Field Trip

Last Tuesday I helped Ms. Rogers' Digital Communications students employ GPS devices to locate hidden objects in C. G. Hill Park in Forsyth County of North Carolina.

The class from Ronald Reagan High School arrived at the park by bus shortly after the start of the school day. We gathered around tables, discussed GPS receivers, and reviewed how satellites enable the devices to calculate our position and direct us to destinations.

Latitude and longitude coordinates were obtained from Geocaching dot com. These sets of numbers were entered into the hand-held GPS devices. The instruments and "radio waves" from orbiting satellites directed us to exact locations where metal or plastic containers were hidden. The students used the navigation system to trek through woods and fields in search of the hidden caches. We spent two hours in the beauty of the outdoors to successfully find four treasures.

Click here to see more pictures of students moving throughout the park.

The field trip occurred on a warm and clear day. The park was alive with people walking, birds chirping, squirrels feeding and students learning. One student lured a cautious squirrel to our picnic table as we concluded the morning by eating pizza before we returned to the school campus.

I very much enjoyed the time I spent with both Ms. Rogers and her impressive students. The curiosity and behavior of these fine young people gave me certainty that a bright future is in store for them.

Have a good week!