Using Digital Images in the Classroom

The Bull & Thompson article, "Establishing a Framework for Digital Images in the School Curriculum," from the May 2004 Learning & Leading with Technology described many positive uses of digital images in the classroom and explained the rise in importance of these images. Before the digital camera, it was costly to use cameras and film often, and it was also not as convenient. However, with today's integration of images in word-processing reports or personal websites, digital images can be used in classroom projects easier than their predecessors, and are generally less expensive because an infinite number of pictures can be taken and they never have to be printed, they can just be stored on the computer.

The four steps the article laid out of acquiring, analyzing, creating, and communicating with digital images are good starting points, and good guidelines for using images in the classroom. However, the analysis of the images must be the central aspect of the project; otherwise it is similar to putting together a scrapbook or photo album. The students will not fully understand why they are finding and using the images unless they understand the significance of the pictures. For example, in a history classroom, putting together a time line could be a fun and enriching assignment because students could find pictures from certain decades and explain what cues in the picture represent the decade it is from, and why. Thus, they are understanding the pictures rather than just using them.

The subject specific portion of the article was very helpful in providing ideas for uses of digital images in a history classroom. I see great potential for using digital pictures in a history class because it is often difficult to connect with the past, and using pictures can help bridge this gap, and hopefully make the subject more tangible. By providing images of who we are studying, or the period we are studying, I will help my students visualize the past rather than just read about it. In addition, the volume of primary sources available on the Internet is extremely helpful for analyzing history. Learning from primary documents and learning to analyze them is one of the major components of history, and with the resources available now it will be easy and fun to find documents, such as the Virginia Gazette from 1776, and read and learn about historical events first hand. The students will be able to get more involved with learning about history than ever before. One lesson I liked from the article involved giving students pictures from different time periods and asking them to put them in chronological order, and hypothesize about the date, and explain why they picked that date. These are only some examples of the potential of digital images in a classroom. They are a valuable resource, and I will incorporate them into my lessons to help students connect more with the material.