Creative Uses for Digital Cameras in the Classroom

compiled by Kathleen Carpenter, Editor in Chief

1. I use the camera to take pictures of each centers to make signs.
2. I take pictures of the students doing the item written on the chart. For example when we make a poster about what to do when you are finished, I write it and take pictures of a student doing each item. When we did a lesson and made a chart showing how to do partner book talk, I took pictures of students doing each of the rules.
3. For our daily schedule I took pictures of each of our activities.
4. When we made a book about what they wanted to be when they grew up I took a picture of each of them, cut out just the head/face and they drew the rest of the picture.
5. I use a group shot as the backgroud picture or screen saver on the classroom computers.
6. I use photos in my classroom parent newsletter. Parents love to see their child's picture.
7. I made a powerpoint/hyper studio presentation for open house using many of out photos.

Our kindergarten class does a "Pet Of the Week" project where we put a chart out in the hall of each child in our classrooms. We leave them up for four weeks so at any given time there are four charts in the hall by each kindergarten room. This year I took digital pictures of the children close up and they colored a body and I added the photo of their head. I also took pictures of the children doing various things in the room to add to the pictures the parents had sent from home for the chart

Another way I use the digital is to take pictures of special events throughout the year as well as the ordinary daily things we do in the classroom. I do this until about the middle of March. Then I assemble a photo album complete with captions and it gets sent home with every child before the end of the year. Posted by Itchk

I have used a digital camera for several years and would be lost without it. This year I wrote a grant and was able to buy a digital camera for my students to use. I got a Sony Mavica because it uses floppy disks and is easy to use. It has an LCD screen so the students can easily see what will be in the picture. Each child has his/her own disk. They are thrilled to be taking their own pictures of block constructions, art work, friends, teachers etc. I run off their pictures on the top of paper with lines at the bottom and they "write" stories about the pictures. It has been very motivating. I also took pictures of each child with a parent on the first day of school and made it into a book. This has been a favorite all year long. I often email pictures taken in class to parents so they can see what is going on since many of my parents work and don't get to school very often. I am working on an ABC book now where the children make the letters with their bodies. We are having lots of fun and the digital camera makes it easy to check and see if it is good picture right away. Have fun with your digital camera!!! Posted by SharonNOLA

I do many of the same ideas listed below and love my camera. I got it as a present this year and have taken pictures almost every day. Some other things I use pictures for is on my website and to add pictures to my portfolio.

I am toying with another idea that we have done with personal pictures and I may try it with classroom photos. We have a program that allows me to set the pictures to music and put on a CD. I am thinking about making a CD of our year (sort of like the scrap book idea) putting it to music, and burning it on a CD. I did that with home pictures and they came out really cute. I thought it would be fun to show that CD to parents at the end of the school year, maybe at our end of year program. Then I can give each parent a copy of the CD. Blank CD's only cost 25 cents a piece when bought in bulk. Posted by Jean

One thing I do at the beginning of the year is take each child's picture. I use a pocket chart and label both sides. One says "we are five" and the other side says "we are six" I place their pictures under their age and when they have a birthday move their picture to the appropriate age. This keeps the children excited about moving the picture when they have a birthday, reminds me who the "youngest" children are, and keeps them from arguing about who is older. Posted by Missi

I am the digital camera queen of the school. I talked the school into buying Sony Mavicas because they use floppy discs. That makes it very easy for many people to use the camera in one day. The camera doesn't have to be downloaded using special software before it is used again.

Try these projects:

• Place pictures of the students (cropped close) for backgrounds of their autobiographical poems.
• Have the class look for geometric shapes and take the pictures and make a book of shapes and angles.
• Have the students do a powerpoint presentation using their own pictures they have taken.
• Take the camera on the field trip. Make a collage of the students having a great time and have the students sign it as one thank you card from the class.
• Use Kai's Power show to make a quick slide show of the even the kids just participated in or even to show the grade that is raising money for a special field trip.
• And this year I'm going to try really hard to take pictures at our three day outdoor camp and email them home to my hubby who will make a slide show to be shown to the parents as they wait for the bus to come in. That’s ambitious though.

I take pictures with our Sony Mavica from day 1: Students arriving from the bus, on the playground, in the classroom. Pictures are put on display the first parent night which is usually the second week of school. throughout the year I use webshots, a computer, and a large screen TV to display the kids and faculty. It’s a great motivator, especially during basketball and football seasons. School assemblies, Christmas programs are recorded and parents can view them anytime.

We use the camera in computer class to help with science projects, science fair, power point presentations, building student web pages etc. Submitted by Troy