How to Use Digital Cameras in the Classroom to Teach Science
Science is a very visual subject. Much of what students learn in science they deduce through what they can see. Digital cameras are engaging tools that can be highly useful in science class. By incorporating the use of in-class digital cameras throughout the year, science teachers can allow students to create a permanent visual record of their observations. These tools are also highly engaging as students frequently delight in snapping pictures of science-related materials and incorporating those pictures into their reports and projects.
Instructions
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Use the cameras at the beginning of the year. On the first day, take each student's picture. Download the pictures and print them out. Allow students to cut out their heads and glue them on the body of a figure clad in a lab coat, establishing themselves as a scientist. Ask students to write about what they want to study in science and display their writings and lab coat figures around the room to establish motivation.
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Collect pictures of nature. Much of science focuses on the study of the natural world. At the beginning of the year, before the bright leaves of fall give way to the stark winter weather, take students outside and allow them to capture pictures of natural elements about which they are curious. Post the pictures around the room and have students write questions next to them, such as, "Why are leaves green?" As you move throughout the year, answer the posed questions.
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Engage in extended time-lapse photography. The practice of time lapse photography allows for the recording of slow moving events through pictures. In traditional time-lapse photography, a picture is captured every couple of seconds or minutes. While this practice isn't feasible, you can engage in a similar practice. Set up a plant in your classroom and position the camera on a flat surface. Put a tape line around the camera location, ensuring that you return the camera to that same spot daily. Snap a picture of the plant from that spot each day. After you have collected pictures for several months, upload the pictures and scan through them quickly. If you watch carefully, you will be able to see the plant change right before your eyes.
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Create an experiment book. Students often greatly enjoy participating in science experiments. Use the digital camera to record their reactions to experiments as you move throughout the year. Assign a student photographer, or take it upon yourself to record the events in photographic form. Once you reach the end of the year, have students create a book using these pictures. Ask them to add captions to the pictures to explain what they were doing and put explanations of what they discovered. Print out copies of the book and give it to the students so that they can remember the great time they had in science class.
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