Summer+Technology+Institute+2012

=Photography as a Learning Tool=

As a facilitator, bringing your own passions into the classroom not only can engage students, but spark new interestes, perspectives and relationship with students. I have always enjoyed taking a snapshot of a moment; a place, person, event, object, feeling, and documenting it in an artistic manner. Therefore when given the opportunity to expand upon my interests with photography and implement them into the classroom, I jumped at the prospect!

I took two workshops during the 2012 Summer Technology Institute involving photography as learning tools, both by an educator named Larry Cassis. His similar interests and experience in teaching high school biology was inspirational.

Workshop #1: VR Photography
Our first workshop involved learning how to create panoramic photographs. The concept being you take multiple (slightly overlapping) photos that eventually circle back to the same image. Add to this a "top" and "bottom" photo and you complete a spherical world from a 2 dimensional medium.

By using panoramic photographs (VR photography) we are no longer limited and bound by physical restraints. We are able to explore the world from our computers and the use of the internet. However, why not take a virtual tour of another place, examining the culture. Or, have students create their own panoramic photograph and let their peers explore their created environment. One consideration when using this tool is not just the outcome. Certainly we should encourage students to take reflet and evaluate the finished product (be it something they created or or explored), however, we must emphasize the journey in collaboration with the "final destination".
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Unfortunately, and as with any new technological hobby equipment is necessary and can often be pricey. I've included a link below that has a range of equipment with a range of prices. As educators our creativity can be restricted by budgets. Panoramic photography can certainly involve some pricey equipment, however, there are also many ways to circumnavigate these cost limitations. If you do not have a tripod or panoramic adaptor, "hand held" shots can be obtained with the same result (some practice may be involved). Similarly, the editing process requires specific software that is capable of stitching your shots together. You can purchase these programs from various vendors, or a cost efficient method is simply to use trial versions. PTugi is an excellent stitching software that offers trials. The tradeoff is a watermark on the finished product, but the result nevertheless demonstrates the concept of panoramic photography.
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On the photo you'll find a link to Nodal Ninja website who provide multiple services, tips and equipment.
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[|Larry Cassis] not only gave explanation of how to use panoramic photography in the classroom, he also showed us [|finished products] that we were able to explore to get a better feel for the tool. His website has many examples of how a virtual tour may work and gives some explanation on what equipment he used. Similarly, exploring other sites can lead to utilizing various "tours" in classes.
 * __Exploring and becoming comfortable:__**

If you are interested in discovering methods to create panoramic photography the internet naturally provides a plethora of information. [|Fromparis.com] has great instructional videos and tips that can guide you and your students through creating these projects with little time contraint.

Workshop #2: Water quality and photography
Our second class with Larry Cassis had specific utilization for using photography and video features in a biology or science class. Our class created video clips of water insects from a local pond and implemented them into powerpoint presentations. As a class we used digital media to explore invertebrates under the microscope, that was then projected onto the class screen.

Until now, students in a science class have usually each had a microscope and were instructed to find parts, structures, and creatures and so forth. [|Examples]
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