USING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS AS TOOLS FOR INQUIRY, DISCOVERY AND INDEPENDENT FIELDWORK

Google Earth, Celestia, and Starry Night are just a few applications that have changed the way that some professionals are teaching their students in the Earth and space science classroom. Like SMART Boards, LCD projectors and GPS units, the aforementioned applications are powerful tools for inquiry-based and traditional pedagogical approaches to middle and high school instruction. As fantastic as this new technology is, many school districts are not equipped to efficiently utilize the latest and greatest in software and hardware. Thankfully, there are simple, affordable and effective alternatives for the teacher who wants to purposefully integrate technology in the classroom. One alternative is the usage of projected digital images.

An adequate digital camera can be obtained at low cost. Although LCD projectors (and their bulbs) are rather expensive, they are becoming more affordable (a television monitor could be used in lieu of the LCD projector). Combine these with a computer and compatible camera software (which typically comes with the camera) to easily project images of geologic features or atmospheric phenomena. This arrangement is perfect for school districts with limited funds for large purchases or those that have insufficient bandwidth to run sophisticated applications.

Some might perceive the usage of projected digital photographs to be a repetitive act of “show and tell,” but when approached properly the images can spawn thought-provoking questions that lead to exciting discussions and student initiated fieldwork. A photograph of a local glacial pothole, for example, can be projected with the purpose of having students hypothesize about where and how this feature originated. Students could compare this pothole to other circular geologic features to determine if they formed from the same or different processes. Sometimes, these classroom discussions lead to student initiated field photography. This affords the students a chance to project their own images and to lead their peers through a question and answering session. The possibilities are endless, as further investigation can include comparisons of processes that link the branches of Earth and space science.