Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning

     A study by Zogby Analytics drew the conclusion that 87% of smartphone users aged 18 to 24 find it important that their phone has a camera on it. Of those surveyed, 44% said that they use their smartphone camera every single day. With these shockingly large percentages, undoubtedly people under the age of 18, such as the people we will be teaching, are also using their phones as cameras regularly. In fact, most of these kids have had phones with cameras in them as a part of their life since they were born. With that being said, it's almost obvious that as teachers, we should use children's familiarity with these technologies to our advantage and find ways to incorporate cameras into our lesson plans.

     To implement this, schools must first begin their technology revolution. It would be important for every classroom to have a tablet or laptop for every student or group of students. This way every child will have a chance to use the technology and participate in the activities. In addition, teachers will have to research and plan lessons accordingly to these items. By using cameras, students can create real-life moving pictures to answer questions posed by their teachers. Cameras are beneficial towards students' education because they promote creativity and learning in a new way. Not only are the children learning new concepts, but teachers can also learn new things from their students.

Some ideas for using cameras in the classroom could include:

• Video presentations in a group such as the one described here and in many other ALEX lesson plans
  
• Students recording themselves doing things then playing it back to themselves for learning purposes like in this video
  
• Creating movies for drama or literature
  
• Having Skype interviews with other students or adults
  
• Taking pictures of their work to post on their blog
  
• Older students may take iPads and document their day, a field trip, or something else outside of the classroom
  
• Make a time-lapse video to show students how they change throughout the year
  
• Have students make vocabulary word connections by taking pictures describing their words every week
  

GettingSmart, Raki's Rad Resources, and Teaching with iPads all have lists with great ideas in them as well!