0/4 - Computer Skills: Digital Camera
1. Introduction (10 mins)
2. Viewfinder exercise (10 mins)
3. Taking real photos with the digital camera (1 hour)
4. Download photos into the computer (30 mins)
5. Conclusion and homework (10 mins)

Aim
Students are convinced that a photo can tell many stories

How
Briefly discuss the use of photos with the students. For example: what does a photo tell you? (Use these photos or find others)

Show three pictures of people with different expressions.


Ask two students how they would describe the mood of these three people.

Viewfinder exercise (10 min)

Aim
Students practise looking through the viewfinder of a camera

How
Give the students a paper camera with a hole to practise looking through a viewfinder; the image of a camera can be found in <See Tools>. Looking through a viewfinder encourages students to isolate details in their immediate surroundings, which prepares them for working with a real camera. It also provides a better understanding of how you see something through a camera, screen or monitor.

Students look through the viewfinder of the paper camera with a hole. Look at other students, close up, the whole group at once, the landscape through the window. Stand on a chair: what do you see? Sit on the floor: what do you see? Students have to look for a nice spot where they would like to take their actual photos.

Taking real photos with the digital camera (1 hour)

Aim
Students are able to take pictures with a digital camera

How
Students will learn to take photos in pairs. There are two cameras, so they have to wait their turn. In the meantime, they can think about the pictures you want to take.

Students have to pick a spot and take three photos of the fellow student they paired up with.
For instance:
a picture of the total body, the model positioned in the middle
a close-up
student asks the model to express the mood he/she wants to capture on the photo

Show the waiting students the six tips from the handout to prepare taking pictures.

Download photos into the computer (30 mins)

Aim
Students are able to download the photos to the computer, name them and store the photos in the right folder

How


Help the students to upload the photos in the computer, using the software. Get students to store their photos in a folder that 'belongs' to the camera. When the photos are downloaded on the computer, students can rename the pictures in explorer.
For instance:
geoffrey_portrait.jpg
geoffrey_body.jpg
geoffrey_angry.jpg


After renaming the photos, students should put their photos into their own folder.


Teach the students to insert their images into an MS Word-file. If possible, show students how to add a speech-bubble to liven up their photos.

Conclusion and homework (20 min)
Discuss with the students the issues covered in this lesson. Two or three students can be asked to do the following in front of the group:
who can take a photo of the whole group? (take 3 different ones)
how do you get the photos from the camera into the computer and into your personal folder?
insert one of the photos in MS Word. Can you add some text in a speech-bubble?

Homework
Tell the students to read the handout before the nest lesson.

If you have extra time
Try to experiment/practise with MS Paint as a drawing tool to add text to pictures and change or manipulate pictures
(you can get to the MS Paint program through <start> <programmes> <accessories> <PAINT>)
Practise inserting pictures to an MS Word file and experiment with layout (adding text, colours, etc.)