Using Digital Photos in the Classroom
Following the success of his intial article 'Using PowerPoint Interactively in the Classroom', David Rayner concentrates on using images to encourage the development of a variety of skills within the classroom.
In this feature, David provides step-by-step guides for beginners using PowerPoint. Teachers are shown how to choose their own images, use them in a number of image-based activities and turn them into a flexible resource.
Why use digital photos?
One of the most important benefits of having access to new technology in the classroom, whether it is a digital projector or the full-blown interactive whiteboard (IWB), is the ability to bring an almost endless variety of images into the classroom. Instead of being stuck with small textbook images, already annotated, teachers are able to choose their own images and use them as a resource in a wide variety of ways.
Using images in imaginative ways encourages a number of obvious and less-obvious skills in the classroom. This article suggests a number of image-based activities which teachers can try, varying from the very simple to the more complex. None of them, however, require more than basic IT competence.
Sources of images
I would encourage you to carry a digital camera with you as often as possible. Small pocket digital cameras are quite capable of capturing good quality images that are excellent for classroom use. Whether you are a geographer following a river from source to mouth on a fieldtrip or a languages teacher walking around a town in France, click away and you will gradually build up a large collection of images over which you own the copyright.
'Images generate a lot of interest and discussion relating to your subject'
If you are not interested in building your own collection of images, then there are a large variety of sources available online. You should at all times, be wary of copyright restrictions when you download images for your own use. For those people that are very cautious, go only to those sites where there is a clear ‘copyright-free for educational use’ statement. A selection of such sites is listed in the following Word document.
Word file: List of weblinks with free images
Using images
If you have an IWB in your classroom, I would recommend choosing an interesting image for your computer wallpaper, so that whenever the computer is idle, the image shows on the whiteboard. Change it regularly and you will find that these images generate a lot of interest and discussion relating to your subject.
Your students start to look forward to your next image and this can lead to comments such as 'Mr Rayner, you haven’t changed your laptop image for over a week now!' Over time, try to collect interesting/quirky images that will both excite and puzzle the pupils.
A simple slideshow
If you wish to use a set of images to produce a slideshow, then you can use a variety of software packages. PowerPoint works fine and allows you a high degree of control over such things as the timing and the transitions between slides.
If it suits, you can simply show the images in a set order by clicking the mouse on each slide when ready to move on, or you can set up the slideshow with automatic timings. These sorts of photo slideshows are suitable for introducing a topic or as a simple starter to the lesson where you just want some photos as stimulus material. Examples of each of these first two formats are shown below.
In terms of the tasks that you set, it is important that the pupils are encouraged to observe and think rather than just admire the images as they come up. The first presentation is a simple slideshow advanced by mouse clicks. It contains stunning images from Britian's coastline.
PowerPoint file: Using digital photos in the classroom 1 - around the coast
The second presentation is a simple slideshow with automatic timed advance. See how the use of vibrant colours in your photos brightens up your lesson.
PowerPoint file: Using digital photos in the classroom 2 - fruit
Navigating around the slideshow
If you want to do something a little more adventurous, you will want to be able to move backwards and forwards in the slideshow or show random photos. The former gives you more flexibility if you are using the photos as the basis for discussion and the latter allows you to use the photos for all sorts of games and interactive exercises. Examples of each of these two formats are shown below.
The third presentation is a simple slideshow with buttons to move forwards and backwards.
PowerPoint file: Using digital photos in the classroom 3 - flooding river
The fourth presentation is a more complex slideshow which allows you to jump to random photos and back (with sound effects).
PowerPoint file: Using digital photos in the classroom 4 - random images
Using random images
The random slideshow used in presentation 4 can be adapted in many ways to provide a useful tool in almost every subject. In a languages classroom, pupils could be asked to choose a number and give the French name for the shop or speak a sentence about the shop.
In geography, such random images can be used to get pupils to identify landforms or to speak about the physical processes shown in the images. In maths, it could be used to generate random equations for pupils to solve.
Note: These kinds of photo presentations can be silent or can be livened up by including sound effects or music. Presentation 4 includes sound effects which are added to the Autoshapes (speech bubbles) when you right-click and choose Action Settings. Untick Play Sound if you prefer silence!
Adding sound
If you want to add music to the presentation, it is relatively straightforward to do. However it can cause complications when you play the PowerPoint presentation on a different computer from the one that it was created on.
'There are many benefits to encouraging the pupils to create photo presentations of their own' - David Rayner
Large music files (the majority) will be linked to the presentation rather than embedded in it and so you must be careful save the PowerPoint file and the music file in a special folder and then copy the whole folder when you move it to a new computer e.g. from home to school.
This is a good habit to develop when you start to create increasingly complicated PowerPoints – put the PowerPoint and any associated files into a specially named folder and move everything at the same time.
In order to add music, choose the first slide and click on Insert, then Movies and Sounds and finally Sound from File. Choose your music file from the menu and click OK. An icon will appear on the slide. Right-click the sound icon and choose Custom Animation.
On the right of the screen you should see the name of your music file with a drop-down menu. Click the drop-down menu and choose Effect Options. You can then adjust when you want the music to Start Playing and when you want it to Stop Playing. Click OK to save any changes.
The fifth presentation is an automatically advanced slideshow with background music. Notice how the addition of music creates mood for the presentation.
PowerPoint file: Using digital photos in the classroom 5 - fruit and music
Alternatives to PowerPoint
There are now several alternative programs available to create photo presentations. Two of these are available as free downloads from Microsoft – Photo Story 3 and Windows Movie Maker. The latter can handle videos or still photos but Photo Story 3 is designed to use just still photos. In both cases, there is no steep learning curve and the end-products are very impressive.
Photo Story 3 starts by asking you if you want to ‘Begin a new story’, ‘Edit a project’ or ‘Play a story’.
If you choose ‘Begin a new story’, the wizard leads you through the process. Essentially, you do the following:
- import the photos that you want to use from a folder on your computer
- sort the photos into the desired order by dragging and dropping them into position
- add text to the first photo to create a title page or add text to all photos if you wish
- preview the presentation to check that it looks good – the programme automatically adds the transitions and effects but these can be modified if you wish
- add a music track to accompany the presentation
- save the project so that it can be edited at a later stage if necessary
- create the finished video file – it is worth choosing the Settings option and creating a high resolution option which plays better on a large screen IWB. Most files are relatively large (around 5-10MB) and can be played in Windows Media Player or similar software.
The sixth presentation is a Photo Story 3 video file.
Video file: Using digital photos in the classroom - Floods
Creating successful learners
Finally, I would add that there are many benefits to encouraging the pupils to create photo presentations of their own. The skills involved in researching and selecting suitable images, in cropping and editing them where necessary, in deciding on a suitable order in which to present the images and in adding text where appropriate, encourage them to use technology for learning.
As well as providing an excellent focus for whatever topic you are dealing with in your subject, this kind of work generates a real enthusiasm and motivation for learning. The end-products are often very impressive indeed.
An added bonus is that many pupils these days are able to create their own images in their homes and the local environment using digital cameras or mobile phone cameras. If they do access photos from the internet, they should be encouraged to respect copyright where appropriate and acknowledge sources if known. This is particularly important if examples of pupil work are placed on to school intranets or school websites.
About the author
David Rayner has been teaching for over 25 years and has taught in a variety of secondary schools in London and the south-east of England. David has always had a keen interest in how computer technology and the use of ICT can enhance the teaching and learning of geography.
David comments:
'Digital projectors and interactive whiteboards (IWBs) have opened up a range of exciting possibilities that I would never have dreamed of a few years ago. I now regularly use an IWB to improve and enhance my classroom practice and very importantly, to bring a greater element of fun and enjoyment into lessons – I certainly have more fun!'
'Over the last few years, I have spent an increasing amount of time working with groups of teachers to try and share some of my ideas and experiences. I do this through the two websites that I run (GeoResources and GeoInteractive), and through school and conference workshops. In October 2005, I had the honour of being invited to work with a large number of Scottish teachers at the annual Scottish Association of Geography Teachers (SAGT) conference in Dundee. I must have done something right because I have been invited back to run further workshops in 2006!'
David can be contacted through either the GeoResources or GeoInteractive websites above or at:
Date posted: July 2006
Microsoft product screen shots reproduced with permission from Microsoft Corporation 2006.