Curated OER
An Introduction to GPS
GPS is a technological tool that has become available for use by the general public. Navigate the components and science involved in this remote sensing system. Here is a comprehensive collection of slides that would be valuable to share...
Curated OER
Absolute Location Using GPS Technology
GPS is great for identifying your position, but is it finding your relative or absolute location? Ninth graders explore the difference between absolute and relative location, use the standard grid system coordinate system, and use GPS to...
Curated OER
Space Age Technology Comes to Earth
Both GPS and GIS are now used regularly in agricultural careers. Explore the new technologies that require higher education for those interested in agri-science careers. Upper graders examine how agriculturalists use new technologies by...
Curated OER
GPS Sports Field Activity
Young scholars practice using GPS receivers and explore how knowing the coordinates of two locations allows them to determine the distance between those two points. They use the theory that they already had knowledge of and apply it to...
Curated OER
TE Lesson: GPS on the Move
Young scholars participate in a scavenger hunt and a drawing activity to examine the use of Global Positioning Systems including a handheld GPS receiver for personal navigation. They practice using the GPS receivers while collecting data...
Space Awareness
Where on Earth Am I?
Almost every phone has GPS installed, but a large number of teens don't know how the technology works. An initial activity illustrates how GPS determines a location on Earth. Scholars then apply trilateration procedures to a...
Curated OER
Lesson on GPS
Students investigate global positioning systems. In this technology and mapping lesson plan, students view a PowerPoint presentation in which they identify the features of a GPS, state its uses, and follow steps to find a waypoint.
Curated OER
Space Age Technology Comes to Earth
Students explore eight career and technical areas and make connections with business, family and consumers, and technology. They examine and describe how agriculture and natural resources impact our quality of life. They explore and...
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Geocaching
Using GPS units, small groups participate in a scavenger hunt to find an object that you have hidden. They use coordinates for stopping points along a pre-planned path to get to the final cache. This is a terrific activity to include in...
Curated OER
GPS Treasure Hunt
Students explore geography by participating in a treasure hunt activity. In this Global Positioning System lesson, students define the terms latitude and longitude while utilizing an electronic GPS device. Students view a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
GPS Worksheet
In this GPS worksheet, students complete 6 fill in the blank questions about GPS satellite signals, receiver units and the acronyms used in GPS technology.
Teach Engineering
What is GIS?
Is GIS the real manifestation of Harry Potter's Marauders Map? Introduce your class to the history of geographic information systems (GIS), the technology that allows for easy use of spatial information, with a resource that teaches...
Curated OER
Where is Sophie?
Students use GPS to scrutinize the movements of a grizzly bear named Sophie. They answer a series of questions like; where she forages, her zone of influence, and human interaction. They read the story of Sophie, the collared bear in...
PBS
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Earth's surface constantly changes thanks to a variety of geological forces; in fact, Australia currently moves faster than GPS technology. Scholars connect the idea of continental drift to earthquakes and volcanoes with the help of an...
Curated OER
GPS Art
Students design their own logo or picture and use a handheld GPS receiver to map it out. They write out a word or graphic on a field or playground, walk the path, and log GPS data. The results display their "art" on their GPS receiver...
Curated OER
GPS Navigation
Students search for clues given a map and a GPS. In this technology lesson, students solve a puzzle using the clues they gathered in the activity. They write a short reflection about the activity.
National Woman's History Museum
Hedy Lamarr, An Inventive Mind
Hedy Lamarr led a double life. Best known as an actress, Lamarr was also a brilliant inventor, responsible for the technology found in Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. After studying primary and secondary source materials, groups conduct an...
A Mighty Girl
Gladys West
Teens might find it hard to imagine life before GPS. Using global positioning systems, they can quickly locate the nearest gas station, fast food establishment, or the home of a new friend. Introduce them to Gladys West, the lady who...
Teach Engineering
Android App Development
Building an accelerometer app for your Android device. Groups develop an app that uses the accelerometer on an Android device. The purpose of the activity is to reinforce the programming design. The post activity assessment challenges...
Curated OER
Got Park? Or if you build it, they will come!
Students use GIS and GPS technology to evaluate, research, locate, and recommend where a new park should be located that benefit the community.
Curated OER
Mapping My Community
Ninth graders are introduced to GPS technology. They complete fieldwork as they visit a specific area of their community to identify and map types of land use in the surveyed area. They use the collected data to create a digital map.
Curated OER
It's About Time
Middle schoolers investigate how Global Positioning Systems work and how and why GPS receivers make errors. They graph data points and apply estimation and prediction to real-life GPS situations, discuss time delay, and complete a...
Illustrative Mathematics
Global Positioning System II
Intricate details of a modern technology that many of us take for granted in our phones, computers (and some cars) are laid bare in a short but deeply investigative activity. The math behind a seemingly simple GPS device is...
Curated OER
GPS Scavenger Hunt
Middle schoolers go on a GPS scavenger hunt. They use GPS receivers to find designated waypoints and report back on what they found. They compute distances between waypoints based on the latitude and longitude, and compare with the...