Weekly Post - Digital Cameras

What?
This week we learned about digital cameras. Our assignment was to get together with our team, come up with a concept to teach, and take pictures to teach that concept that will eventually turn into a presentation.

So what?
I love taking pictures, and I'm sure I will take a lot of pictures as a teacher. I think this assignment opened up my eyes to how I can use my camera for teaching! I usually take pictures to document and assess, but now I can teach by taking pictures too. I think this assignment opened my mind to come up with creative ways to teach concepts.

I think pictures will be a great tool in my teaching career. Not only are pictures fun to look at, but they are especially important for visual learners. I know because I'm a very visual learner - I have to see to learn. I don't really gain anything by just hearing the information. It is important for me to use a lot of visuals because I want to teach preschool and most preschoolers can't read yet. With the access to a digital camera, a computer, and a printer, I have a great tool to create my own visuals.

Now what?
Instead of trying to find clipart on the internet, I'm going to try and make more of my own visuals by using my camera. I love pictures and taking pictures (I pursued a photography last year) so why wouldn't I think to incorporate photographs into my teaching. I would love to cover the walls in my classroom with pictures of teaching concepts that are fun for the kids as well as the kids in the classroom and the activities we do.

I would also, if I had the resources, invest in a kid's digital camera that students could take turns taking home and taking pictures. Kind of like show and tell - they could take a picture of something they wanted to teach the class or share with the class, and when they would come to class the next day we would look at it on the computer ( and eventually print it out and hang it up) and the child could talk about it; this is a great activity for language development, which is important in preschool, because kids are excited to share what they know.

Video Reflection
The mashup was amazing - for lack of a better word. I wish I was so musically inclined that I could put together a bunch of different musical clips and make it sound like an actual song. Incredible. I also wish I had the computer technical skills to edit and compile all of those videos - that is something I would love to do (actually what I originally started going to college for - Computer Information Technology with an emphasis in Visual Technology.) I also enjoyed Letterman's Top Ten - all of them are so true. My favorite one is believe your students when they say they need to go to the bathroom - very relevant when teaching preschoolers.