Creative, Active, Responsible Students in the Digital World 1 | Page 5

CO-FUNDED BY THE ERASMUS + PROGRAMME OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Chapter 1: Educational Articles by the Teachers Involved
in the Project
INTEGRATING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE CLASSROOM
Liceul Tehnologic “Octavian Goga” Jibou, Romania
By Melinda Nagy
School work and learning in formal teaching contexts may be regarded by many
pupils as irrelevant to their lives. Many pupils start to become reluctant to learn and adopt
disruptive behaviour in the classroom or drop out school. This has been an issue European,
national and local authorities are concerned about. The goal of this project is to make the
learning process more motivating, by reaching out the different learning styles and by
engaging them in the learning process in a way that is both appealing and nonthreatening.
Obviously, images have great impact on how society views a subject, so it makes
sense that they can make an impact in the classroom, too. By using a digital camera, teachers
can take advantage of the new technology and integrate photography into their daily teaching.
Schools have a vital role in teaching both visual and linguistic literacy. In an increasingly
image-driven society, developing visual literacy is indispensable. Digital cameras are tools
that can help students develop that competency.
When digital cameras are used in the classroom, it is important that the students are
not simply taking photographs, but are enthusiastically using the photographs for purposeful
knowledge which allows for engagement and active learning.
Ways of using digital photography in classroom:
1. Assign pairs of students to go on a walk through the school to find examples of geometric
shapes and take photos (circles, triangles, parallel lines, obtuse angles etc.) Or even better,
they search for people wearing geometric shapes, as photographs with people are always
more engaging.
2. Create a “School Rules” or “Class Rules” book complete with illustrations of acceptable
behaviours with students posing in appropriate activities.
CREATIVE, ACTIVE, RESPONSIBLE STUDENTS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
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