The art
of picture sharing has come a long way since the era of nine millimeter
projectors and inviting everyone over to watch the family slideshow. Back then, most people devised some sort of
serious illness so they could decline the viewing of the wonderful slides of
the camping trip to Yellowstone National Park.
Nowadays, picture sharing is possible with every technical device known
to man. Pictures and videos uploaded
through the Web 2.0 resource tool known as Google Photos has made it possible
for anyone to view memories made through pictures instantaneously or at their
leisure. This wonderful process is used
in social circles, personal family gatherings, classroom teaching and sharing,
as well as in the business world.
Walking
through the school hallways this past week, I was amazed to see so many
teachers utilizing Google Photos in their lessons. As I visited with several of the teachers
about their usage of the tool, I selected three of my favorite. Each one of these methods allows for the
users to be vulnerable to revealing things about themselves to others. The importance of learning how to speak in
front of others outweighs simple book learning.
For example, one of the speeches that the students at Immanuel have to present
to their classmates is an informative one.
Mrs. Zaragoza has special requirements that I had never seen and I have
a degree in speech. Each one of the students
must use Google Photos for their speech, but they are not allowed to use
personal photos. They must find a person
from the Bible who they align with in attributes and beliefs and tell their own
personal story through their eyes. The assignment
is titled, “The Day in the Life of __________." One of the students chose Queen Esther and
told her story about having to protect her own family members from death in the
middle of the Juarez crisis in 2008, when her father was being extorted. What an amazing assignment for the students
to use a Web 2.0 tool and learn the process of storytelling and public
speaking!
Mrs.
Corpus, our Marine Biology teacher, uses Google Photos for the students to
display pictures of a dissection of a shark in their photo journals. They upload their photos into Google and
describe the steps of the procedure that they completed in the lab. Our English teacher takes it a step further
for a writing assignment where the students use the same photos to write and tell
a story. This past week the students told their made up stories to their classmates,
while showing the pictures and the students loved it. For the teachers to work together and cross
connect different subject matter speaks volumes to me as an administrator. In my opinion, both Mrs. Campos and Mrs.
Corpus went the extra mile to engage the students in a digital way. People love pictures because they are
excellent visuals to aid in the understanding of what is being taught. These two assignments displayed the
importance of student learning outcomes and the role they play in the
educational process.
Being
the elementary principal at Immanuel has been one of the highlights of my
career. I love the children and the many
ways that they learn and interact within the school community. One of the best events of the year is the
Father/Daughter dance that is held each spring at Immanuel. SALT, our parent group, plans all year to
make this a very special day. Last year,
we had over 350 fathers and daughters attend the dance. One of the parents on the committee is a
photographer, who knows so much about the digital era. Mrs. DeLeon loves Google Photos and she devised
a beautiful memory book for the attendees.
Every picture told a story of the evening with a special caption
attached to it. There was a special
booth where the children saw the photos and were allowed to make up the
captions. Some of their captions were
used for the actual photos. Last year, the entire slide show was posted
on our website and it won a national award!
As I reflect on this topic of
picture sharing, I am grateful for the opportunity to share the wonderful ways
in which the teachers at Immanuel truly do make a difference. I spend a lot of time in the classrooms
evaluating and viewing all of the wonderful interactions between the teacher
and students, and to be able to share it with my colleagues is a blessing. Sometimes we get caught up in the testing,
assessing, and evaluating, and we forget to enjoy the process of learning
unfolding.
Linda,
ReplyDeleteI too remember the days of the 9-millmeters projectors that were utilized by our teacher, back in the day. Indeed, we have come a long way…it has been a positive change and I am glad that we are able to see the benefits of this great tool…Google Photos. I like you describe the many ways that Google Photos is being utilized at your school…such a wonderful and proud moment, it must have been for you to see that your teachers are make great use of this great tool and the capabilities it offers to enhance the learning at your school. Thank you for sharing.
Ms. Johnson,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing those amazing ideas that are actually being implemented in your school. I loved the way Mrs. Zaragoza allowed and actually invited your students to find a picture of a person from the bible that they can relate their personal story to and write about how their stories relate. What an amazing learning experience for all! Higher-order thinking and building connections will build knowledge that will stay with them for a very long time!
Linda,
ReplyDeleteI think it is great how the biology teacher in your school posted the dissection photos. Usually when students get the opportunity to do a lab or activity such as this, they come home with a lot of excitement. Posting photos on Google Photos allows students' parents to share in the experience by being able to access the photos from home. What I liked the most about Google Photos is the ability to put a description along with each photo and being able to arrange them in whatever way you want. This application is great for both personal and school use.
Hello Linda,
ReplyDeleteI am glad to know that teachers at your school are integrating Google Photos in their lessons. I think that “The Day in the Life of…” assignment provides to students the opportunity to explore their creativity and improve their oral language skills. It is great to know how Google Photos fosters collaboration and creativity among your teachers.
Hello Linda,
ReplyDeleteWhile Google Photos is a new feature to me, from your post it seems that your campus is well versed incorporating this web tool into the classroom. Besides the great ways your teachers incorporate this tool into lessons, it is also found in extracurricular activities around the campus which shows me that you and your campus truly believe in the value this web tool has in the classroom. When both administration and teachers both value an educational tool and use it effectively in the classroom, it truly can make a difference in a student’s education. Excellent job by your administrative team and faculty!
Hello Linda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your ideas about the amazing things your teachers are doing in their classrooms. I really like the one about students making connections with a person from the Bible. " A day in the Life of ___." The idea of using photos that are not our own makes us think a little more especially when the story is about us. Great ideas.
It is great that the teachers are already using Google Photos as a resource in the classroom. I like that the teacher required the students to use photos to show the dissection of a shark. I think using visuals in all lessons benefits the lesson tremendously as the students get to fully see and understand to concepts.
ReplyDelete