Abstract:

In this article, we focus on geolocation games as such as well as we specifically focus on field teaching of geography using these type of games. Geolocation games are location-based games that use GNSS (Global Navigation and Satellite System) and are played using smartphones or tablets. It is also a suitable form of mLearning. Currently, there are a number of commercial geolocation games, but they are mostly not educational in nature, such as Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, TrezzureHunt, and so on. However, there are many geolocation games that contain educational games or users can create their own games, such as Geofun, Actionbound, Actiontrack, Lesmír, and the like. These games have a great potential for field teaching of geography, especially, those that provide the user, in our case the teacher, the option to create own games. Such games can be used at primary, secondary, and higher education. In the article, we also deal with the perception of geolocation games in the teaching of geography by primary school pupils in the town of Hlohovec in Slovakia. Pupils from two classes took part in the research and evaluated a game aimed at teaching the local landscape. The research showed that 79% of pupils were satisfied with this form of teaching and also 79% of pupils would welcome this form of teaching more often in geography classes. At the end of the article, we also address the advantages and disadvantages of using geolocation games in the educational process of geography. The aim of this article is the analysis of geolocation games applicable in the field teaching of geography as well as the analysis of their perception by primary school pupils.

Keywords:

Geolocation games, geography, Slovakia, m-learning, pupils’ perception.