Digital Imagery

More and more we are finding teachers using digital cameras in the classroom to aid them in instructional methods. Digital cameras offer a variety in lesson plans and student participation. No longer are prints taken and then sent off to be developed with hopes that most will come back clear and usable. Now, prints are shown immediately, easily manipulated and only quality photos are printed. This makes including digital cameras into lesson plans fun and gives the teacher and students a chance to express a different level of creativity.

Students are benefiting from the use of digital cameras because they love to take pictures of themselves! It is this factor that makes lesson plans more intimate. Students are able to add graphics right on the camera, which saves them the trouble of scanning and then editing. This promotes time management and efficiency. Students can witness first hand the ease and lack of waste when printing their own photos.

With every new advancement, however, there are some concerns with using a digital camera in the classroom. First, is that they cost money and students need to have a clear understanding at the appropriate and inappropriate uses. It is suggested that the teacher organize a sort of training program for the students where they are taught exactly how to use it, what is expected of them and what will be considered inappropriate. The teacher may decide to test the students on the information and once they have passed they may then begin using the camera. Second, teachers should always be careful when taking pictures of students. Proper permission slips need to be filled out and kept on record. Some parents will strongly object to their child's photo being taken and it is the teachers job to know and appreciate those wishes.

There are a few suggestions offered to teachers in regard to bringing the digital camera into the classroom. First, don't be scared. It is no secret that in this day and age technology can be intimidating. If you are worried about your knowledge you can ask a student to help you. This will make them feel like an important part of the learning process. Second, start slowly. Introduce the camera much before you plan on incorporating it into a specific lesson plan. This will allow time for the students to get used to it and may prevent some experimental goofing around when it comes time for instructional use.

This article provided many different ways to incorporate the use of digital cameras into lesson plans. I am citing a couple of those examples below.

1. Give students a portion of a digital picture and have them guess what the picture is of. A great site with examples of this is: http://takeacloserlook.homestead.com/ - Paula Fleischer, Peachland Elementary.

2. Give students a list of items to look for in the classroom or in the school. They must take pictures and compile a presentation (slide show, web page, etc.) of the things they found during their scavenger hunt to prove they found them all.

3. Photograph places in the community (parks, libraries, etc.). Have students compile reports to go with the photographs and print a brochure about their community.

4. Take pictures during the day to give a photographic record of classroom procedures. Print the pictures out and post them so students can review the procedures as needed.

5. Have each kindergartner choose a letter. Then, go on a walk around the school or in the neighborhood. When the child finds something that begins with that letter, take a picture of the child with that object. Use the pictures to create a class alphabet chart.

I encourage everyone to check out www.wacona.com/digicam/digicam. There are many more wonderful ideas for incorporating a digital camera into your lesson plans!

vIRtUaL fIeLd TrIpS

Our Thoughts

Virtual field trips are useful cause anywhere that you want to take your students is possible. All it takes is a little imagination, and from there with some unique teaching it can be a really helpful process. Any and all experiences are possible and it can be done over days and weeks instead of maybe one day. So to me virtual field trips are great alternate to help in teaching.
-Paul Salvatore



Virtual field trips are the schooling technique of the future. I really enjoyed learning about them. One thing that really caught my eye about virtual field trips as apposed to regular ones is that you are able to go places like outer space or Antarctica. they are free and on normal field trips students would not be able to vi st places such as these. its was also very intriguing to find out that basically anyone could create there own virtual field trip. This I have to say is by far the most interesting topic we have talked about so yet.
-Kimberly Davis



Learning within the barrier walls of the classroom are not longer the case. Virtual field trips are now being used by teachers across the nation. They are being used to break the chains of traditional teaching. No longer are students confined to only reading about history or just hearing a teacher lecture to them about it. Now they are able to take virtual field trips back in time and stimulate what land mark events were really like. It forces them to take an active, hands on learning approach and information is given to them in many different aspects. Now students with specific learning styles are all able to learn the best that they can and this is the most important job for a teacher!
-Jennifer DeHetre


I feel that taking a virtual field trip is a great idea for teachers. Virtual field trips are designed to be entertaining and educational. There is no time involved in travel and no money that has to be spent. The website will provide the field trip and all you have to do as the teacher is make it fun! You can go practically anywhere when taking a virtual field trip, and they provide opportunities for new discovery to be explored in the classroom.

Many students like virtual field trips better than going on a field trip because they can do it at their own pace and aren't sitting in a room listening to someone with a monotone voice talking to them. Anyone who can navigate through computers can create a virtual field trip, even students. Students get excited to visit places that they normally would never be able to visit.
-Cassie Sanderson



I like the way this articles mentions the positives of a virtual field trip. No money, no hassles, its what everyone would love to have. Its also more useful than going on actual field trips because many students can't afford to go. Its nice for some students that want to learn and that are excited to learn about new places and they can go to them virtually. I also like that this article put links to where you can make your own virtual field trip. Its an effective way for students to learn about places without paying or stepping out of the classroom.
-Myrianette Figueroa


In the article, "Get Outta Class With Virtual Field Trips" by Sherril Steele-Carlin, she explains how virtual field trips take students out of the classroom without ever leaving the classroom. Virtual field trips (VFTs) also "provide opportunities for new discovery in the classroom."

A high school student named Emily gave her personal testimony about a virtual field trip being "better than listening to a boring speech about exhibits." Emily goes on to say how much she enjoyed the VFT because she could take her time looking and exploring. She wasn't rushed through each exhibit. This reminds me of my ninth grade field trip. We went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, DC. We were given a 4-page worksheet and told to answer all the questions by going to the exhibit and reading the information. The task was overwhelming and chaotic. I was so busy hurrying to get the questions answered that I was robbed of any learning. The trip was a chore. A field trip is designed to be learning experience, but if the trip isn't fun, you might as well forget it!

The article listed many links to existing VFTs. I went to one called The JASON project where the group's goal is to increase the learning of young students in the area of science and weather. They also offer online professional development, workshops, and coaching to teachers who want to be qualified to use JASON in their classrooms.

The article mentions software called Tour Maker that assists a user in creating a VFT in an easy, inexpensive way.
-Judith Hintz



Instead of having a classroom filled with restless students aching to get outside, why not actually a take a field trip? Perhaps your class does not have the sufficient funds available you say, then why not take a virtual field trip on the computer? The web provides the resources, you provide the fun. Virtual field trips have accompanied every grade level and are springing up all over the Internet! Trips range from the simple, such as a photo tour of a famous museum, to extremely detailed and high-tech field trips that offer video and audio segments to make the visit more interactive and allow the students to feel more involved. On a virtual field trip, you and your students can go just about anywhere on Earth -- or on out into the solar system. Any teacher, or student, who is even remotely computer knowledgeable can create a virtual field trip. It's as simple as taking a camera along when the class goes off on a field trip. Take plenty of photos, then upload them to your computer and add them to your class or school Web site. There, you've created your first virtual field trip. Teachers Education World talked and seemed to really enjoy using and creating virtual field trips with their students. Students seem to value them as a way to learn about places they might never get to visit. "I decided that the World Wide Web offered an excellent way to access these places, events, and opportunities," said Gary Gillespie, a Seattle teacher who has created a number of virtual field trips for his students. "Students can explore the sites and use the information and pictures for reports or speeches."
-Paige Knorr



I believe that the whole idea of virtual field trips(VTF) is awesome, this is the first time I have ever heard of a VTF. There are many pros to the idea of a VTF, yes it is cheaper for schools who cannot afford to provide students with actual field trips. Also teachers don't have to waste time and worry about all the preparation that goes a into field trip. All that is required is for the teacher to make up the VTF. Overall this idea is an more economical way to plan a trip, and can be more educational.
-Christopher Noe



Never having heard of a virtual field trip before, I found the idea to be quite interesting! This is just another brilliant example of how much impact technology has had on out education system in just the past couple of years. Just think, now kids can take virtual field trips to places like Antarctica, or Asia when they are studying Polar Bears, or Elephants. I don't about you, but when I was in school, a field trip to either of those places was unheard of. I think this is a great way for kids to really get out there and learn about places interactively, without having to hire a travel agent! =) Also, it is great for teachers because, although there are still precautions you must take when venturing into the Web, there are not nearly as many as if you were to actually leave the classroom. No bus arrangements, or lunchtime hassles, and the stress of losing kids is a simply unheard of.
The web page posted at the bottom of the post is a great informational source for all your virtual field trip needs, it even gives ideas on how to create your own virtual field trip!!
-Erin Fobb


VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP WEB PAGE

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech071.shtml

FGCU EME2040 Blog Five- Storyboarding

A storyboard is a sketch of how to organize a story and it includes a list of its contents. It helps find the “holes” that are in the story by identifying the resources needed to complete the story. You can consider putting video, audio, still photos, etc… in the storyboard to get a clearer view of the story. When breaking a story and making it into a storyboard, it must be “non-linear”. Storyboards are good for giving the person reading a story a clearer picture of the importance. You can also add other texts such as interviews and recordings.

Here are some steps we could all follow to make a rough storyboard:

1. Divide the story into its logical, nonlinear parts

2. Decide what pieces of the story work best in video

3. Decide what pieces of the story work best in still photos

4. Does the audio work best with video, or will it be combined with still photos?

5. What part of the story works best in graphics?

6. Does the story need a map?

7. What part of the story belongs in text?

8. Make sure the information in each medium is complementary, not redundant

9. Include interactivity, which gives the reader both input and control in a story.

An example that Judy gave our group on a storyboard is a story that her son’s class is reading, Maniac McGee. She wrote an example on how this story could be turned into a storyboard adding still photos, audio, video, graphics, and text.

A narrator could be the AUDIO for the lead (or nut) paragraph.

A STILL PHOTO could be used for the lead character and others in the story. The reader could click on the photo to listen about that character while reading along with the TEXT.

As Maniac McGee swiftly runs to the next place, a VIDEO could show him arriving at the baseball field or coming face-to-face with the thugs on the street where he doesn't belong.

GRAPHICS might include an INTERACTIVE MAP where the reader clicks on the area he/she wants to go. The link would bring the reader to a place where Maniac McGee is leaving home to begin his journey or to the place where he talks with the girl about borrowing her book.

These elements should be arranged in a non-sequential order. This way, the reader can control the way the story is told. The storyboard makes clear where the "holes" are so that the missing content can be included by using the most ideal elements for that missing part.

Since a storyboard does not require the hands of an artist, most students can use this tool in organizing a story.

With Judy’s example on how her son’s teacher can make a storyboard with the book Maniac McGee, it seems that many students will learn; although this article if this is an effective way for students to comprehend stories. From personal experience if I may, I have seen students learn effectively through storyboards. They comprehend what the story is about and what were the important things and what they didn’t need concern about. Audio, visuals, graphics, etc…are a creative way for kids to learn and be active and look forward to reading and writing.

Edited by mmfiguer

FGCU Group 5 -- Blogging 101

Using blogs as a learning tool benefit students, teachers, and parents. Students possess a natural interest in posting blogs. They have a boundless supply of topics about which to write and a large audience who can read them. Teachers facilitate student learning by incorporating blogs as a vehicle for good writing skills and as an outlet for student’s to express their ideas. Parents can be reassured their children are acquiring the benefits of learning through technology while being kept safe from inappropriate material through the use of protective software.

In the article, Blogging 101—Web logs go to school by Alorie Gilbert (November 7, 2005), the author reports that seventh- and eighth-grade students post blogs on a variety of subjects. Some topics are controversial like racism and abortion, and others are educational topics like AP calculus, music theory, and Mandarin. One 8th grader wrote this cute blog:

"When I Grow Up"
From "i am canadian," by G.W.
http://www.classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=7729

When I grow up, I'd like to be in the National Hockey League. You can make a lot of money playing in the NHL. Millions and millions of dollars. If I never become good enough to go in the NHL, I would like to be a lawyer because you can also make a lot of money doing that too, but if worse comes to worst, I'm going to be a bartender.

Gilbert’s article points out the impact on students of realizing they have the entire world as an audience for their blogs. Students from small schools and small towns recognize that their “little” voice actually turns out to be a “big” voice because of the vast number of possible readers. A fifth-grade teacher named Hillary Meeler finds that her students at J.H. Elementary School in Conyers, Georgia put forth greater effort in writing creative, grammatically correct blogs in hopes of encouraging repeat visitors to their site.

Teachers play a critical role in using blogs in the classroom. Will Richardson says blogs are “learning tools.” He is the “Learner in Chief” of Connective Learning and he has authored a book about using educational technology like weblogs, wikis, RSS, audiocasts, etc. in the classroom. He also gives presentations and training sessions to educators. Gilbert’s article explains how some teachers allow their student’s blogs to be read by anyone. Others carefully read each student’s blog and decide whether or not to post it.

Concerned parents want to know their children are safe. Blogging provides wonderful and exciting learning opportunities, but allowing open access has the potential to cause damage and be negative. Software is available to help protect children. MSN Filter and ePals Classroom Exchange are designed to block inappropriate material.

Pew Internet and American Life Project did a study and found there are about 8 million people who have created blogs since 2004. Technorati did their own study and estimated that every five months the number of blogs doubles.

In conclusion, students can use blogs to further their learning and expand their horizons way beyond the confines of their own classrooms. Teachers and parents should direct and monitor the student’s use of blogs to provide them maximum benefit and safety.