10 Ways to Use a Digital Camera in the Classroom By: Cherie Ward

Rules of the Classroom A digital camera will be used to capture the do’s and don’ts of the classroom. In the beginning of the year, the teacher will describe the rules of the classroom and students will learn what is appropriate in the classroom. Then students will have the chance to take pictures of what they think is okay and not okay. For instance, one student may take a picture of a dirty play area while another student will take a picture of his/her table he/she just cleaned. Then the pictures will be posted on the walls as a reminder for student on how to behave.

Plant Stages Students will use digital cameras to record the growth of their plants. Each day they will take a picture of the seed they have planted and watch it develop into a plant. These pictures will be assembled into a book where students will describe what they saw and name the parts of the plant that are visible.

Time Book Students will learn about time through pictures of clocks they captured. Also to help them learn the hours, such as noon, student will take pictures of lunch. Then they will have a book of times and correlating activities to help them read clocks.

Abc Book An Abc book will be composed by students. They will use digital cameras to capture pictures of items that begin with their assigned letters. As a result, they will have a book to read and study their alphabet from. Also various teachers may be interested and using this idea for specific units. For instance, if students are learning about the ocean, the Abc book could be filled with just pictures and definitions about things that have to do with the ocean.

Show and Tell Because some students may want to show and tell an item that is too large to bring into class, a digital camera will allow them to share that item with the class. Students will be allowed to take the camera home and then show their classmates a picture and why they chose that specific item.

Body Part Book Students will be given a list of body parts such as head, arm, leg, hand, foot, etc. and asked to take pictures of them. Once they have taken their pictures they will be printed and students will have a chance to show off their pictures and a fact about them.

Weather Book The weather book can be composed by students to help them learn the different seasons and the weather associated with them. They will have the opportunity to photograph a sunny, rainy, snowy, or windy day during recess while they are outside. The choices of what they will be able to snap are endless. Also for younger students, synonymously photographing appropriate clothing associated with that weather will be helpful for getting dressed in the morning and knowing what to bring to school for recess if it’s cold or raining.

Eye Spy Activity The popular Eye Spy book that includes pages of various items and objects is a great way to test kids while having fun. Students will put a listed number of things together at home and take a picture. For instance, one student may be assigned items in the kitchen. So he will take the digital camera home and asked to assemble 20 kitchen items and take a picture of all of them together. Then at school, students will be asked to find a spoon, a cup, a pan, etc.

Zoomed in Photos The idea of zooming in on pictures and having students journal what they think they see in the picture is a great way to introduce new ideas or a new unit. Also this gives students and opportunity to write their ideas down and reflect on previous event to brainstorm what they think the object is. Teachers may also allow students to zoom in on their own items and have students guess what the object is making a game of the activity.

Number Book After students learn their numbers, they will be asked to walk around the classroom and take pictures of numbers or things they can count. For example, if there are 4 pencils on a desk they may take a picture. Also students may choose to take a picture of the number 4 listed on the class list. The possibilities are endless and it is a great way for kids to learn their numbers and to see how math is constantly used throughout their daily activities.

5 Senses Activity Students will take picture of various items in the classroom and throughout their homes. They have to be sure the pictures they take relate to the sense they have whether it’s sight, taste, smell, touch, or feel. One student may take a picture of a cookie for taste, whereas another student might take a picture of a cookie as well but to represent smell. In effect, students will be pushed to think about different objects and how many sense they use to identify them.