INTEGRATING GEOCACHING AND IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO ENCOURAGE GREATER GEOSCIENCE EXPLORATION AND ENGAGEMENT (Invited Presentation)

Immersive technologies have become more ubiquitous, affordable, and mobile, expanding the world available for students to explore beyond the places they can physically visit. Through virtual reality products such as Thinglink and Google Cardboard, immersive technology allows students to take EarthCaching adventures a step further by comparing familiar campus locations to anywhere in the world, enabling students to experience a more complete (and engaging) geologic story. 360-degree images and videos integrated into geology lessons at geocaching locations allow students to develop tangible connections between observable, local geologic phenomena and locations globally that they may otherwise never experience. As an example, students visit a location on campus to identify limestone used as building stone, and then ‘visit’ a coral reef system in the Caribbean to identify similarities and differences between the rock they physically interact with and the virtual modern environment in which it formed. Drawing parallels between ancient and modern environments in a VR-enhanced geocaching setting also develops the four competencies integral to geologic learning: recognizing Earth processes occur over long time scales, understanding the Earth as a complex system, learning by experience in the field, and development of spatial thinking skills. EarthCaches encourage deeper exploration of the natural world, and the combination of geocaching and immersive technology has the potential for more impactful storytelling, geoscience engagement, and learning opportunities.