The aim of this session was to show how digital images and ICT frames can be used within the geography classroom to enrich children's awareness of their world. Simple strategies and resources aimed at supporting non-specialist teachers in their increasingly ICT-rich classrooms were shared. The introduction to the session highlighted some key links between visual and print based literacy and provided a rationale for the use of frames to support children's thinking and to structure the ways that they might 'capture' or respond to images.
Visual Geography: Framing the Picture
GA Annual Conference 2006
Introduction
Two themes were chosen as the basis for the presentation, 'How do I connect to people and places' and 'In the News'.
How do I connect to people and places?
The Geography In Action plan defines connectedness as:
"... How physical and human environments are related and how human actions impact on the environment, so helping young people to understand the need for a sustainable future ..."
To introduce the idea of connectedness I used the Nine Number Picture Board to show images and maps that linked me to a range of places around the world. My starting point was my visit to Alaska in August last year.
Workshop participants were asked to use a blank copy of the 9 Number Grid, to choose a number and reveal an image, and then to jot down their thoughts as the photographs and maps came up on the screen. When they had seen all of the images they were asked to look for possible connections and to suggest ways that I might be linked to different places in the world. The activity was also intended to promote the use of 'thinking skills'.
Developing this into a hands-on activity for children
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Capture the Shot and Write the Caption
This activity makes use of the photo-capture tool on the Interactive Whiteboard. The photo tool enables quick and easy capture of images or parts of images. These can be automatically collected together on a whiteboard page, are easily sorted and re-arranged because of the drag and drop nature of the software. Text can be added perhaps in the form of captions or in the form of persuasive text.
Installing the interactive whiteboard (IWB) software on individual machines in the ICT suite would enable children to use this simple tool themselves. It would then be easy to share children’s presentations in a classroom where an IWB is installed.
When collecting images children will need a key geographical question to inform their selection of images or parts of images. At a very simple level this might be 'What do people do here?'. Examples of alternative questions are provided on the teacher introductory pages of the Notebook file.
Capture the Shot
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In the News
The last activity of the session was a 'hide and reveal' activity based on the blank frame Look Behind You What Might You See?
Hide and reveal activities encourage the skills of deduction and prediction. I think an added element of surprise is added when the PowerPoint version of this activity is used because the slide transition is fully automated. However the use of the 'screen/shade' in the IWB software provides much the same function.
The version of this activity shared at the GA Conference was based on images collected from websites. Images were chosen that showed some rather surprising news items, for example 'The Piggy Olympics' in Russia and 'The first ladybird in spring'. When choosing images for this activity it is important to find photographs where the central focus of interest can be hidden behind the 'Look behind you...' banner.
Wendy North
April 2006
