Di-gi-tal

 I feel that when I am thinking or talking about technology in the classroom, I always have a picture of a computer in my head.  This week, I have been trying to think of other technologies that we could use in the classroom besides the computer. So, what are they?  Well, the one that I thought most about was the digital camera.  With this, we can document different things that happen in our classroom and all sorts of things we discover.  We can take pictures of things outside that we may have questions about and instantly be able to refer back to that picture while researching.  

In one class that I took last semester, we all created nature journals.  We were required to take pictures out in nature to go along with what we were documenting.  We also used them to track any changes that were happening with the change of the seasons.  I did a group project about fungi and mold and we took pictures of various items of food we set out as they molded.  It was really interesting (and gross!) to see through pictures, how much of a change there was and how long different foods took to get to a certain point.  What a fun science activity this would be to do with a class room.  It also got me thinking about what other processes we could document with pictures.  Maybe a plant growing, water freezing, snow melting, or tides changing.  

I am hoping to continue thinking about these types of things.  I feel that one of the best gifts a teacher can give their students is an idea that so many others ideas will grow from.