TECH4ARTED
Digital Photography
in the Art Curriculum
Theresa McGee
Ilove using photography with my students because, in many ways, photography is a medium that can “level the playing field.” Students
who might not otherwise consider
themselves artists have another tool
to tell a story, show a new perspective,
or document our environment. The
resources here can help you introduce
a photography unit or develop a photography curriculum in your classroom.
Learning the Technology
With the emergence of affordable digital cameras and technology grants,
integrating photography as part of
your art program is now possible.
Whether you have access to “point
and shoot,” i Touch, or an SLR camera,
learning the basics are important.
Brain Pop (
tinyurl.com/BrainPop-Photo) provides a good photography
overview, while comparing features of
film to digital. Photo Op ( tinyurl.com/
NGAphoto), from the National Gallery of Art, allows students to interact
and explore changes with focus, aperture, and shutter speed. Appropriate
for older students, Penn State has
a beautiful animated website that
explains depth of field, focal length,
white balance, shutter speed, exposure, and ISO ( photo.comm.psu.edu).
Composition through History
Start a conversation about photo-
graphic history by asking your stu-
dents what they see and what they
think. A Picture Is Worth a Thousand
Thoughts ( tinyurl.com/1000Thoughts)
uses Bloom’s Taxonomy to examine a
photograph taken during the turn of
the twentieth century. Also useful for
studying the history of photography
is a detective game from the McCord
Museum. This resource focuses on
the nineteenth-century photography
of William Notman while encourag-
ing exploration of historical detail
( tinyurl.com/WilliamNotman). The
Getty has created a photography cur-
riculum based on visual analysis and
artist statements ( tinyurl.com/Get-
tyPhotoLesson). Also from the Getty
are lesson ideas based on the work of
photographer Dorothea Lange, useful
for teachers teaching early elementary
through high school ( tinyurl.com/Lan-
geLessons).
Studio Lesson Ideas
Start by looking for a list of lesson
plan ideas to incorporate into the
classroom from the Venspired blog
( tinyurl.com/classroomIdeas). Next,
see how Jessica Balsley, an elementary
art teacher near Des Moines, Iowa,
uses digital cameras to teach about
the elements of art and principles of
design through a digital photo scavenger hunt (
tinyurl.com/DigitalScav-engerHunt).
Also useful for upper-level teachers,
high-school teacher Matt Calthron,
from Palm Beach, California, has
packed ideas for student photo assignments on his amazing DATA Wiki
( tinyurl.com/DATAresources). More
amazing resources await at the Carrot
Revolution blog, emphasizing digital imagery and inspirational photo
projects including Surrealistic Me,
FLOAT, and Paint the World with
Light ( tinyurl.com/CarrotPhoto).
Digital photography can be an
amazing creative experience for your
students. Challenge them to think
like an artist each time they hold a
camera.
Theresa McGee is an art teacher at Monroe Elementary School in Hinsdale, Illinois. She also co-authors the art education
blog, teachingpalette.com. tmcgee@d181.
org
