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Introducing
the Digital Camera:
Keep It Simple to Start
Today's cameras offer many elements and features, but the last thing you want to do is swamp kids with them right away. Stick to the basics in your introduction, and let the kids explore the more advanced features on their own over time.
The key elements to introduce are the on/off switch, inserting and ejecting a disk, the shutter button and the viewfinder. Depending on your schedule, you may want to introduce only one or two of those elements in a day, or all at once, but be sure to consistently review everything you've done before at each new introduction.
At this stage, you'll also want to introduce saving files to the hard drive
if you haven't done so already in another context. Here are some
tips for teaching about and with
technology.
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Try to get cameras that use 3.5" removable disks to store the images. That way, kids can take their photos and quickly move them to any computer, allowing other students to go ahead with the cameras. If you have to use a cable or a nonstandard storage device to transfer the files, you'll be creating more of a bottleneck by tying up both the camera and the one computer it connects to. Also try to get cameras that allow you to capture sound and short videos. |
| Step 1: |
First, review and re-model how to hand the camera to each other, as described in the article on teaching digital photography. |
| Step 2: |
Using the three-part pair-share process, demonstrate how to turn the camera on and off, and how to insert and remove disks. Remember to pass the camera as you modeled before, and make sure that all students do it the same way when they hand it to each other. Have them all try the on/off and inserting/removing the disk activity. |
| Step 3: |
Before moving on to the viewfinder, try this activity: Have all the kids take a sheet of regular white paper and tear or cut out a rectangle in the center, leaving a frame of perhaps 1.5" to 2" on each side. Demonstrate creating the frame first, of course.
The reason why you don't want to rush into using the viewfinder is that kids' natural reaction will be to use it to restrict their vision, and our goal is to expand it. If you have been using the camera throughout this process to occasionally take spontaneous pictures without focusing through the viewfinder, as described in Teaching Digital Photography, you've already modeled that the viewfinder is not the center of the camera.
Now have them walk around the room looking through the paper frames. Have them hold it closer and farther away from their faces, and talk about how the scene changes. Try getting right up close to an object, then backing away, all while looking through the frame. The principle you are trying to communicate is that we must think about what we are going to take pictures of and that we have to observe the "big picture" first. When we're too focused on the viewfinder, we can miss a picture. |
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Have kids try drawing activities before and while introducing photography. They're both about images and ways of seeing. Have them take the frames they created above and look around the room. Then have them draw just what they see through the frame, and talk about what's missing. |
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| Step 4: |
Now demonstrate the shutter button using the three-part pair-share process. Have the kids take a picture without looking through the viewfinder, just to get the feel of it. If you want, bring the photos from the disk into a computer and let the class look at them. Model the process of saving the photo to the drive, renaming it and opening it in PhotoShop or a similar program. Explain clearly, and remember that you'll be modeling this important process several times along the way. You might want to review naming files and file formats. |
| Step 5: |
Review everything you've done before, and introduce the viewfinder in the three-part pair-share process. Once everyone has tried it, give the class a simple assignment, such as taking a picture of their pair-share partner. Make sure that they first take their frames and experiment with them before taking the pictures. Have them save their photos to the computer, and make sure that you model this process again. |
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Try taping over the viewfinder until you're ready to introduce it so that kids don't focus on it sooner. |
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| Step 6: |
From here, you have two choices:
- You can go on to teach the techniques of basic photography.
- You can begin a basic introduction
to image editing by having the kids open their photos
in Photoshop or a similar program and add things like the
names of the people, a frame or other simple adjustments
you specify. This should take only one or two sessions because
it's merely to acclimate the kids for later work. You can
then work on the basic photography
techniques in the following sessions.
Both approaches are equally valid. The first gets you more quickly to the important
conceptual and decision-making aspects of photography, whereas
the latter gives the kids a more creative intermediary project
to take home along with a taste of what they'll be doing later.
Use your own judgment. |
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Having trouble with the flash being too bright in the room? Here's a trick for dealing with it before explaining more sophisticated concepts like lighting and autofocus. Simply hold one finger slightly over the flash to diffuse it. By the way, as the kids use the camera more and more, let them explore the additional features, introducing them yourself only when necessary. |
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Other Resources |
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A Short Course in Digital Photography
http://www.shortcourses.com/
Creator: Dennis Curtin
Notes: This site provides everything you need to know about digital photography: Reading it is equivalent to reading a book on the subject. It may give you more information than you want or need to know, but if you want to learn about a particular topic, you will most likely find it here.
Getting the Most From Your Digital Camera
http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/stories/main/0,5594,2412555,00.html
Creator: ZDNet
Notes: This how-to guide covers the basics of what to do once you have a digital camera. It discusses both photography issues (such as resolution) and equipment issues (such as batteries and cables).
Take Great Pictures
http://www.cnet.com/consumerelectronics/0-1629010.html
Creator: Digital Photography Center
Notes: This page includes a great series of links to tips for improving digital pictures. It describes how to take digital pictures indoors and outdoors, how to zoom, and more.
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