Images in the classroom

                                                       

 
What is there not to like about using images in the classroom? The ability to manipulate images to increase student engagement is easy to do for teachers as well as the students themselves. There is usually a program installed on each computer as part of the operating system which allows for basic manipulation of photos, as well as numerous online free to download programs and software programs which can be purchased.  Using images that the students have created themselves or are the focus of is the candy in the candy store. Images are very versatile pieces of data as they can be used in numerous ways within a wide range of classroom tasks.  Discussion can center around the difference of one image which has been manipulated to discussion of numerous individual elements within another particular image or both.  Photos of classroom tasks such as the construction of a lego city in a unit relating to community to photos taken while on an excursion enable students to easily reflect on the learning tasks and perhaps even see things in the photos, that they had not noticed while they were there at the time.  Photographing students while showing good behaviour and then screening as a slide show at the end of the day may help to reinforce the desired behaviours.  Another use is allowing students to acquire and add photos of their school community to a story they have written about their school, or an assignment relating to why their school is the best.  Using your own images or those of your students alleviates the concerns relating to copyright as they are your and your students own work, which is the most authentic.  Using your own images in the classroom does not require access to the Internet and if images are printed, it does not need access to a computer to observe.  One of the best features of making your own images on a digital camera is that it can literally be done by babies.  Anyone who can push a button can become a photographer and a creator of digital works.  There are also an infinite number of images and photos on the internet which are available for use in the educational setting which can enhance the learning opportunities.  Some image websites include Google images, flicker and taggalexy. This is a great resource as students will not be able to create images for everything they may require, such as an image of the heart or nervous system for a unit task on health.  Using images from online resources will require the students to be aware of copyright legislation and therefore require them to understand how to reference the works of other people.  Using images in the classroom will require students to interact with numerous ICT's but as a plus will not always require Internet access, which can be a barrier in some educational settings.