One of our consortium’s goals is to strengthen our schools’ outdoor activities and develop tools and methodologies to support them using innovation and technology. The following toolkit is used in orienteering activities for small groups of students, and it consists of a smart device, a map of the area, instructions, and props.
The device
One of the basic tools is the multifunctional device that each team has, which can provide information such as temperature, light intensity, and step count, and it can also act as a compass. It is based on the Microbit platform and can be easily programmed by students. For our program implementation, we used the two buttons of the Microbit to navigate through the menu. We change the menu with button A and select the functionality with button B.
The menu has three options:
- Show temperature
- Show steps or vibrations of the device
- Show compass heading in degrees
To make the device portable, we used the Micro:bit case with battery holder by Bertbaron as a starting point, and we created a case that can be hung on our neck with a piece of string.
The map
The second basic tool is the map of the exploring area, in our case, the peri-urban forest of Florina. We created the map by taking a screenshot from Open Street Map, and we used drawing software (Inkscape) to highlight the desired path that student teams must follow.
We also highlighted the checkpoints on the map where student teams engage with activities and challenges.
The instructions
Each team, along with the map and the device, should get the instructions for the activities at each stop. The instructions for each stop are separated and stored in an envelope, and when the team arrives at the stop, they open the envelope and follow them.
The worksheet
Since students document the values they receive from the device at each stop, they are also provided with a pen and a worksheet.
Props
We could indicate each stop with numbers depending on the area’s complexity and the student’s age. For example, we could print the numbers on plain paper and use stickers to hold them in place during the orienteering game. All the numbers and props used in each stop should be placed beforehand.
