Syllabus | Intro | Menu Settings | Taking Photos | Storing & Viewing Photos | Editing Photos
Enhancing, Emailing & Presenting | Printing | State Standards | Classroom Ideas | Software Links | Glossary | Assignments | Resource Links

Digital Cameras for Teachers

Syllabus

Course Description

This course is a hands-on clinic on how digital cameras may be used in the classroom by both students and teachers. Topics covered will include choosing and maintaining a digital camera, printing using photo printers, downloading pictures into a computer, how to perform simple photo editing tasks, importing into documents, emailing and uploading to web pages. Teachers will be able to integrate the use of digital cameras into their classroom, including project ideas and lesson plans, as well as fulfilling state standards.

This course may be taken as an undergraduate or graduate 1 or 2-credit course.

Course Objectives

    The student will demonstrate competence in the following areas:

    1. Choosing a digital camera
    2. Pixels & image resolution
    3. Image compression and file formats
    4. Memory media, lenses and batteries
    5. Digital camera menu settings
    6. Framing a photo: How to take a digital picture
    7. Transferring images to the computer
    8. Cropping, optimizing (preparing for email) and combining images
    9. Color, contrast and brightness adjustments using image editing software
    10. Storing & viewing images
    11. Printers & photo papers; the fade factor
    12. Ideas for use in the classroom: Importing into documents, presentations, or web pages
    13. Achieving state standards using digital cameras

10-Lesson Outline of Instructional Activities & Assignments

Lesson 1
 Introduction to Digital Cameras
How a digital camera differs from regular cameras. Choosing a camera. Pricing, feature sets, and manufacturers. Megapixels, image resolution, memory cards, and batteries.
* Assignment: Print or download the following document to list what features you want and three cameras that would fill your requirements.

Lesson 2
Digital Camera menu settings
Basic menu features on most digital cameras, plus some advanced feature sets.
* Assignment: Choose one camera feature you don't know about and explain what it does

Lesson 3
Taking photos
How to take a good picture.

Lesson 4
Downloading, storing and viewing images
Different ways of getting the images into the computer. How to access, store and view images. Types of cataloguing and imaging software.

  • Lesson 4 Assignment: Download a picture into a computer or printer

Lesson 5
Simple Photo Editing
File Formats. Basic photo editing tasks, including cropping and resizing, enhancing color, brightness and contrast, and combining images. Free software available on the internet.

  • Lesson 5 Assignment: Use an editing program to make at least 3 adjustments to a digital photo

Lesson 6
 Enhancing, emailing and presenting images
Adding text, filters, edges and frames; importing an image into a document or presentation; optimizing (resizing) a picture for emailing.

  • Lesson 6 Assignment: Use an editing program to add text, filter, edge or frame; import into a document or presentation, or send a resized picture via email.

Lesson 7
Printers and printing
Photo printers and how digital cameras work with them. Photo papers and inks.  Easy printing alternatives in Windows XP.

  • Lesson 7 Assignment: Print a photo out on photo paper using the printer's digital camera settings.

Lessons 8 & 9
Classroom ideas
Teachers share digital camera classroom projects.

  • Lesson 8 & 9 Assignments: Create a lesson plan detailing how you would use digital photography in your classroom.
  • For graduate credit, submit at least two lesson plans (they may be Lesson 1 & 2 of the same unit) and give a mini-lesson to your colleagues on how you would present your material.

Lesson 10
State standards
How can digital cameras be used in the primary and secondary classroom? How can these projects be used to meet state standards?

  • Lesson 10 Assignment: How could a digital camera be used in your class curriculum? Write a one-page overview of how digital imaging could be useful across your curriculum. Email it to the instructor.
  • Graduate credit: Describe (in writing) how your project can be used to fulfill state standards. Use the "State standards" link above to access different standards resources, whether it is in technology across the curriculum, or by subject. You do not have to look up all the standards links! Choose one that you think would work with your curriculum and then tell how your use of digital imaging would fulfill that particular standard.

Software Links

Glossary

List of Assignments

Internet Resource Links

Grading

This course will be Pass/Fail. Assessment will be competency-based. Written work will include development of an in-class project and lesson plan. Students may elect to attend classes depending on credit desired (one or two hours of credit). Graduate students will be required to present their lesson in class and describe how projects will fulfill state standards.

Digital Cameras for Teachers

EOU Malheur County Center (541) 889-7468 or (541) 889-6222

pjrkennington@yahoo.com

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