What?
This week we are learning about digital cameras and how we can use them in our classrooms. We are also learning about how we can encourage creativity and learning through technology and the use of digital cameras. We read a couple of articles that discussed this in the classroom and the experiences that the teachers and the students had.
So What?
How can I apply what I have read and learned during this week to my classroom as a teacher? I have seen some of the advantages using digital cameras has in the classroom. It is amazing how much can be done with just using a digital camera and the enthusiasm that the children have in being able to see what they have created. It not only helps them with their creativity and being able to bring the experiences to life through pictures but it also helps them to become more comfortable using the computer which will help them in the years to come. As a student this information is helpful to me for several reasons. One of the reasons is because I am still learning how to use the camera and then being able to download the pictures onto the computer. During this week's assignment and next week's I will learn how to be more confident in using my camera and putting the pictures to good use instead of just staying on my memory card which is what happens a lot. As a colleague I can use digital cameras and the pictures for team projects such as scavenger hunts for the students to teach them different concepts such as healthy eating habits, the food groups, or shapes for example.
This technology will be very helpful in my classroom. I know that each student learns differently and I know that some of my students will be visual learners. Using a digital camera to get them to use their imaginations or to understand a point that I am teaching might be exactly what they need to fully understand something that they wouldn't have understood otherwise. The same goes for students who learn better through moving and doing hands on activities. They will also benefit from these activites using digital cameras.
Now What?
This technology means that my future students will be more comfortable using a digital camera to take meaningful pictures rather than pictures of things that aren't important because they will be using the pictures to create something that is important to them. They will also be able to use basic digital photo software for projects and that will help them out while working on projects as well as in the future they will be one step ahead of many other children their age. It enhances their creativity which I believe is very important in a well rounded student because it helps in reading, writing and even math. It helps them to think out of the box.
This information will open up a whole new world to these children as well as to me as the teacher. It encourages us to see the things around us in a different light. I plan to encorporate the use of digital cameras into my classroom. I hope that the school that I teach at will have access to cameras for the students. I really think that any projects that encourage the students to do hands on work and to work in a team is going to be beneficial. I plan to have the students write stories using pictures that they have taken and also to divide them into teams and have each team work on a topic and take pictures that support that topic that they are given. An example of this might be to have one group take pictures of things around them that have to do with fractions or another group could work on taking pictures of things that are healthy for their bodies. Then they can share what they have gathered with the rest of the class. They can also use the pictures for projects that they are working on in groups by using Google Docs which means that they can have access to the information and pictures from home.
This information will help me to become a better future teacher because I will know how to use the digital cameras and the software to its full potential. One of the articles that we read gave some great tips on what we can do to always be prepared so that we can snap pictures at the perfect moments and so that we can use the digital cameras to enhance the teaching that we are doing. It will also allow me to create assignments where the children can be active in creating something that can be shown to their parents and other students and they can be proud of the work that they are doing.
Learning about digital cameras and what they are capable of doing will help me not only as a teacher and colleague but also as a mother so that I can be more creative with the pictures that I take of my children. This is important information that will help me to become a more well-rounded person both at home and at school. I look forward to learning more about digital cameras.
Video Reflection
The first video was short and to the point. It was Top Ten Things You Do Not Learn About Teaching in College. I enjoyed the video because it was funny but also so true. I liked how they used David Letterman's Top Ten Countdown list that he uses on his show but changed it up to talk about what what no one tells us to prepare us for teaching. It was fun to see "real" teachers giving the countdown. It made fun of the difficult things about teaching such as not calling in sick to work because it's easier to go than to prepare sub lesson plans or that the difficult kids never get sick. I enjoyed it!
The second video or set of videos were interesting. I wasn't quite sure what we were supposed to learn from it but as I watched the videos I started to understand a few things. First of all, if we are working well as a team and each doing our part, every thing flows and can "create great harmony". Also, the section called "About" was interesting because the person that created the videos explained how he put them together. He didn't know the people in the videos instead he searched youtube and found things that could go together. He used many different resources to create amazing music none of which was meant to go together. We can do similar things with the many resources that we have as teachers. We can combine different techniques or resources to teach concepts to our students through the access we have through the web as well as UEN and youtube to mention a few just as the gentleman did when creating the music videos. We need to make sure to take full advantage of everything that is out there for us to use.
No comments:
Post a Comment