Thanks to GooseChase for developing a much more exciting, technology-based version of a scavenger hunt!
Each GooseChase game has a list of missions that students complete. You can either choose from their large bank of missions or create your own. When creating your own, you get to describe each one and assign a point value. Finally, you can create up to three teams in the free version, giving them whatever name you’d like and setting up a privacy passcode for each team.
Last week, I used GooseChase with a group of about 50 adults who were interested in improving their teaching and presenting skills. They were divided into 3 teams (Red, Blue, Green) and had a list of four missions to complete. For example, one mission was to find research on the connection between movement and learning, snap a photo of it and submit the photo. Another was to take video of a movement that might be incorporated into a training session for adults.
Participants were highly engaged, quickly moving through the missions as they tried to beat their colleagues on other teams. And, best of all, they were generating content for their own learning, rather than being spoon-fed by the “sage on the stage.” I can see this being a highly motivating activity for students. At least one student per team will need access to a wi-fi enabled device with a camera and the GooseChase app pre-loaded.
Thanks to Richard Byrne for sharing this app on his site, Free Technology for Teachers. If you don't follow him, you should!