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Lesson 1

Digital Camera Use and Photographing Around Campus

Materials:

A digital camera (I like to use the Sony Mavica with the students), diskettes, and photo editing software (I used Microsoft Photo Editor).

Background:

I like to use a Sony Mavica with the students, because of the versatility. I find it easier for the children to just pop a floppy disk into the camera, take the pictures, then pop the disk into the computer. This is much easier, faster and flexible than downloading.
This lessons starts out as a whole group activity, but I later send the students out in small groups to take the actual photographs that will be used in the projects.

Objectives:

1. To familiarize the students with the parts of the camera, its use and care.
2. To get a collection of plant photographs for future use with several projects.

Estimated Time:

Half an hour discussion indoors, half an hour practice outside and several days where you send the students out in groups to photograph.

Vocabulary:

Camera, lens, strap, shutter, zoom, telepphoto, eject, slot, button, power, focus, aim, view, playback.

Procedure:

1. Talk about photography...history...reasons for photographing something, etc.

2. Show the camera and talk about care and safety:

always put the strap around you neck
hold the camera when you walk, don't rely on the strap
hold the camera with your hands when you bend over, etc.
keep the lens cap on when not in use
don't pull the camera out of somebody else's hand
etc.

(I talk about the price of the camera and tell the children that they might have to replace it if they break it. This seems to help the children be more careful handling the camera)

3. Point out the parts of the camera and their use:

the strap
power button...turn on and off
lens cap...protect the lens
zoom/telephoto...to take close ups (get more details) and to fit more into the picture
the play/record switch... record to record (take) a picture and play to view the photos
slot for the diskette
eject button...to release/pop out the diskette
shutter button...to take the picture

4. Take a picture...show the procedure:

put the camera around your neck
take the lens cap off
turn the power on
make sure it is on record
insert a diskette
aim/focus on the subject and zoom in or out
depress the shutter button
switch to play to see the photo preview
switch back to record
eject the diskette
turn the power off
put on the lens cap

5. Have a few students practice in front of the class while the rest of the class is making sure they follow all procedures correctly.

6. Practice on the playground. Let the students take turns photographing each other. This can be done at PE time. The subjects can show off their skills for the photographers. (We had a lot of fun posing and trying out different things with the camera). I do not have my students practice turning it on and of nor inserting/ejecting the disk, I focus on centering the subject, zooming in or out and taking the picture. These other photo skills are practiced on follow up sessions.

7. Follow up independent practice...in small groups send the students out to photograph the plants around campus. Explain the limitations before letting them go (how far can they go, etc.). An alternate to releasing the students unsupervised is to do this at PE time when you can keep an eye on them from a distance while working with the rest of the class. (I was lucky enough to have volunteers from the community help every so often, but most of the time I had to learn to trust the students on their own)

Assessment:

The student should be somewhat familiar with the parts of the camera (lens, lens cap, disk, power switch, etc...)
The student should be somewhat familiar with photography terms (zoom, field, view, frame, center, background)

The student is successful if he/she produces a floppy disk with photographs of plants.

Resources:

Garden sites

Kids Gardening http://kidsgardening.com/

Gardening For Kids http://geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Glade/3313/

Kids Gardening Resources http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/county/smith/kids.html

KinderGarden http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kindergarden/kinder.htm

Kid's Valley Webgarden http://arnprior.com/kidsgarden/

Gardening for Kids.Garden Link Database http://gardeninglaunchpad.com/kids.html

http://mastergardenproducts.com/kidsgarden/

Plant Doctor http://plantdoctor.org/index.html

Growing a pineapple at home http://lofthouse.com/hobby/garden/pineapple.html