Digital Cameras

I read an article called “Using a Digital Camera in the Classroom” it was written by Deborah Duncan. The website I found this article on is http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~toh/image/DigitalCameraUses.htm. This was a great article about the many ways you can use a digital camera in the classroom. This article had ideas for all subjects as well as for librarians, field trips, and many more. One of my favorite ideas is “elementary teachers (K-2) can use a digital camera to create an ABC book. Working in groups, students are assigned a letter of the alphabet. They complete the phrase "__ is for ____." Using different manipulative (cereal, marshmallows, legos, colorful paper cutouts, candy, game pieces) they form the letter on 3' X 3' pieces of colored paper. The kids can add interest to their letter using colors or makers. Then take pictures of their creation. In MS Word or Works, insert the picture and their chosen caption under the picture. You can then bind the book for the class. If you take pictures of each student at the 1st of the year, at Christmas and around the end of the year, you can send these pictures home to the grateful parents. At the beginning of the year before you send the pictures home, you could put the pictures in a notebook so you can learn the student's name and put them on the board so the other students can learn each other. You can play games with them almost like flash cards to learn each other's names. Use them when you study the 5 senses, for sight scan their picture, distort them and then have the student find their face.” I really liked this idea because the kids could learn a lot from this and still have a lot of fun.
Before I read this article I did not think it would be very easy to have a digital camera in the classroom. Now I see there is so many ways to use the technology while teaching any concept. I would defiantly love to have a digital camera in my classroom. I think that it is a great way to get students engaged and motivated in their learning.