Creating the Connections
Session plan 3: Getting images
Time
2 – 2 ½ hours or 3 - 4 for language students.
Aim
Students will take photos in and around their place of learning, download, name and save them into newly created subfolders.
Preparation
§ Check ICT requirements are still in place (see Getting Ready).
§ Check that student and teacher storage devices and folders are still accessible.
§ Organise access to digital camera(s). Make sure you are familiar with the basic features of a digital camera (see Teacher Info: Digital cameras).
§ Make sure software is installed for downloading photos from a digital camera and that you are familiar with how the software works.
§ Organise access to a scanner, if necessary. Make sure you are familiar with how it works.
§ Upload the supplied photos for editing from Gallery.
§ Prepare a selection of photos and other images for scanning practice. Possibilities include photos and brochures about the institution where students are learning, images from Gallery or images from a copyright-free website (see Web Links).
§ Read the Teacher Info: Project Portfolio to be sure of the purpose of storyboard as a planning document.
Procedure
15 minutes / Introduction: Using own images
Reintroduce the trial project: Our Learning Centre / Our TAFE (or other suitable title) / Teacher Info: Copyright / Explain the trial digital story to students and that as well as using skills practised in previous sessions, this trial story will introduce them to some new ones.
Explain that when they do their community project they will plan what photos they want to take before they go out, but in this session they will take the photos first and in the next session they will plan what to do with them.
Raise awareness of the impact of strong visuals, and value of using your own photos, e.g. exactly the picture you want, copyright- free.
Brainstorm and discuss possible photos for the trial digital story. Refer to the need to ask permission before taking someone’s photo.
10 minutes / ICT skills: Prepare folders for images
Students create subfolder(s) inside student folder created in Session 1. / Student Handout:
How to manage files: Subfolders / Tell students they will need a subfolder to store their photos. Demonstrate the process of creating a subfolder. Stress the importance of naming the folder so that it is easy to locate later.
Referring to the handout if necessary, students make and name an images folder. Students can also make other subfolders, e.g. for storing music files or scripts. Encourage peer mentoring.
20 minutes / ICT skills: Using a digital camera
Demonstrate how to use a digital camera, e.g.
§ Zoom
§ Taking portrait and landscape shots
§ Flash
§ Reviewing pictures
§ Deleting pictures. / Teacher Info:
Digital cameras / This could be a peer-mentored or teacher-led session with practice time.
1 hour
(Possibly concurrent with next step) / Project and ICT skills: Digital photos
Students work in their teams to:
§ take photos around their learning centre
§ download photos into their subfolders and name them
Note: Depending on the availability of cameras, it may be necessary for teams to take turns in going out to take photos around their place of learning (Student task: Digital camera). Those remaining in the room to wait for their turn can practise the skills in the next step – editing photos and/or finding images on the internet and/or scanning images – depending on needs, interests and available time.
Note: It is not essential that all the skills in the next step are practised in this session as they are reintroduced in later sessions or could be left until the need arises when students are completing their community projects. / Student Task:
Digital camera / Students work in teams to complete the Digital camera task. Encourage students to take more than one of each type of picture so they have choice later, but set a limit (e.g. 20) so that the renaming after downloading is not onerous.
Students must ask permission before they take the photo of the staff member. Stress that they must return in time to download the photos and choose the ones they want to use.
Students may need help from the teacher and/ or peers to download their photos. Remind students to name their images carefully so they can easily retrieve them. Remind them to use the subfolder folder they created earlier.
40 minutes
(Possibly concurrent with previous step) / ICT skills (a): Editing photos
Students practise how to edit photos using the editing tools in Photo Story 3 or the more extensive Microsoft Picture Manager.
and/or
ICT skills (b): Scanning images
Students practise scanning images.
Note: Existing photos of the students would add interest, and something associated with the trial digital story (e.g. a brochure) would be relevant.
and/or
ICT skills (c): Finding images on the internet
Students practise using the Search function to find images. / Photos for editing (from Gallery)
Student Handout:
How to use Photo Story 3
Student Handout: How to use Picture Manager to edit a photo
Student Handout:
How to use a scanner
Student Handout:
How to search for copyright-free photos
Teacher Info: Copyright / (a) Editing photos
Explain to students that the photos for their digital story may look better edited. Tell them the location of the sample photos for editing and to import them into the program you have chosen to use (i.e. Photo Story 3 or Picture Manager). Depending on their language and/or literacy levels as well as their learning styles, students can either follow a teacher-led or peer mentored step-by-step demonstration or read and follow the Student Handout: How to use Picture Manager to edit a picture or Step 4 in the Student Handout: How to use Photo Story 3.
(b) Scanning images
As with (a) editing photos, students can follow the steps in Student Handout: How to use a scanner or practise after a demonstration or oral instructions.
(c) Finding photos on the internet
Students read and follow the steps in the Student Handout, or follow a teacher-led or peer-mentored step-by-step demonstration before searching for photos of their choice. Students save photos, appropriately named, in their images folder.
5 minutes / The next session:
Students will plan and make their trial digital story.
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