Implications and teaching opportunities for camera use in teaching and learning

Part A:
The data that Dr. Strange has shared with us confirms my belief that technology is taking over our generation. Don’t get me wrong. I love being able to carry my camera, phone, laptop and game boy all in one device. The fact that the only record of my nephew’s first steps are on my iPhone shows just how important our smart phones are to us. However, I strongly believe that too much of a good thing is bad. As you walk through Wal-Mart, look around, you see people too busy looking down at their phone rather than looking where they are going. We are becoming a generation of people who cannot function without their smart phone. I am one of them. I would not survive a day without my smart phone. I would be late to class because my alarm is on my phone, I don’t know anyone’s phone numbers anymore, all my test dates and information is on my phone, and heaven forbid I can’t take a picture of my niece or nephew doing something adorable and be able to post it instantly to social media. Being so obsessed with capturing every moment on picture or video by having a smart phone with a great built in camera is the best thing ever!
Yes, I believe technology, including smart phones, can be bad. However, I do believe if used properly and monitored closely cameras built into smart phones can be a great tool used in the classroom. Nevertheless, the teacher should always be aware of where the smart phone is at all times. Also, there should definitely be some rules in place, both system-wide and classroom-wide. These rules should be written so the parents and students all know and understand these rules, and possibly a written agreement from the parents /students indicating they have read these rules. If the pictures are going to the internet, the teacher needs to approve them first and needs to be sure to know if any of these students are not allowed to have their picture posted on the internet. Once these issues have been discussed, then having smart phones with cameras on them will allow students to learn in a whole new way. There are so many apps out there that children can play that teaches them to learn new skills as well. They will have fun learning. Having these in the classroom can help the teacher as well. For example, if students get done with their work before others they can be allowed to play a fun, educational, learning game on the phone/iPad while they wait for the others in their class to get done. This allows the teacher to be able to walk around helping those that are struggling with the assignment and not having to worry about “busy work” to give to the students who are already done.




Part B

Having a smart phone or tablet with a built- in camera for every student in your class would give a teacher some great tools and fun activities for the students. Some activities could include:
1. Have a picture scavenger hunt - have a list of different types of things they must get a picture of.
2. Matching game with definitions-have a list of words and definitions and they must take a picture with both the word and definition together.
3. QR hunt- Hide different QR codes through out the school and have the children go on a hunt for them. Once they find one, they must listen to it and it will give them a clue to the next one.
4. Have the students group up and give them a story in history that would be easy to act out or make puppets to act it out and then video themselves and show the videos to the class.