Digital Cameras for Teachers
Introduction to Digital Cameras
Digital cameras are by nature useful tools for teaching .Not only are electronic gadgets fascinating to students, digital cameras can assist in developing skills in visual communication—the ability to understand and produce visual messages. Often this visual communication can be combined with text, numbers, and sound for expanded multimedia communication. Digital cameras themselves come at all price ranges and feature sets, and can be adapted to all ages, skill levels, and subjects.
For some pros and cons on whether you should take the plunge, consider the following:
The upside:
The downside:
- Digital images are instantly available to view, delete, or send to a friend
- Images can be easily copied, saved and stored
- Although quality digital cameras are more expensive than quality film cameras, the cost of film and developing over time can prove more expensive than memory cards that can be used over and over again.
- Digital cameras can be adapted to all skill sets and age levels
- No ongoing processing costs other than photo paper and ink cartridges
- Images can be used in nearly all subject areas
- Images can be cropped, enhanced, and edited to your specifications using photo editing software
- Images can be emailed, uploaded to web pages, and inserted into documents or presentations
- Images can be stitched together in panoramas or collages
- Images can be used in limitless ways: student databases, albums, greeting cards, t-shirts, web galleries, business cards, calendars, etc.
- Digital cameras are just plain fun!
- The high initial cost of a digital camera when compared to a quality film camera
- The quality of the images, especially below the 8 megapixel range, is not comparable to pictures you take with a 35 mm camera
- You have to take care of the downloading, processing, editing and printing yourself
- The learning curve of new concepts and skills associated with digital photography
- The necessity of keeping batteries recharged
- Shutter lag and memory lag: The time delay the camera needs to a) configure the shot and b) save the shot to memory. If you do any sort of candid or action shot, this time lag may prove unbearable. Newer cameras have addressed this, and higher-end cameras usually are not as sluggish as low-priced ones. Burst mode or continuous-capture mode (sometimes at lower resolutions) can also be used to address this problem.
Choosing a camera that is right for you (click the links for more information) :
Digital Cameras for Teachers
EOU Malheur County Center (541) 889-7468 or (541) 889-6222
