Anytime I present at a conference or do professional development sessions about using the iPad in the classroom, I always start with a “disclaimer” about the one tool on the iPad that makes many teachers cringe as soon as they see the icon: the CAMERA! Some teachers want to hide the camera from their students so they cannot access it during their iPad time. I know, I get it…
However, the camera is an incredible tool for so many reasons. You can read more about those reasons in my 5 Reasons to Love the iPad Camera post.Why are teachers wanting to hide this tool? Usually it is because their students are taking SELFIES. Kids LOVE to take selfies. Many adults do too😋
Therefore, when presenting my disclaimer about keeping the camera tool visible, I talk about starting the year off with some kind of selfie project. The teacher should talk to their students about how there is a time and place for taking selfies and that they will let them know when it is appropriate. This will be one of those times!
Selfie Project Ideas
You can maximize student engagement in your classroom by taking something they find fun and exciting and using it to promote learning and creativity. Kick off the year with a selfie project. Some ideas include:
- take a selfie with different geometry figures
- take a selfie with something that has an acute, an obtuse, and/or a right angle
- take a selfie with books you have read or books you would like to read
- take a selfie with an even number of items/an odd number of items
- take a selfie with objects that have a short vowel/a long vowelI could keep going…
Once students take their pictures, have them compile the images using PicCollage. They could use a grid template like this to insert their selfies and add text overlays:
Or they could add them to a free style canvas like this:
You could even grade this project using my free Selfie Project Rubrics:
Give it a try! Your students would really enjoy kicking off the year with a selfie project.
Julie Smith is an elementary Instructional Technology Consultant from Saline, Michigan. She works with teachers and students in PreK-5th grade. Julie is the author of the blog, The Techie Teacher and is a PicCollage Ambassador. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.