Weekly Reflection--Whitney Anderson

Today in class we did a geometric scavenger search using digital cameras. This activity is very appropriate for students because it was fun, engaging, and meaningful. It helps students to apply their learning into a real world context. Shapes are all around us and should not just be studied out of a textbook. This activity helps them to find shapes in their immediate surroundings. It also gives them practice using cameras and learning about how to download, edit, and place them in a program. Comiclife was a very fun program that I think the students would just love. It was very user friendly and a great way to present their final work. I remember one day I was walking around campus and I saw a class from the Edith Bowen Elementary school out doing this exact activity. The students were having a blast finding an assortment of shapes. I never used a digital camera in school but I think that it would have been very fun and useful if I would have had the opportunity too. This activity was easy and wouldn't take a lot of preparation. We need to give the students opportunities to use these programs and to help them to see how technology can enhance their own projects and work. The digital camera can be utilized in many different types of projects and useful in helping students create their own images. It also gives them skills that they can use in personal use so that they will understand how to upload their own personal pictures. Overall I really enjoyed today's activity and will definitely incorporate the use of digital cameras into my future classroom and throughout my student teaching.