Technology Tools
ACTTT used a variety of technology tools to support its curriculum activities. The list below offers explanations of the kinds of tools used and offers tips to teachers about selecting and using the technologies.
Digital Cameras
ACTTT used inexpensive Kodak digital cameras during the testing of many of its activities. Guidelines to help you decide on the right digital cameras for your classroom use follow:
- determine who will be using the camera most often;
- learn where the cameras can be purchased and how much they cost;
- think about how easy they will be for children to use;
- be sure the camera has an optical zoom and a live view display (these are things you want!).
The Kodak cameras selected for ACTTT were available from local retailers, were small enough to be easily handled and operated by young children, and had a mode dial with an "auto" setting next to "off." The cameras had a resolution of 2.0 or 3.0 megapixels and a live view that allowed most children to view photos and delete the ones they did not want. In some cases, children with severe visual limitations had difficulty seeing the smaller image. The price of the cameras was important since we had a limited budget and, at $120, they were inexpensive enough that making them available for children's use did not create undue stress for adults. The cameras were equipped with an optical zoom feature allowing the children to stand at some distance and still get close-up shots of their subjects.
Attaching and using lanyards helped prevent accidental drops. The lanyards also made it easy for children to transfer possession of the camera. The self-talk during this exchange sounded like, "turn it off; take it off; hand it off" as use of the camera went from one child to another.
On some cameras the "auto" setting was easy to recognize by its green lettering and on all the cameras the "off" setting was lettered in red. This made using the cameras easy for non-readers. When the children turned on the cameras, they turned them to green and they were ready to go. When the children were finished taking pictures and ready to stop, they turned off the cameras by turning the dial to red. If the cameras did not have "auto" labeled in green it was easy to use a green permanent marker to color the "auto" setting. This proved an important no-tech adaptation to some cameras. Early in the year and when first using the cameras, the youngest children were overheard helping each other by telling their friends to "turn it to green" or "turn it to red." After they became familiar with the camera settings and the language associated with the cameras, the children no longer used color words but used "auto" and "off" in their directions.
While there are many camera brands that work well, the Kodak used during the project proved to be an excellent choice for early elementary classrooms. The inexpensive and easy-to-use Kodak cameras were rugged and dependable and continued to work after being thumped, bumped, and dropped. The value in having digital cameras dedicated to classroom use was demonstrated by the children as they became adept at independently connecting cameras to computers, downloading their photos, and incorporating their digital photography into photo albums, slideshows, books, mindmaps, presentations, and podcasts.