Kindergarten students often ask, "What was it like when you went to school?" Of course, they also think that I went to school about a hundred years ago. This unit was planned by integrating their questions into the curriculum, which always helps to make learning more authentic. The goals of the unit involve learning about schools of long ago, learning about family and change, and writing about what was learned.

The children, with the help of their parents, interviewed a grandparent or someone older about what it was like when they were in Kindergarten or First Grade. We compared their findings with our Kindergarten and then created an iPhoto book about their memories of school. The children also made an iPhoto book about their favorite Kindergarten memory to share with their families.

Why use a digital camera and iPhoto in a Kindergarten classroom?
Because I am an avid photographer and am passionate about technology, I naturally use both in my classroom. As an Apple Distinguished Educator, I wanted to find ways to use iPhoto with my students. Since Kindergarten children learn by exploring and creating, using a digital camera and iPhoto is an easy and exciting way to encourage learning. By teaching the children to use these tools, a new realm of possibilities is opened to their imaginations. Using a digital camera is great because pictures can be seen immediately, so the student can determine if it turned out or not. If not, it is deleted and taken again. iPhoto allows the children to organize their photos, create books, print their pictures and display their projects on our website. The children are very proud of taking pictures and of the projects that they can create with their photos. I used to take all of the photos of our adventures myself, but now I have a classroom of photographers eager to share in the picture taking. Using iPhoto and a digital camera is a Kindergarten experience they will always remember.