We announced last month that classroom photos would be 100% digital on our website in the 2009-2010 school year. This post is tip #1 of 3 to help teachers navigate the process of submitting classroom photos digitally.
Q: I DON’T HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
A: No digital camera? No problem! Here are some suggestions for ways you can get digital photos of your project in action so you can upload them to our website.
(TEACHERS: Feel free to comment on this post with other suggestions that you might have for your fellow teachers.)
- Maybe a friend has a camera that you could borrow. Or what about another teacher in your school (e.g. a media center or photography teacher)?
- Concerned about carrying around a digital camera or keeping expensive technology in your classroom? Check out these inexpensive disposable digital cameras! For about $25, you can get a light, compact digital camera attached to a keychain.
- If you’re more comfortable using a non-digital camera, you could have the photo developer put the images on a CD, then upload photos directly from this CD. Most photo developers, including Walgreens and CVS, can put photos on a CD for you instead of printing them out. Here are some inexpensive disposable cameras that will do the trick:
- CVS One-Time-Use Camera 27 Exposures w./ Flash: $5.99 each; available at most local CVS Pharmacy stores and online.
- Fujifilm Disposable Camera 15 Exposures w./ Flash: $2.25 each; Fewer exposures (number of pictures) than the above camera, but a great price; only available online.
- Is there a library or shop – such as Kinkos – nearby where you could scan photos? You could develop non-digital classroom photos, scan them onto a computer, and upload them to our site!
- If you decide to purchase a digital camera yourself or for several teachers to share, here are our top picks for budget digital cameras:
- Digicliq 4.0 Megapixel Digital Camera: $29.95; It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll get the job done. (Price quoted is from www.ecamerafilms.com, a great discount camera site.)
- Kodak EasyShare M893 8.1 Megapixel: $84.95; More megapixels means clearer photos! This is a great camera for the money. (Price quoted is from www.ecamerafilms.com, a great discount camera site.)
- Canon PowerShot A480 10 Megapixel: $129.95; This camera is very popular, takes high quality photos, and is easy to use. (Price quoted is from www.radioshack.com.)
Stay tuned for Tip #2…Photos: What’s Hot, What’s Not!
Many teachers carry cell phones, so they can make personal calls during their breaks and lunches. The majority of cell phones seems to come with cameras these days. It is possible to take decent photos with these, which could be uploaded (or first emailed to the teacher’s email address, and then uploaded). Another advantage is that cell phones are light and easy for a teacher to tote around, and if it’s the teacher’s phone, that teacher probably already knows how to use the camera function.
Finally, many schools have a year book club or elective, and invariably the club has access to at least one digital camera. Ask a student in the club to shoot your class for DonorsChoose! Problem solved, and you will be giving the student a fun real world experience.
Comment by Ellen Rieser — August 8, 2009 at 12:06am
I’ve continuously felt that you just recuperate photos out of a “normal size camera” as opposition these small ones that slot in your pocket. whereas I still feel that means, i have to say that up to now i’m happy with this Coolpix L2
Comment by Digital Camera Trends — September 11, 2011 at 9:59pm