Digital Cameras in the Classroom

I use mine all the time. Anything we do eg a nature walk, incursions, excursions, science experiment, cooking.

* At the end of each year I put on a This Is Your Life or Year. I use the best photos and make sure every child is in many. Use photostory. It shows the parents what we have done. All children get a copy of this on a CD to take home.
* Last year I printed of photos of each activity and mounted onto black card and displayed in the room. The kids love looking at themselves.
* Children use their photos to write about the event or activity.
* We used the faces to make them a costume around the world. They painted the outfit and we glued the face on.
* Each child picked the best photo for a calendar. I used the programme that came with my digital camera and we laminated for a Christmas Present.
* I put all phoots on the class computers in folders and the kids just loved looking at themselves and remembering the activity we had done.
I love my camera and am lost without it.

How many [digital cameras] you have can impact how you use them. For a while I had one and recently I was given 10 more. When I had one we did things whole group and now that I have one for every two students we use them much differently.

One camera ideas: Take pictures of a process-making a cake or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, etc. (Do this in front of the kids-have another adult take the picture or the kids if they have been taught). Put the picture on the computer. Students will work in pairs or individually to sequence the pictures in Power Point and then write a How To in Power Point. They can change the font color for the transition words-they LOVE this!

Multiple cameras- Go on a noun hunt. Students will take pictures of nouns. Put them into power point sorting by people places and things. Studetns can write a sentence for each noun changing the font color of the noun.

I am also able to send my cameras home after parents sign a parent release. My students picked a bussiness in our community. They visited and took a picture, interviewed an employee about the business, and wrote a small report. We compiled these into a community book.

Our ESL pull-out teacher did everything with a stuffed mouse and a digital camera. One of her activities was "A preposition is anywhere a mouse can go". She would take pictures of a mouse below the desk, when she printed the picture, she would type the sentence: "The mouse is below the desk." You could do the same thing with spacial relations. Allow each student to bring a favorite stuffed animal, and practice placing them in different locations. Try taking pictures and creating a class book.

We take a digital camera picture of each student (blown up to almost full size). They cut out their face and glue it to the top of a white piece of construction paper. They then draw the rest of the famous person's body and add facts they learned about him or her. They always turn out really cute.

After the students have been in the room for awhile during the day (or even the next day) ask them what their favorite thing is. Then get a picture of them with the digital camera in that area or doing that activity. For example, if someone says snack, get a picture of them at a table eating snack. If someone says recess, see if you can get an aide to take a picture of the student on a swing or slide outside. Then the student can glue their picture down on a sheet of paper and decorate it. The paper could be plain or colored. With help from the teacher (they tell you what to write and you write it) write what their favorite activity was and why or something fun they did on the first day. You could laminate it as well if you wanted. It would make a nice rembrance for the parents and might make them feel better about sending their children off to kindergarten!

We made our OWN ABC book. I have a digital camera (or you can borrow someones or even just use a regular camera) and we discussed things/objects in our room and school that started with each letter. Then the kids took turns getting their pictures taken with these objects. Once we printed out the pictures, we used ABC letters and words and construction paper to decorate pages with our pictures and letters and words. Each kid can decorate a page if you want. Put it all on heavy paper (tagboard) and then laminate and bind.

Then you can read your own ABC book during circle time and the kids love to see themselves in a book. It makes a real connection and they are involved in the learning process.

Instead of doing all the work in school, you could send home a page and a letter with each kid and assign them a letter. Have them and their families take their pictures with at least 2 objects that start with that letter and then make their page at home, decorate it, and then return it to school when its ready. You could take turns sending home a disposable camera or a polaroid camera.

I used the digital camera in a reading program I tutored in. The student was allowed to use the digital camera to take there own pictures around the classroom or school. They then put the pictures into some sort of sequence and wrote their own stories or poems to go along with the pictures. The students loved using the camera and even the students who hated to write wrote very creative stories!

I send digital cameras home in my literacy backpacks.

Each backpack contains a stuffed animal, a picture book with a character that corresponds to the stuffed animal (ie: stuffed lion with "Leo the Late Bloomer"), a journal and a pack of crayons.

Students read the picture book and write an entry in the journal about what they did with the stuffed animal (these poor animals have been to the grocery store, soccer practices, family dinners...). They use the cameras to document the adventures of the animals, then we do a writing assignment using the pictures.

I have three backpacks that rotate among the class. The students and parents absolutely LOVE them!

As the culminating activity of our unit on weathering and erosion, my students divide into groups. Each group takes a camera and walks around the campus finding examples of erosion and taking pictures of them. When the pictures are developed, each group writes an essay on the various types of erosion they found on the school grounds. They discuss what probably caused the erosion and make suggestions as to how the problem can be solved. They use their photographs as illustrations. Now, in the day of digital cameras, this project is much simpler. All groups can use the same camera and photos can be printed out using the computer. If you are really industrious, the entire project can be done using multi-media. I love this project because it gives the students an opportunity to apply the concepts they have learned to an authentic situation. Higher level thinking!!

I use it at field trips, field day, parties and many other special occasions. I print pictures to put at the writing center, and the kids write about the picture. I'm thinking that this year, I will put pictures from the whole year on CD's, make copies and either give them to the kids to take home at the end of the year or sell them as a fund raiser to buy other things for the classroom. I am fortunate to be in a school where I can check a digital camera out from the library. They also have a photo printer in the library, and I can order rewritable CD's and the school will pay for them.

We walked around the school in small groups armed with cameras and looked for fractions occuring in our school. Each child had to find one scene to capture with the camera. Another group stayed in the classroom and created their fractions with classroom materials. Example- 10 pencils. 9 were yellow and one was red. Then the small groups would come to our computer and insert their picture. Each child then inserted text boxes to type in the fractions. Example- 9/10 of the pencils are yellow. 1/10 of the pencils are red. 9/10 + 1/10= 10/10 They could choose the fonts and colors and such... they used word art to add their names. They loved it! We also do one using multiplication.

After reading the book mentioned in the other post, why not take your students on a Geometry Walk around your building? Take a pad of post its and each time a student sees something that looks like a familiar shape, write it on a post it note. When you get back you can make a bar graph of these items. You can add to it as children think of other things they saw or use every day.

You can also take a digital camera along on your walk and take pictures of various children standing in front of, behind, next to, to the right, to the left... of each item they see. Then you can make a class book about your Geometry walk and put sentences on each page. Example: Susie is standing to the left of the flag. The flag is a rectangle.

You can make the book fill in the blank to make it more interactive.

We have done both of these activities with first and second graders and they loved it. Also helps kids look at the environment more carefully.

1. Out of foil or foil wrapping paper, make kisses. Get the class roles of teachers to cut and have as the papers. These kisses could be large enough on which to display children's work.
2. Combine the idea of hearts with health...Display healthy snacks, exercise tips, and include a stethoscope so kids can hear their heartbeat...
3. Love theme...create love stationery...a simple form ,perhaps, to write about who or what and illustrations Who loves you baby?
4. Create a cut out of hearts, or candy...Large enough for a child's face to peek through(a hole). Photogragh kids with a digital camera...Let's face it ...we're adorable!

that the school purchased for me with technology money and I take pictures of the kids from the minute they walk into my room on the first day of school to them leaving me on the last day of school. I have a bulletin board called something like look at what we do all day or some such thing...I've forgotten exactly what I wrote but anyway all year long I put up our pictures....I just print them out on regular old paper...I don't use photo paper....and the kids absolutely love it and show themselves off to anybody who will look...at the end of the year I take some for my memory book and give the rest to the kids to take home.

And I even caught my principal admiring the class on the board so it helps others to see what's going on when they're not there...

One of the teachers at my school showed me a cute idea on Friday. She took pictures of the kids on the playground - hanging on the monkey bars, on the slide etc., cut them out, and them made a large cut out of "Jingle Bells". She put the pictures of the kids hanging from the letters, or sliding down the letters, laminated it, and then put it up. It was so cute -- I was sorry that I didn't think of it, even though I don't have a digital camera. You might try this idea.

I take apicture of each child evey month. I have the children make a handprint each month. For Sept the kids make apple trees with their hand and for October they make a ghost with their hand and Nov a turkey etc..... We make a calendar memory book and give it out at the end of the year for each child. I also add other pics of the kids doing activities and during events, trips, celebrations. It comes out adorable. I also make classroom books with the children's pics like we made a book called Teacher Teacher, who do you see? Each child pic was in the book.

I use my digital camera a lot at school. I use it to take pictures of the kids to put in the hallway in frames they decorate (they love seeing themselves). I also take pictures of the students doing different activities. Sometimes I put these up, but if nothing else, I have a great file of pictures to pull from when it's time to submit pictures for the yearbook.

I use our class photo on thank you cards for people who volunteer in our classroom.

When I student taught and subbed, preschool and some kindergarten teachers had taken pictures of the items in the classroom that the students used and then posted them where the item belonged.

In one classroom the teacher had taken pictures of restaurant signs around town....one picture for every letter of the alphabet and used them on her alphabet/word wall. It was so neat!

This is just a few ideas. I hope it helps. I am finding that the possibilities with a digital camera are endless (at least for me anyway).

I made a bulletin board using a picture of my class from last year wearing sunglasses and the title was, "Our Future is so Bright We Have to Wear Sunglasses!" and then I added great big sunglasses from the Dollar Tree all over the board. I got LOTS of positive comments on it. If you have a digital camera, you could have the board all ready to go, and then add the picture after the first day.

I have a permanent writing bulletin board with a black and white picture of every child, framed in rainbow colors. I switch out their writing throughout the year and keep the photos. (You could just have it be a place where they hang art work or drawings that THEY choose to display... could be different projects for all kids)

I also have little headshots of every kid on cards and then used them to create a birthday picto-graph.

I usually insert one photo on each newsletter, as well as making them into movies for my classroom website.

Since you teach pre-k, it would be awesome if you could create a game with laminated cards of each student. They could match names with photos like memory.

If you have a digital camera this will work in time for Christmas. Well "one hour" photo would work too I guess.

Cut out the word JOY from green poster boards. Make the O large enough for a students face to fit into. have the J and Y joined to the O. Have each student put their face in the O and take a pic of them in the word JOY. Print these out and then cut around the word (it works better if you use a computer to enlarge the pic just right.) and glue on card stock, poke a hole, add a ribbon and POOFF. a great present. ornament. Write theyear on the back and it is a keepsake too.

If you have acess to a digital camera take a picture of each child. Then take depending on the age cupcake wrappers cut out center put picture in middle then have a vase or stem. They look so cute in the halls and parents love them. You can also do it with a bee pattern and say we will bee have until the last day of school with their faces in the bee. Darling parents and staff love them.

Jan

Is there someone with a digital camera who could take a picture of your class? There is great iron on paper at Office Depot. You could send the iron on paper through the printer with a picture of your classs on it. A great original idea and a great keepsake for the student as well. I think the iron on paper could be spendy - but what if everyone chipped ina dollar or two. Just an idea. How fun!

Hi! Seating charts are always nice to have, but it doesn't usually bother me if there isn't one. I did have one teacher that actually took a picture of her class with a digital camera. She then wrote the names on the students so that I could match the face with the name no matter where the kids were in the room. That was very helpful! I do work in the same school 95% of the time, so I'm sure part of the reason I don't find charts essential is the fact that I'm already familiar with the children. Unless the teacher actually mentions a seating chart in the note, or unless they have one out on their desk, I typically let the children sit where they like. During morning work I always move one or two desks right beside where I'm sitting and explain to the children that these are my "special seats". When students begin to act up or talk out of turn I move them right beside me. This has been very effective in my experience, and that generally takes care of the problem. Students that sit there lose the right to read or do something else of their choice if they finish early. I have extra worksheets that I bring or I give them some sort of writing assignment to do. They also lose their recess and they are the last person to leave the room on the way to lunch and specials. Hope this helps!

and lots of picutes of my kids throughout the year. I create a memory book for each child. Each picture i take of a child goes into their photo album and on the opposite page they write about what they are doing in the picture. It is then placed inside the book. The parents loved them this year. The kids could not wait to take them home.

I once did an assembly with my class that was amazing! Parents wrote in to the school to let the admin. know how much they loved it.

I downloaded the song "Angels among us" by Alabama. I also had my students take a digital camera around the school taking many, many pictures of staff and students. We put all the pictures in a powerpoint presentation and timed it to the song.

At the very beginning of the song (before the chorus), there is a "speaking" part...kind of like a story is being told, during that part of the song, I had my students draw pictures to represet the story told. I scanned those pictures and put those in before all the photos.

It turned out WAY better then I ever expected. The staff and students were in awe as they watched the presentation on a big screen. Many staff members were really emotional.

It was beautiful....staff talked about it for weeks to come....

This depends on whether or not you open house is before or after school starts. Our school held both. If it is after school opens, you should involve your students as much as you can and use the resources you have. For example, if you have access to a digital camera and printer (most schools have these on hand), get pictures of your students' faces. Then use these faces pasted on life-size cutouts of the students to decorate the walls, or sit them at the students' desks. On the bodies, you can have the students draw clothing and details or write messages for their visiters to see. They can also describe themselves and their likes/ dislikes. The pictures can even give you an opportunity to teach the children about taking pictures themselves. Under your supervision, they can take each other's pictures and be responsible for taking care of the camera. If there are mistakes, they are easy to fix!

A mural is also a great decoration- either made by the students or yourself. It can be used to show what the classroom and activities mean to the students or what they have to look forward to when they begin the year with you. Good luck!

In the preschool that i worked at one of the teachers had a digital camera and took individual pictures of the children for different holidays like Christmas, Mothers Day and fathers day.

For Mothers day the children planted flowers in little flowerpot then when it was time to send them home they made paper flowers with the child's picture in the middle on craft sticks and stuck them in the flower pots.

You can also take first day of school pictures and make crayon or pencil frames. Use craft stick to make the frame them glue on crayons or pencils that you cut to size. Send them home with the childs picture in them.

You can also make christmas frames and take pictures of the kids with santa hats or antlers.

You can also take pictures of the children on the first day of school save them in a folder them towards the end of the year take another picture and the kids can see how they have changed.

Also if you decide to do a slide show at the end of the year ( if you have camera software to edit photos you may be able to make a slideshow on that) a cute idea would be to collect baby pictures and but the childs baby pic next to the present pic.( you would need a scanner for this though) and you could put it to a cute song about growing up.