Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning

A recent study by Zogby Analytics reports several interesting findings regarding young people aged 18 - 24:

1. 87% say their smartphone never leaves their side. 2. 80% say the very first thing they do in the morning is reach for their smartphone.
3. 78% say they spend 2 or more hours per day using their smartphone.
4. 68% say they would prefer to use their smartphone instead of their laptop or personal computer for personal use.
5. 91% say that having a camera on their smartphone is important (61% very important)
6. 87% say they use their smartphone camera at least weekly. 59% use their smartphone camera at least every other day. 44% use their smartphone camera for still or motion picture taking every day.

Cameras were added to smartphones starting in 2002. The first iPhone also had a camera. It became available in June 2007. Seven years later there are over 1.75 billion smartphones worldwide. (Source: emarketing) This means that 24.1% of the entire world population (7.263 billion as of 3:32 CDT 9/27/2014 - Source: World Population Clock) now has a smartphone. Your students will have lived all their life in a world with smartphones containing cameras.


Part A

The implications of this information for education, school, teachers, and learners is that information is more readily available than it ever has been. But not only that, there are more distractions than ever. Everyone has a smart phone these days and those smart phones bring things like Facebook, Candy Crush and Instagram to the palm of anyones hands. Which means the students will be trying to use their time for things other than learning. It's going to be one of the problems with using technology in the classroom in the future as kids get to the age where social sites are used more.

As I said before it is also a good thing and we should encourage the use of the readily available information in the hands of our students and teachers. While using a smart phone is class is usually forbidden, these days it can enhance the learning of a student. It can also help a teacher, especially when a student asks a question you can not answer. We can look it up quickly and gain a little information ourselves. I personally think this is a tool for learning, as long as we can keep an eye on the type of applications the students get on while using this tool in class.


Part B

As a teacher, knowing that just about every student in my class has a camera in the palm of their hand almost 24/7 as it is, I would use this to my advantage. I would set up picture scavenger hunts that goes along with the lesson or unit. They could find things in their community to go along with different projects. They could also use it for an art project. There are so many uses with a camera in all the hands of the students. As far as math goes, my worst subject, I would have a hard time coming up with a project with a camera. Unless we were working on geometric shapes or something. I'd love to use it with any type of nature unit, they could seek out the different types of plants and trees, or animals. There are so many different ways to use a camera to further education in our students lives and learning.

Blog #8

This weeks assignment was to watch Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. Randy Pausch was a professor (and much more) at Carnegie Mellon University. He gave his last lecture on September 18, 2007. This was title his last lecture because he was literally given 3-6 months to live from about 10 tumors growing in his liver. He is an amazing speaker and seemed like he was an amazing professor and person.
This assignment was to think about what we can learn about teaching and learning from him. After watching this lecture, there are no words. It was over an hour long, but it kept me engaged the entire time. His teaching methods as a professor was almost purely Project Based Learning, fitting as his specialty was virtual worlds and building them. He gives so much great advice through out the video that I can not go into naming them all. The only advice I could possibly give to anyone is to take the time to watch this lecture. He speaks about achieving childhood dreams, not letting the brick walls stop you from what you want (they are there to stop those who don't really want the reward) and about his legacy he will be leaving behind. He throws a twist in at the end, but it was one of the most engaging hours and enlightening hours of my life. It's worth the butt numbness!

C4T #2

Pernille Ripp
Ms. Ripp is now a 7th grade reading teacher and is also the founder of the Global Read Aloud Project. She has written 2 books: First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.

Post #1
The first post I commented on was from September 25, 2014 and was titled, So What Has Actually Been Working - 7th Grade Readers Workshop. It was a great read! She went through explaining things that have worked in her new experience as a 7th grade teacher and what she has had to tweek from her last year as a 5th grade teacher. She had several great ideas I plan to use for the future (according to what grade I end up teaching) and I also added her to my PLN. She has great insight into being a teacher and just great personal insight as well. I was very impressed my her writing and enthusiasm.

My Comment
Hi Ms. Ripp! My name is Sabrina and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in the EDM 310 class. I was assigned by my teacher, Dr. Strange, to read and comment on your blog. It’s part of gathering our PLN and also getting to see what real teachers are going through and learning from them. Your blog was the perfect one! I am studying to be an Elementary teacher, but I loved your ideas of choice and encouraging the 10 minutes of reading at the beginning of the class. That is something I feel would work great if I am teaching 4th grade and up. It’s a great way to get the class calm before digging in. I know as a student that always made me a little stressed out or wired when we just dove in.
I am assigned to comment next week also, so I am excited to dig deeper into your posts and see what awaits. I will also be commenting on it next week in my own blog, here. I am also going to start following you on Twitter, because I think you have some great insights and would be a valuable addition to my PLN. Again, thank you and I hope you have a blessed day!



Post #2
The second post I commented on was from October 11, 2014 and was titled, The Forms I Use, Readers Workshop In The Middle School Classroom. It was very interesting. She talks about the way she keeps track of her classroom and how she uses self-assessment with her 7th grade students. She uses a binder for each class, each student has their own tab and she keeps records on each one. (old test scores, what she has noticed about them daily and a checklist of how they are improving and their self-assessments) I really like this idea and will probably implement this in my own classroom.

My Comment
Hi Mrs. Ripp, this will be my last comment on your blog. I've really enjoyed reading the your posts and insights. I like the process you go through in this post about keeping up with your students progress. I think I am going to use this in my own classroom, when I finally get there. I love that they have their own tab and you give them self-assessments. I think that is important for them to begin so that later in their life they can continue to assess themselves and grow as people in their careers. Again, thank you for your insights and good luck in your future endeavours.

Project 9 TT2 Group 10

Blog #7

This blog assignment was to watch several videos from kindergarten and first grade teachers in Gulf Shores and Daphne on how they are using technology in their classrooms. It was absolutely amazing to see these students at work on their iPads researching, making virtual webs and boards and recording themselves reading. I am a firm believer that children are not given enough credit for their comprehension of the world of technology and learning. My daughter is my proof, but the resources these teachers were using are things I never learned about till I was twice these students ages!
One teacher, Mrs. Ginger Tuck was using the iPad in the reading center for her kindergarteners. They were recording themselves reading and playing it back to see if they made mistakes. Then she was using an app called Poplet to basically build a web on their iPads to save information and pictures on the unit they were learning about that week. Mrs. Tuck was also using the Alabama Virtual Library, which I never thought about having a special place/ page for elementary students, but it does. It is simplified, of course, for their use and shows them pictures, articles and videos. The best feature I think there is about this is that the page will read the introduction to the student so they won't have to ask what all the larger words are.

I love the ideas that these teachers have, if only I can be so lucky as to work for a school that has the ability to provide such things for my classroom. Which leads to the other parts of the assignment, listing my strengths and weaknesses of teaching technology and how I can get myself ready to do just that.
My strengths would have to be:
-I am a fast learner with new technology
-I love to learn new technology
-I am creative and can explain things easily
-I use technology daily and try to stay up to date with it
-I know that children are capable of so much more than we know


My weaknesses would have to be:
-I can get ahead of myself easily
-I am not very organized with things on my computer (though it is a work in progress)
-There are things about HTML that I still don't understand or remember
-I am the sticky note queen due to my memory
-I am a procrastinator, even with technology


Getting ready for the future of teaching through this technology is going to basically be a lifestyle change. I will have to make myself hold my work and learning to a higher standard so my students will get the best of me as their teacher. I know that many things will change in the next year and a half before I make it into the classroom, but I will have to stay on top of learning it all so that I am not teaching an old way of doing things. The last thing I want is my students looking at me and wondering if I even know what I am doing. I want them to be excited about learning, research and technology, since their futures will include more than my school career ever did.

Project #8 - Book Trailer

Blog #6

After watching the assigned conversations between Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps, we were asked the question "What did you learn?".
Personally I found the conversations interesting. Especially since we are hearing it from a third grade teacher who has been in the classroom a while and also remembers what it is like to be in our shoes as students in college. Anthony made some interesting discussions with Dr. Strange on the subject of Project Base Learning and I realize that even though I liked the idea at first (but shut it down), I don't understand it completely. He described it as if it wasn't as hard as I first thought. I was scared that it was way more work than the traditional teaching methods, even though I love projects.

Anthony also makes great points in the discussion about technology, he says "Don't teach technology, use it." Which I completely agree with. Children are much more capable than they are given credit for. I know this personally because I have a 7 year old daughter who can use an IPad and the computer just as well as I can. It is something that will only integrate itself further into the classroom as time moves on and we as teachers need to include it, in some shape or form, in our lessons. It is a great way to open the world up to our students.

The video conversation they had on the Anthony-Strange list for new teachers was a good insight for a teacher just starting out. These were the points I picked out over the video:
1. Be interested in being a learner
2. Let your work be fun
3. Be prepared for surprises in the classroom
4. Be flexible in lesson plans to achieve the end result
5. Aim for 100% student engagement (Even though you may not achieve that)
6. Use reflection in your lesson plan for the students

Anthony also adds in one last note regarding your lesson plan. He says start with your yearly plan. Make sure that your map encompasses the entire year and getting everything the students are supposed to learn into that map. Then move on to your unit sizes. Make sure each unit has a fair enough time, so that your yearly plan doesn't need much adjusting. After that comes the weekly plan, what you are going to teach each week in that unit. Which comes to the last part of the map, the daily plan. He says each piece is as important as the other, but to make sure that every piece is a stepping stone to the next and not a plateau or a leap. Which I think is great advice.