Perhaps the conspiracy theorist in me is working overtime..or maybe I'm just too old school.
My son is in grade 6, and today he brought home a note that his class will be participation in a GPS (global positioning system) learning session next week.
Supposedly it is an outdoor activity being offered by a faculty of education student at a nearby university.
Well, with everything I know about GPS..this bothers me. I can't for the life of me figure out why it needs to be taught to grade 6 students.
Somebody please rest my fears, and tell me I'm over-reacting and give me a good reason.

Originally posted by AccessDenied
tell me I'm over-reacting and give me a good reason.

Get closer to you kid and educate him about everything you've learned since seeing through the smoke and mirrors.

I can see the argument for both sides. My point is that I see GPS from a conspiracy point of view..hence..a bad thing.
I have no problem with him learning how to navigate with a compass or even by the stars...
I realize technology has come far, and this is the future..but it just feels all wrong to me.
Unfortunately I have a little one at home, and tagging along on an outdoor activity is not an option.

Like any other tool GPS can bused for good or ill. Teach you kid a healthy fear of authority and some of the people behind it and let him learn how to use all the tools available to us for the betterment of us all.

I guess what I am saying is things are not evil in themselves only some people are, teach your children right and wrong, but don't bury their heads in the sand.

GPS receivers are for the most part benign. All they do is receive a signal from three or more satellites to triangulate your position on earth. They are incapable of transmitting that position.

Now, if your child has a cell phone, then that most likely has a GPS chip in it, and it CAN be used to transmit your child's position. This can be used by the government (presumably only with a search warrant) or Emergency Services to track your child.

All in all, I would be more worried about the technology you and your children carry with you every day than a one time lesson on how it works.

Learning the uses and purpose of different technologies is not a bad thing.

Being taught to rely on them solely(such as my students who cant do wimple math without a calculator) is a terrible thing.

Teaching them they cannot live without these techs is as bad as it gets.

I personally would contact the teacher and ask for an overview of the curriculum, to determine which one of these categories the lesson will fall into.

then act accordingly.

Originally posted by LiquidLight
GPS receivers are for the most part benign. All they do is receive a signal from three or more satellites to triangulate your position on earth. They are incapable of transmitting that position.

Now, if your child has a cell phone, then that most likely has a GPS chip in it, and it CAN be used to transmit your child's position. This can be used by the government (presumably only with a search warrant) or Emergency Services to track your child.

All in all, I would be more worried about the technology you and your children carry with you every day than a one time lesson on how it works.

You bring up a great point.

And let's not forget that every debit card now has RFID, as well as most state id's.

Chances are, you and your loved ones are already carrying more invasive tech than a gps module.

It's good to ask questions, especially about what your children are learning in school. My child came home with an assignment once to draw blueprints of their homes.

I had a little chat with the teacher about that one. Unless he's planning on breaking in or remodeling, there's no need for them to have the blueprints to my home. He couldn't even really give me a good reason why they were learning about blueprints either.

Another time I got a visit from DEA because the kids were asked by their teacher if anyone in their home smoked hand-rolled cigarettes. I, at one time, did roll my cigarettes by hand (regular tobacco) and the DEA had been informed "by an anonymous source" that I was in possession of pot.

Never hurts to keep an eye on what government intrusions into your personal life may be going on via your child's school attendance. The GPS sounds like it's been explained with a benign purpose but don't feel bad about being vigilant. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.

Thanks for the perspective everyone..
It just goes to show how easily one's fears can get the better of their judgment.

Another poster offered the best suggestion: talk to the teacher.

As parents, you are (or should be)the most important aspect of your child's education. You were their first teachers. You have so much influence over them, and a relationship with them that we teachers can never match.

That said, its a public school....they answer to YOU. Don't understannd an assignment? Ask about it. Don't see the justification for an activity? Question it.

Get a copy of your state's curriculum and see what it requires. Then, see how you can supplement that curriculum at home.

I really do think this is just a lesson using technology, not a conspiracy. But in the end you must do what you think is best for your child.

And by the way, I think your children are pretty lucky to have such a vigilant mother.....

I'm more or less on the same page as "iforget" on this one.

Assuming that there is something insidious or conspiratorial about the motives for this lesson, then this GPS technology will undoubtedly only be portrayed as the best thing since sliced bread.

We all know better -- that it is subject to serious abuses. I think that our youngsters have a right to know both sides of the story ( particularly if they are only provided one side by the school system). I wouldn't want to alarm a child of Grade 6 age by pronouncing it as an outright evil, but I think they deserve to know in simple terms how it can be abused as well as be put to use for mankind's benefit.

Think of this GPS lesson as a opportunity for you as a parent to teach your child to think critically about things that are presented to them in a school setting. Perhaps you could go about this by asking your child if he/she can think of any ways that this technology could be misused. This way you won't be forcing them out of their own fear "comfort zone", but they'll come to their own conclusion that it can be good and bad.