Check It Out!

It's funny how much information you can obtain just by discussing best practices and observing what other teachers do in my classroom. I sometimes find that my best 'research' information comes from such occasions.

Another thing you can do with digital photography in the classroom is have digital photos from various perspectives and camera angles. One example would be to have a very tight close up of a gorilla's fur - something to make it look like a giant. The teacher would show this extreme close-up to the class and ask what it is. Then you would show them the exact same photo only a full-body shot and they would be surprised to see that it is a tiny baby chimpanzee. The students are shocked to see that their guesses were wrong, but it introduces the idea that there are different perspectives that can be taken with digital photos. It would also review different camera angles, different types of photos, and other curriculum criteria.

One idea my friend is using in her classroom is that she is having a digital scrapbook. All throughout the year she takes pictures of her students almost daily, doing different tasks, on field trips, during gym, etc. Then at the end of the year she posts these pictures on a free online photo album site (with the appropriate written consent) and allows access to her students and parents. This gives everyone the chance to see what went on throughout the year, and serves as a nice memory or keep-sake once the year is over.