A Different Kind Of Tb

[+Two Geeks and a GPS]

The other day, Mrs. Geek and I found a TB of sorts washed up on the shores of Lake Superior. It seems that a 3rd grade class in Marquette, MI made 19 hand carved and painted, and individually numbered wood boats and tossed them in Lake Superior to track their movements, we found #6. The email address on the boat got us in contact w/ the teacher.

The question is, we have a spare set of TB tags and were wanting to use them on this and supply the teacher and the student w/ the tracking number. I know it is not the traditional way but the TB site would calculate the miles and produce a map, we thought it would be neat or a 3rd grader to see. The question is how can it be done since the boat will not go in any caches (we are throwing into Lake Erie)?

Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

 

Edited July 5, 2004 by Two Geeks and a GPS

[+Two Geeks and a GPS]

We didn't know we were just supposed to write down the addresss and throw it back in but the teacher wants us to launch it again ASAP.

Edited July 5, 2004 by Two Geeks and a GPS

[+honeychile]

Well...I suppose if a geocacher found it, he might log it in and back out of a cache. You might get email from people who found it so you'll know where it is, but I don't imagine that the geocaching.com tracking system will be too helpful. Did you take a photo before you tossed it in so that you can put it on the bug's page?

 

[edited -- DUH, I mean with the tags showing. I see the great photo accompanying the first post. I'm such a dummy!]

Edited July 5, 2004 by honeychile

[BassoonPilot]

As I see it, the problem will become one of "whose project is it?"

 

It's a school project; not a travel bug. If TB tags were attached, people would be required to open a geocaching.com account in order to log the TB. I think many people would not do that ... but if they did, would they still contact the teacher? Would the tag owner contact the teacher each time the TB was logged? That brings us back to the first question ... whose project is it?

 

I say no travel bug tags. I would suggest that if you want to keep track of the project, you ask the teacher to keep you posted.

Edited July 5, 2004 by BassoonPilot

[+Mopar]

Agree with BP here. This isnt mean't to be a travel bug. It's not meant to go in caches. The only way the site could track miles is if it get's found by a geocacher and moved into a cache. From there it would travel via cacher from geocache to geocache, instead of floating around the lake as intended. How about turning it around? How about if a class of kids found accidently found your ScubaGeek TB and decided that since he likes scubadiving, it's better to toss him in the lake instead of going in caches near the lake?

[+chstress53]

I agree with BP & Mopar, as an educator myself I am aware that students track things in bodies of water, when found the students then do calculations on water movements etc. They figure out weather data and make predictions on possible landing spots. Please ,please throw it back so the students can continue with there PROJECT not yours. Do offer that next year's class could additionally track one through geocaching . But this is not your project. And it is a teaching method that some teachers utilize to teach various subjects. They also do calculations of time so throw it back soon. Take a picture, send the location and who you are. The students may wright you a letter with there end of term project but only if it goes back.

[+welch]

I wouldn't bother to use a set of tags like that. As has been said, unless someone actually logs it into a cache the system isn't going to calculate any miles. I suppose someone could find the tags, sign in and post a note but just emailing seems to be working

[+norbu]

even though attaching a tag might not be appropriate, it was really cool to see that. What a neat project! That was the kind of thing I used to love about teaching.