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Expensive Geocaching Course


Hevvr

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I was just checking out the listings of night-classes offered at my local community college, and was appalled to find this geocaching course. Not appalled because more people will be introduced to caching (I think that's good), but appalled by the cost and the amount of time (12 total hours?). Tell me what you think:

 

8190 Introduction to Geocaching: Indiana Jones with a GPS Receiver

 

Geocaching (pronounced geo-CASH-ing) - the new high-tech hobby that combines treasure hunting, adventure, navigation, exercise, history lessons, a billion-dollar satellite system, and friendly competition and camaraderie with family, friends and people of all age groups from all over the world! There are currently 102,026 active caches in 204 countries!

 

Want to get in on the action? All you need to get started is a handheld Global Positioning Satellite receiver (GPSr), access to the Internet and a thirst for adventure! In this class, you will use your GPSr and the Internet to locate caches that are hidden nearby.

 

We’ll start with a brief introduction of GPS systems and how they work. Next, we’ll look at the use of a typical GPSr in geocaching. We’ll discuss the various types of caches. Then we will learn how to make use of the free services on the Internet, at www.geocaching.com . We will use this website to find caches that you’d like to hunt, download waypoints into your GPSr, and report your finds. Then we’ll go outside, rain or shine, (geocachers are hardy!) and look for a cache hidden by the instructor. (After the class, this cache will be posted on www.geocaching.com so you will be able to log it as your first "find.") And finally, we will choose a few local caches from www.geocaching.com and go out, as a group, to find them!

 

If you have a GPSr, please bring it. If you don’t have one, no problem, you’ll team up with somebody who does have one. And don’t worry about the physical difficulties of Geocaching. Although some caches are physically challenging, many caches are located in flat terrain, and some are wheelchair accessible. We will pick caches that fit your ability level. 4 classes/12 hours

 

Patty Evans is a scuba diver, photographer, musician, world traveler, and active cacher with over 80 finds. She has hidden three caches in historically significant locations in Burlington, Haverhill, and Gloucester. During the day Patty is a "mild mannered" accounting manager for a data storage manufacturing company.

 

2 Thursdays, September 23 & September 30

 

<ClassTimes> 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

 

and

 

2 Saturdays, October 2 & October 9

 

10:00 AM –2:00 PM Course Fee $110

 

:rolleyes: .....shady?

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What really qualifies this teacher, who knows? Is she a qualified teacher? Does she have understanding of the high-tech knowledge involved? BUT I hope she pulls this off and has a full load of students. Assuming, of course, that she teaches them good citizenship, creating good caches, all the features of the gps, etc. I suppose that if you can get credit for volleyball and badminton, why not this?

Maybe you could post a note on the same BB, and offer an all-day Saturday course for under $50. Do a good job. :rolleyes:

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I've already spent more than $110 dollars and more than 12 hours locating things with my GPSr - even before coming to this site. Considering the cost of putting up these satellites, I'm glad to see people are employed to educate others about it.

 

If you are appalled by the commercialization of it, then you should consider starting a non-profit organization of your own in your area so you can introduce more people to it at a lower initial expense.

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If you are appalled by the commercialization of it, then you should consider starting a non-profit organization of your own in your area so you can introduce more people to it at a lower initial expense.

I believe this is what a lot of the local geocaching associations do. I know we recently held a well-received "novice night" event.

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Adult Continuing Education, also know locally and Extension Courses, are not credit courses. They are offered to the public as interessting things to learn often with important skill enhancements as well.

 

Having been a teacher in this program in the past (computing not geocaching) I can say for sure the instructor does not get all the registration fees.

 

There are costs involved in running a college however. Keeping the electricity on, the heat/ac (depending on location), buying the computers hundreds a a time for student use, bandwidth etc.

 

It may at first seem like it would be easy to teach a class for less than $110.00, but not if you supply a connected PC per student, possibly supply a GPS, software licenses if you use any, supplies, and renting the space.

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For many people who aren't technically oriented or who don't like to bother doing the learning research to get into a hobby, this course sounds great. Likewise, there are people here who pay $30 year, year in and year out, so they can have the advantage of PQ's rather than simply selecting caches on the web page for free.

 

To each his own.

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I was just checking out the listings of night-classes offered at my local community college, and was appalled to find this geocaching course.  Not appalled because more people will be introduced to caching (I think that's good), but appalled by the cost and the amount of time (12 total hours?).  Tell me what you think.

I think you're not happy about it and as such, you should not register for the class. :lol:

Others might be perfectly happy with it and discover a great new hobby or game to play outside. To each their own. -Ken

Edited by n6mhg
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I teach at a community college (one of my jobs to pay for this hobby :lol: ), and these types of classes are called continuing ed or adult ed classes here. They are ususally for information and fun and carry no college credit. An instructor here, depending on level of education, would get between $25 and $40 per contact hour.

 

I think it's great to see a class like this offered for those who may not want to buy books or pore through hundreds of internet posts.

 

May even look into trying to get it offered at our school next spring so I could take it. Of course, I get free tuition :huh: .

 

Happy Trails

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Looks like another person found a way to use the geocaching.com name to make some money without sending any to Jeremy. More cache maggots graduating soon.

 

That's like saying that people who charge for driver's ed are maggots off of GM. Don't you think GM stands to benefit if more people drive?

 

Like so with Jeremy. Heck, if Jeremy was enterprising, he would offer instructors student's 30% off their first year membership on geocaching.com as an incentive to take the course. Everyone benefits. Jeremy who up the membership, the instructor who will get more students and the students who get trained by a "pro" and get a reduced membership fee.

 

This is America, you know :lol:

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Having given GPS classes over several years and then Geocaching classes for the public at no charge for my previous employer, I see no problem in charging for a class, I have been giving thought to doing the same thing myself, There is a lot of work invlolved in teaching any class. You have to outline the material that you are going to offer. You then are going to have to come up with a lesson plan. next you are going to need handouts for the students. For geocachin you are going to have to set up the caches to be found, My course had 8 caches, six of them are still active and are still being loged by local cachers. I would guess I put 30 hours into setting up my geocaching class.

This does not include the time to teach the class. Durring the class I had two helpers along to keep an eye on the students while they were in the field. I think $110.00 is a bargain for 12 hours.

The cost of doing all this was around $1,200.00

 

BTW, when did making money become a bad thing in this country.

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I don't see a problem with the cost. That's ballpark for many adult education courses in my area. They have classes for everything from basic MS Word skills to wine tasting, so why not geocaching?

 

But 12 hours? What can they possibly teach about geocaching that will take 12 hours? I recently participated in a geocaching seminar at a local library and we covered all facets of the sport in detail in just over 2 hours.

Edited by briansnat
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Actually, Patty sounds like an interesting person to meet. I wonder if she's good lookin'? :lol:

It was easy enough to figure out who it is. Physically, she's not unattractive.

However, her use of travelbugs and the forums to promote her political agenda is a definite turn-off.

Wonder if part of the course will be "Exploiting geocaching for fun and profit"?

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However, her use of travelbugs and the forums to promote her political agenda is a definite turn-off.

 

A very odd agenda if you ask me. I mean freedom is cool, I really dig it ( an understatement meant to be funny), but what does that have to do with living in New Hampshire, outside the motto on their license plates?

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It was easy enough to figure out who it is. Physically, she's not unattractive.

I love puzzles. Ok, I think I found the porcupines. Isn't this Patty on the right?

 

82a778e5-0c76-4cb3-b392-7fb682a4e3b2.jpg

 

Seems like an interesting person. I'd buy her (and her husband? - no, she's not married to the guy in the picture) a beer to learn about what she was smoking when she decided that her political agenda had any hope of drawing 20,000 people to pack up and move.

 

But back to the topic, I see nothing at all wrong with charging $110 for 4 - 3 hour classes on geocaching. I have a problem with people dumb enough to pay that much but offering the class is fine. The more you pay for an education, the more you learn. Anyone who pays the $110 will learn a valuable lesson though not necessarily about geocaching.

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I like how people actually take the time to get other people involved, I'm trying to get a club at school started up and am looking for interesting new ways to teach it even though I'm not that experienced. I have a friend with over 400 finds whos in on the scehme. Anyways, back to the discussion:

 

My view on this is "more power to whoevers teaching if he/she can pull this off" I don't see other than walking several miles per day that it would take 12 hours but I guess the cost is alright. Again though, 12 hours is a long time!! Maybe I should start a class too!!! :lol: This class might actually work!! But if it fails miserably that'll be the end of that discussion. :(

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The day someone has to teach me how to play hide and seek, r to go for a walk in the woods, is the day I find out I've gone senile!

 

I certainly hope she's an expert on the GPS, because that is all I would think anyone would need to pay to learn, and it wouldn't take 12 hours. Connecticut A-Team gave a wonderfully informative class in about 15 minutes to our local law enforcement officers at an event (for free even).

 

If she makes money, well good for her, but it sounds like a $110 field trip. Do they provide lunch?

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The day someone has to teach me how to play hide and seek, r to go for a walk in the woods, is the day I find out I've gone senile!

 

I certainly hope she's an expert on the GPS, because that is all I would think anyone would need to pay to learn, and it wouldn't take 12 hours. Connecticut A-Team gave a wonderfully informative class in about 15 minutes to our local law enforcement officers at an event (for free even).

 

If she makes money, well good for her, but it sounds like a $110 field trip. Do they provide lunch?

Teaching a GPS course as I have done in the very early days of GPS pre geocaching can be very involved if you let it be.

 

1-You have to explain what it is and how it works

 

2-In the early days you would also cover DGPS

 

3-Then you have several typse of GPSr that the students bring and keep in mind that very few of them have ever used a GPS. In a class of 30 I was lucky if I had three people that new how to enter a waypoint into a GPS. THis means that you have to get your students into groups by GPS model, so now you have the

e-trex group

GPS12 group

GPS 72/76 Group

Magellan Trailblazer group (I had one of these show up last year)

Magellan Sport trak grooup

Magellan Meridian group

60 C/CS group

Lowarance groups

All this can take a few hours to cover

 

4-In a GPS class you are also teaching functions that some geocachers may never use like setting up a route and back tracking,

 

5-Software for GPS / geocaching, you are going to have to cover Magellan, Garmin, National geographic, Delorme, Microsoft just to name a few,

 

6-You are going to want to show examples of caches, this could be a display of contianers that are used and also slides of unusual caches hides.

 

7-Then the students are going to want to go find some caches, for the class I ran we had 8 active caches set up in a local park, each was a differant stye of hide (We started with 4 but the class go to be to large for just 4 caches) We would give them all a stack of print outs from Geocaching.com to use to find the caches and send them in differant directions. This part of the class alone could take 3 or 4 hours and this is in a small park.

 

You can not give a very iformative class in any subject in 15 minutes.

For free, you get what you pay for.

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Does Jeremy get a cut of that 110 bucks?

 

I have to say its a good thing, even with the money, only cause colleges offer phys ed classes in golf, gymnasatics, dance, etc., so i look at it as caching be recognized in a positive way.

 

However....

 

I think the best teacher for caching is getting out there and screwing up all on your own and leaving yourself to figure it out.

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