SCVNGR Treks

SCVNGR is another tool I'm looking into for my project. 

SCVNGR is a mobile app that allows you to create a 'treasure hunt', although they would prefer you use the terms 'trek' or 'challenge'.

You need to create a log-in to access the tool and you can choose either the regular or the University website.

Once you have logged in, you select a location by typing in the postcode and you can then create your 'trek'. you can ask questions about different locations and have the students complete different tasks at these locations like taking a photo or inputting an answer.

See this video about the regular SCVNGR app as an introduction:

SCVNGR | How To Play from SCVNGR on Vimeo.

However, many schools and universities are using SCVNGR for education purposes. A great example of this is the 'History Game' which I mentioned earlier in my look at examples of m-learning tools and uses. Anne Fox talks about the trek on her blog. This amazing use of SCVNGR had students who were studying history go out into the local area and create treks for each other.

As she mentions, some of the positives of SCVNGR are that you only need one smartphone per group, the app and creating the app is free, the challenges can be as interactive or creative as you like and it is easy to use. Some of the downsides mentioned are that is does take up some data on your phone.

Other uses of SCVNGR are for the very purpose I am investigating; induction. Here is a video on using the app to get students familiar with a University campus:

Many American universities use SCVNGR and the details of their projects can be found here, but so far it seems that not many in the UK are using it. On the University Partner's sites it only lists Greenwich and Warwick.

SCVNGR seems to have many positives in that you can access the whole trek and choose how much you do at what time. It will direct you to the next location and has different tasks to complete.