Gettin’ wild with GooseChase
Just recently, I found a really fun way to mix digital play with physical play! If I wanted to be punny, I’d say something about a wild GooseChase of sorts. But, I’ll fill you in on a few more details before we continue the jokes…
While roaming the vast EXPO hall at the Future of Educational Technology Conference (FETC), I saw this cool, bearded bro sharing about GooseChase (GooseChase.com.) This super nifty app is essentially a modern version of the classic scavenger hunts I remember going on as a church youth group kid. You know, the take a photo with a cop eating a donut kind of scavenger hunts. Haha…So fun!
Basically, to fully utilize this app, the teacher divides the class into teams, with each team having a mobile device. On the GooseChase app, students join the game with a code, where they’re able to see all of the missions. Note that some missions can be worth more than others (and the teacher can even choose give bonuses too)! The teams then scatter out to embark on their scavenger hunt, taking photos and videos of the found items or tasks. And during all this fun, the teacher is able to project a live feed of the students’ entries…which is really cool!!! The app even keeps up with everyone’s points and progress, making it really simple to use.
Here’s how it works…
- The FREE EDU version is limited to 1 live game and 5 teams. However, upgrade options are available.
2. You can start with a pre-created game from the Game Library (I highly suggest this for newbies). I personally tried out the School Wide Math Hunt with a group of K-5 teachers and they loved it!
3. Once the game is copied over to the teacher account, he/she can make it LIVE and invite students with a code. Students will see “missions” and can get started immediately!
4. The teacher can project the activity feed for everyone to see!!
5. At the end of the game, the Leaderboard shows who has the most points. Here, the teacher can manually adjust scores and award bonuses.
This is such a great activity to do as a class, and it doesn’t require an insane amount of teacher geekiness! Anyone and everyone can do this. Seriously. I’m so excited about it, I’m already making plans to use GooseChase EDU for an upcoming conference in June!! And as always, I’d love to hear about all of the fun ways you incorporate this and other techy education in your classrooms! Keep me updated on social media!
***Hint: Since only one team member can see the missions on the team mobile device, I suggest printing out mission handouts for everyone.
