Using the Digital Camera in
the Primary Classroom
Created by Eleanor
6/3/2000
What
can I do with a digital camera in my primary classroom? The camera is a piece of technology that
your students can easily learn to use and to navigate effortlessly around the
school. Just attach a ribbon or
decorative cord to the camera so the student will be able to hang it around
his(er) neck. This will prevent your
apprehensions that the student may drop the camera. Teach the whole class how to take pictures with the camera. Let each student practice with you or your
assistant. Pictures can simply be
deleted and the students can start again. Once you have taken the time to teach
them how to use it, your work is finished for the year. Believe me, they will remember and be quite
proud of taking pictures. This may be
their first experience handling a camera, but you have opened a new horizon to
them. They will always remember this
experience in your classroom.
Keep
in mind that these pictures could be used in PowerPoint, Talking Books,
Microsoft Word, in Graph Club, in TimeLiner, or in a desktop publishing
software like Print Shop. You could use
the format of a newsletter, but make the newsletter entitled, Colors, or Shapes
etc. Use your imagination, the sky's
the limit! Display your creations outside your room, and do include your
projects on your web page.
If
you are going to use pictures of the children, be sure that you have a photo
release on each student.
1.
As you
are studying colors, have the students walk around the classroom, school or
outside taking pictures of the color that you are studying. These pictures may be inserted into a
PowerPoint Booklet, called for example, "Things That Are Blue". If you don't want many slides, insert more
than one picture on the slide. The
students may include their voice and tell you what the name of the picture.
2.
As you
are studying numbers, assign each student a number and they are to find things
that correspond with that number and take a picture of them. For example, if I am assigned the number 3,
I would look around my classroom, school, or outside for things that are
gathered in 3's. I may find three books
together in the library, or three apples in the cafeteria. Then I take a picture of my books or
apples. It may be necessary to create
their own things on a table and take a picture after they arrange the correct
number. Example: I have the number 12. So I lay 12 crayons on the table and take a
picture. You can then make a Number
Book in Microsoft Word, with each number being a different page. You would have the student word process the
word for the number; the figure for the number, and then insert the picture. The student should be able to type his(er)
name on the page.
3.
As you
study shapes, have the students take pictures of various shapes. If they can find something that includes
more than one shape in its object, give them extra points. Example: In a birdhouse, the student may
find a circle, a triangle, and a rectangle.
His perception is excellent and should be recognized. Now what are you going to do with these
pictures?
4.
You
are studying the letters of the alphabet.
Don't wait until the very end to create an alphabet book. Begin with each letter and have the students
find pictures that begin with that letter.
Gather them into some type of publication.
5.
Make a
classification book, in which the students include pictures that are alike in
some way. On the next page, tell how
they are similar; or different.
6.
Make a
Proper Noun--Common Noun publication.
The students are to find a picture of something that is a common noun
and then find its companion, the proper noun.
Place the pictures side by side and label each. This could also be done with nouns or verbs.
Make a slide presentation of VERBS in
ACTION or NOUNS HANGING AROUND SCHOOL.
7.
When
studying rhyming words, see if the students can take two pictures of things
that rhyme. Place the pictures in a Rhyming Book.
8.
The
students should be able to create thank-you cards and include digital pictures
in the cards, either of themselves or something of their choice.
9.
The
students would love to take a picture of their choice and then write a few
sentences or create a storybook using pictures and their creative story.
10. Your students are learning the names of
the days of the week, or calendar months, create a slide presentation
demonstrating what they do on particular days.
For the months, take pictures of things that could happen during that
month.
11. Using Graph Club, have the students
insert pictures that they have taken for the objects that you are
surveying. Example: Kinds of Cereal We Like: take a picture of the cereal boxes.
12. Create a BODY PART book for
science: head, arms, shoulder, legs,
knees, trunk, toes, fingers, etc.
Students would love to photograph one another.
13. Students studying science would be able
to create a publication of THINGS THAT ARE HOT; THINGS THAT ARE COLD; NATURAL
OBJECTS VS OBJECTS MADE BY HUMANS; COMMON PLANTS; COMMON FLOWERS; or SIMPLE
MACHINES. Students can create any type of publication using these ideas.
14. If you are identifying careers and
community helpers, children should be able to take a picture of people in
different careers and create a CAREERS or COMMUNITY HELPERS or PLACES IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD publication.
15. Would be interesting to create a
SYMBOLS publication: stop sign,
handicap, flag, American eagle, Ladies(Men)Restroom, etc. How many symbols do we have in our school;
our neighborhood, community?
These
are just a few ideas of utilizing the digital camera in your classroom. I would appreciate if you come up with an
idea to email me and I will add it to our fifteen ideas.
An excellent web site that I
would like you to visit and gain more ideas on using the digital camera in the
classroom is:
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/heese6.htm