4.3 Digital Photography and Kids!

Photo:  http://fortune.com/2015/05/27/teens-phones-mary-meeker/

1.  The beauty of digital photography today is that it is so accessible.  If you have an iPhone, you can capture quality images without the burden of hauling hefty equipment around.  Merge this with the tech savvy abilities of newer generations and voila!  Instant lesson ideas.  Walking on the streets of New York, I constantly see toddlers navigating games and videos on iPads and iPhones as their caregivers push them by in strollers.  Next thing I know, I am bumping into absent minded teens hustling to post their latest Instagram selfies before getting on the train.  We are living in a high tech world, so let's use this to our advantage as teachers!

Photo: DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

2. Digital photography can be easily translated into the art classroom and tailored for all ages.  Young children can learn about framing and composition while older students can dabble in photo manipulation and collage.  Using these technologies is second nature to children today, in fact, they could probably teach me a few lessons!   

3.  The art making process doesn't have to stop with the snap of a single photo.  Sure, there is a lot to teach children about what goes into capturing a great image: composition, light, color, depth, clarity, subject matter, etc.  But there is also endless artistic opportunity after the photo is taken.  Exposing kids to different ways to display a photo could blow their minds.  They could print it out on different surfaces, project it, upload it onto a social media platform/online gallery space...

Learning that there are different ways to experience the same artwork via different presentations could be really eye-opening to young artists.  Presentation of an artwork doesn't always have to be mounted on a wall or framed!  Traditional art processes will always have a place in the art classroom, but it is important to expose kids to more high tech ways of making art in this digital age.