Creating A Seminar

[+RV Paces]

I'm giving a seminar in April to about 200 interested beginner geocachers. I wondered if anyone out in GeoLand had put together a powerpoint or other program that I could use for my teaching. I'm calling the seminar Geocaching From The Road. It's for full time RV'ers. I want to show them how much fun they can have while on the road. Caching everywhere they travel and staying healthy at the same time. I did it last year and used some overhead projector pages that I created. I'd like to go "high" tech this year and use my lap top and a movie screen to project. Any help or ideas would be welcomed. I saw a great presentation in San Diego , CA last year but can't remember who did it or where I can get it.

[+KoosKoos]

I don't have any specifics, but you can always try a google search on:

 

geocaching filetype:ppt

[+IowaAdmin]

Here's one I created. Go to the following page and click on the top link: http://www.wi-geocaching.com/links.html

[+the4Grays]

Man I wish I found that page a week ago when i was giving a presentation to the Boy Scouts last week. I just used a display board and some hand outs. Is there a way you can make one for Washingtion State? maybe Boy Scout related?

Edited February 12, 2006 by the4Grays

[+DiskDevil]

I believe with IowaAdmins permission,and with M****soft Power point software,you could change some of the elements in the presentation to meet your needs. BTW nice presentation.

[+Magoonies]

Iowa,

 

Mind if I make a few changes and maybe use this. I belong to an ATV club and in early June we are having an "introduction to Geocaching" day. I don't know how many will attend but it would be nice to have something other than three or four ammo boxes and a GPSr to show.

[+RV Paces]

I believe with IowaAdmins permission,and with M****soft Power point software,you could change some of the elements in the presentation to meet your needs. BTW nice presentation.

 

thanks for the hint. I have contacted IowaAdmins and thanked him. It's a great tool and I think I can tweek it for CA. usage. I will have to do some homework to get the rules for areas around this state.

[+IowaAdmin]

Iowa,

 

Mind if I make a few changes and maybe use this. I belong to an ATV club and in early June we are having an "introduction to Geocaching" day. I don't know how many will attend but it would be nice to have something other than three or four ammo boxes and a GPSr to show.

 

Feel free to use whatever parts of my presentation you would like to use. I "appropriated" some of the visuals from other presentations. As long as it's for good, not evil.

[+the4Grays]

Thanks Iowa Admin for the permission

[Jake - Team A.I.]

Something you could consider adding to your presentation...

 

I gave a presentation on geocaching in my speech class while back. As part of my preparation, I made a bunch of 35mm film cansters with magnets on the end of them. I placed a halloween sized packet of gummi life savers (they fit in the container nicely) inside and went into the class early. I placed each under the desk of every student and the teacher in the class. At the end of my presentation, I ended with "and if you look under you desk, you'll find a cache of your own."

 

When I gave my second speech, the class looked to see if I had hidden more candy under their desk for the next speech. Because of that, I know that my speech stuck with them.

 

My powerpoint presentation was geared for a 5 minute limit, and I don't think it's very useful for other situations as it really glosses over alot of important information.

[+Sputnik 57]

Sounds like you have what you are looking for. There is a short Flash presentation on the TxGA web site that may also give you some ideas

[+RV Paces]

Something you could consider adding to your presentation...

 

My powerpoint presentation was geared for a 5 minute limit, and I don't think it's very useful for other situations as it really glosses over alot of important information.

 

Thanks. Got a couple good pictures from your presentation.

 

Thanks everyone for your input. I will proceed to put together this 1 hr. seminar. Wish me luck. !!

[Tucats]

IowaAdmin, That's a great presentation. Well done. Do you mind if we use it or place it on our local geocaching website??

[+emb021]

I'll throught this out.

 

Am considering putting together a GPS/geocaching presentation for a group of Venturers (high school/college age youth in the BSA). Ideally, I hope to do this outside at a scout camp. This is what I hope to do:

 

* first introduce them to the GPS, how to do basic navigation, etc. I would then give them a set of coordinates (a flag pole, etc), and let them try to find it.

 

* next, introduce them to geocaching. Explain basics (some hidden, what kind of somethings (ammo cans, lockNlocks, micros & nanos, what you do when you find, etc). I would then give them several sets of coordinates, which will lead them to 4-5 caches I've hidden close by. [as these are temporary, I will as them to bring them back]. These will all be small or regulars. After they do that, will give them a couple sets of coordinates that will lead them to micros. (key holder or 35mm or the like).

 

* next, go into more details of geocaching. Travel bugs and geocoins. multis, puzzles, mysteries, etc. Explain geocaching.com, and explain the listings.

 

* for final challenge, had already setup several 'real' geocaches around camp, using micros, smalls, and regulars, and including one multi. They are to signin, not bring the caches back. [be nice if the caches were listed on geocaching.com, but not sure if that would be allowed]. Allow them to find the regular caches, then give them the multi to try.

[+rowanf]

 

Feel free to use whatever parts of my presentation you would like to use. I "appropriated" some of the visuals from other presentations. As long as it's for good, not evil.

 

I notice that there is a TB picture with a visible number on p. 39. It might be nice to photoshop that out. I'd've done it and posted it here but I'm not a PPT geek and couldn't extract it.

[+NorthWes]

I'm working on one of these introductory seminars for the Anchorage Parks & Rec Dept, to be presented just before our CITO event at Kincaid Park on April 22nd. I've looked at (and borrowed shamelessly from) the many excellent presentations out there, and have begun to build ours for a one-hour inside presentation to be followed with a one-hour 'jungle walk' out in front of the building across a large field bounded by brush and spruce trees. Much like emb021's plan for the VentureScouts, I'll have the class navigate across several mini-caches on their way to a final cache (which will be an 'official' on-line geocaching.com hide). Four additional follow-on classes on Thursday evenings will take advantage of the long daylight to lead classes in small groups afield in the rest of Kincaid Park to hunt down various caches of increasing difficulty.

 

Training development literature emphasizes repeating main points a minimum of three times to ensure the student retains the presented information. I wasn't sure I could stretch an 'Intro to Geocaching' across a full hour (and my Alaskan buddies better be quiet here! ), but with that mandate to repeat major emphasis points three times I'm finding myself doing a re-summation of the process about every five minutes throughout the presentation. It's to be hoped that important points such as the CITO, Trade Up or Trade Even and Tread Lightly ethics will be engraved in the students' memories, as well as aquisition of useful habits such as 'marking' the car location, bringing along cache repair materials, and packing spare batteries. After I read the requirement to repeat major points three times, I stumbled across the author's assertion that for every minute spent actually presenting there should be an hour of development time. I nearly threw up my hands and went geocaching.... then realized I had a new excuse for going afield! Yeah... that's it... 'Honey, I need to do some field research to test assertions I'm making in the Parks & Rec presentation.' With just 44 days left to prepare, I'm thinking at least an hour a day afield will be necessary to ensure the class goes well.

 

The presentation will be posted to our organization's website at GeocacheAlaska.org for future use.