Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning

I remember being in middle school and having a phone with a camera on it made you the coolest person ever. When I got my phone in 8th grade, it had to have a camera on it. Now I have an iPhone and I use the camera at least weekly. Not only do I use the camera but I also use the internet and social media platforms. The data corresponds only to 18-24 year olds, but assuming that this data can apply to the younger generation, that means that the students I will teach will either own or have access to a cell phone. The rule of "No cell phones allowed" will need to be changed. Instead of banning cell phones, we, as teachers, need to find ways to incorporate cell phone usage into our lesson plan. With information at the tip of their fingers, we need to control the flow of information. Make sure that they are using their cell phones to benefit their experience in the classroom. Distractions are not far with apps so students will need to learn the time and place to use certain apps inside the classroom. However, you can easily argue if students can access the internet through a laptop or a tablet of some kind, why do they need their cellphones? Cell phones could be seen as just another distraction in the classroom.

Cell phones are good for mobility. Inside the classroom students will have access to computers, iPads, smartboards, each other..etc, but outside the classroom what do they use? Cell phones. Cell phones allow teachers to move the classroom outside of the classroom. Students can take notes, record audio, record videos, take pictures, research information all with the press of a button.

Assuming all my students will either have a smartphone or a tablet with a camera opens up so many doors. I could create a scavenger hunt for an art museum and let them take pictures with the answer. We could do an art project where they see just how much they change over a year by taking a picture of them every day for the whole school year. We can put together a time lapse of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. For more ideas check out Using A Digital Camera in the Classroom.