website (accessible via QR code) featuring downloadable resources, step-by-step video guides, and project examples. Regarding process, typically this would look like introducing the project, trying Adventure Lab, describing the research process, discussing technical how-to, challenges and solutions, implementation guide, and impacts and results.

Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to:
1. Design and implement a student-led Adventure Lab project in their own community by following a step-by-step timeline from initial brainstorming through publication.
2. Teach students to conduct primary source research using historical archives, oral histories, photographs, and museum collections to develop accurate historical narratives.
3. Navigate the Adventure Lab app including creating locations, writing engaging questions, determining GPS coordinates, uploading photographs, and submitting content for publication approval.
4. Scaffold the design process so students make authentic decisions about location selection, question development, and user experience while maintaining historical accuracy.
5. Facilitate student collaboration with adult experts while helping students develop professional communication skills, interview techniques, and respectful community engagement.
6. Integrate Adventure Lab projects across content areas by aligning research, writing, geography, technology, and critical thinking skills.

Supporting research

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Pombo, L., & Marques, M. M. (2021). Guidelines for teacher training in mobile augmented reality games: Hearing the teachers’ voices. Education Sciences, 11(10), 597. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11100597

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