What are digital cameras?
Digital cameras are used for taking photographs. The camera captures an image and turns it into digital data. This can be seen instantly on the camera. If you don’t like it, you can delete it and take another photo. The data is stored on a memory card and can be easily transferred to a computer or printer.
Some digital cameras also take video footage, with or without sound. Digital camcorders record moving images and sounds. These can be turned into movie files. Some camcorders take still photographs. Digital cameras are also built into other devices, such as mobile phones and handheld PDAs.
How digital cameras are used in school
Digital cameras are a powerful tool for illustrating work across the curriculum and for recording events and evidence. For example:
• in PE, teachers can use video to check if children are doing an exercise correctly
• in music, students can record and review rehearsals before a performance
• in science, photos can illustrate the stages of an experiment.
Photos and video footage are often used as part of coursework and projects. More experienced children can use video to capture their own animation sequences, and then complete the process by recording their commentary.
Children often take cameras when going out of school. Back in school, they can create a presentation to share with classmates and staff.
“The [school council] took pictures and made little videos that they could bring back and show the whole school, rather than just the select few.” Ayloff Primary School
Benefits of digital cameras
One of the big benefits is how easy they are to use. Even very young children can use a camera to take a still photograph. Digital images allow children of all ages to tell their own stories.
They will decide what pictures they want to take and tell you why.
Digital cameras have many other benefits too, including:
• being relatively cheap
• making it easy to change and reproduce work
• recording, sharing and celebrating achievement
• creating a portfolio and lifelong record of school life.
Digital cameras in practice
Students at John Cabot Academy used video recordings to review their high jumps in PE. Without it, students had no idea what they looked like or how good their technique was. Seeing themselves on screen made it much more engaging and real.
They could also compare their jumps with professional athletes and improve their technique.