Digital Cameras in Instruction

Katie Dirr, Malcom Bridge Middle School, Oconee County School System

Digital cameras are often overlooked as instructional tools. In our media center, we have three digital cameras available for checkout. Our teachers and students usually use these to document a finished project (for example, paper-mache piñatas for Spanish class). At the Georgia Educational Technology Conference in the fall of 2004, Dr. Kenneth Clark from Georgia Southern University made a case that digital cameras can be used in all areas of instruction – not just to document a finished product.

Dr. Clark had many great ideas for integrating digital cameras into instruction. A few of his suggestions include:

    • Documenting field trips (pre, during, and post)
    • Introducing concepts (math, science projects, geometry)
    • Exhibiting the visual arts
    • Accenting classroom atmosphere (photos of students and their names)
    • Assessing instruction (tests with photos)
    • Documenting instruction

Dr. Clark also suggested that if you are using a digital camera that stores images on a disk be sure to use only name brands if possible (Fuji, Sony, etc.) Usually about 10% of disks do go bad. If you decide to use digital cameras as an instructional tool, you must consider their disadvantages and advantages. According to Dr. Clark, the advantages are:

  • Instant pictures
  • Cost over time (no film to develop)
  • Already in jpeg format
  • Scanner is eliminated

The disadvantages are:

    • Initial cost (of camera)
    • Printing costs
    • LCD viewfinder (In bright sunlight LCD panel washes out)
    • Delay when you take pictures (It can be difficult to take pictures in quick succession as it takes
      time for photos to record to disk or other media)

Taking the information I learned at this conference, I began to wonder how I could encourage the use of digital cameras. Reflecting on it further, I figured the best way to show that digital cameras have many uses was to use them myself in instruction. Each fall I conduct orientation for 6 th, 7 th and 8 th graders. Because sixth graders are new to our school, I thought a great introductory activity to the media center and to their fellow students would be to have them take digital pictures of each other. Each student would be given one of the following options:

    • A student must find their favorite book from elementary school and have a buddy take a photo of
      them holding it, or
    • A group of students can act out a scene from their favorite book and take a photo of themselves
      using a tripod, or
    • A student can find a non-fiction or reference book that shows where they went on vacation, what they
      like to do or what sports they enjoy and have a buddy take their photo holding the book.

The purpose of this activity would encompass several things: (1) it would get the students familiar with the media center (as they tried to locate the book they were interested in); (2) each student would have to buddy up with at least one other student and find out their name (social interaction) and (3) encourage the use of the media center and all the materials we have to offer. Students love to take pictures and having them take an even more active role in the learning process can only increase the knowledge they gain.

Return to Archived Instructional Articles