GPS Tracking Used in Iditarod Race Becomes a Teaching Tool

29 Mar 2016

The Iditarod is a beloved tradition that takes place every year in Alaska, beginning the first Saturday in March. The dog sled race, which is also referred to as the “Last Great Race”, spans more than 1150 miles of some of Alaska’s most rugged terrain, starting in Anchorage and ending in Nome.

The race, which has captivated audiences worldwide, is also used as a teaching tool in many classrooms. Providing a wealth of tools that educators can use to help teach their students a variety of concepts, including math, science, social studies, art and music, among other academic areas, the Iditarod has proven to be a very powerful educational tool.

According to Diane Johnson, the Iditarod Education Department Director, the lessons that are offered on the Iditarod Education website are aligned with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math.) Johnson also noted that though a lot of educators use the race to teach their students about science and math, they do use it to teach in all content areas.

Educators can visit the education portal on the website, where they will find free lesson plans and project ideas, which they can use as teaching tools in their classrooms throughout the school year.

Thanks to GPS tracking devices, students have the ability to follow the racers. This provides valuable lessons in geography and statistics, and learn about longitude and latitude coordinates. They can even take a virtual tour of the 1,150 mile trail.

According to Johnson, students need to be provided with educational opportunities that are stimulating and motivating and can help them learn basic skills. She said that using the Iditarod as a teaching tool provides teachers and students with hands-on educational opportunities that are much more engaging than textbook-based lessons. Students are able to take a break from textbook learning while still learning valuable lessons. The information that they learn through the Iditarod allows them to apply their knowledge in real-world ways, making learning fun and more effective.

Johnson said that students are really engaged when they are learning in this way. It has proven to be a very effective teaching tool and has helped many kids learn valuable concepts that they may have otherwise struggled with.

The Iditarod and GPS tracking devices are really making quite an impact in the classroom, for both teachers and students.


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