Topic 17: Digital Cameras/Flip Cameras

Last year, my MTT and I wrote a grant through Best Buy (which is not available in the format we did last year) and recieved $2,000 to buy technology for our school. The best part about this is since I helped, these have been handed over to our English department in our school. This was a great grant to write and at the perfect timing, because our school's digital cameras are normally used solely for our yearbook staff.

These cameras have done some great things in my classroom by adding to our curriculum. This has allowed my students to take pictures and add them to photostory 3 or to add to movie maker. While my students are doing this, we are not only using images that can be found on the computer, but allowing them to get their own images.

Flip cameras, allow for the student to create movies that are then easy to download into the computer to then upload into movie maker. While I love digital cameras, the FLIP cameras are somuch easier to use for my students.

Some of the downfalls to allowing studetns to take the technology home is the chance that they may lose it or break it. Last year, while doing a project, one of my students lost his FLIP camera and had to pay the money back. Being at a Title I school, this was a decision that came about as part of many conversations with the parents and student. The student paid back his money both financially and working it off in my classroom. Be prepared that before you send students home with technology that there is a system in place of what to do if they lose or break the camera.

As for grant writing, this is not something that I do on a regular basis, but instead, would love to learn strategies. If you have any ideas, please share them.