Technology and Working with ICT

Using technology to teach and inspire children is vital in this day where computers are commonplace, digital gadgets are all over the place and technology is so much more accessible.

Many children have their own toy cameras now, which is great to see the world through the eyes of the children.

However, you can try to give the camera usage a little more direction by setting the children photography projects such as:-

• Things that make me happy (ice cream, friends)
• Things that are brightly coloured (coat, bike)
• Things that don't belong here (litter dropped on the pavement etc.)
• Things that are beautiful (nature, trees)
• Things featuring numbers (shop phone number, house number)
• Things featuring letters (road names, signs)
• Things we need (post boxes, front doors)
• People I love... etc.

You could set the challenge of photographing things that begin with the alphabet letters.

• Find an Apple, Bed, Cup, Desk, Egg, Fence etc.
• Find various colours: find find 5 red items.
• Find a certain number of things: find 3 socks, 2 teddies etc.

When the pictures are taken, show the children how to load the images onto the computer.  Describe what happens as you flick through the pictures and sort them.  Show them how you print them and trim to size etc.  You could then create a booklet displaying the images in order and writing the appropriate letter on each page.