Special Assignment Due Midnight October 12, 2014

A recent study by Zogby Analytics reports several interesting findings regarding young people aged 18 - 24:

1. 87% say their smartphone never leaves their side.
2. 80% say the very first thing they do in the morning is reach for their smartphone.
3. 78% say they spend 2 or more hours per day using their smartphone.
4. 68% say they would prefer to use their smartphone instead of their laptop or personal computer for personal use.
5. 91% say that having a camera on their smartphone is important (61% very important)
6. 87% say they use their smartphone camera at least weekly. 59% use their smartphone camera at least every other day. 44% use their smartphone camera for still or motion picture taking every day.

Cameras were added to smartphones starting in 2002. The first iPhone also had a camera. It became available in June 2007. Seven years later there are over 1.75 billion smartphones worldwide. (Source: emarketing) This means that 24.1% of the entire world population (7.263 billion as of 3:32 CDT 9/27/2014 - Source: World Population Clock) now has a smartphone. Your students will have lived all their life in a world with smartphones containing cameras.

This assignment has two parts to it.

Part A

Write at least two paragraphs on the implications for education, school, teachers, and learners that flow from the above data.

Part B

Assume that all of your students will have either a smartphone or a tablet with a camera. Generate as many ideas as you can as to how you might make use of these tools for learning purposes for kids whom you will be teaching. Make use of the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards where appropriate.


Doubt the validity of this assumption? Look at what has happened among EDM310 students in the last 5 years. Click the image to enlarge it.

Combine Parts A and B into a single post. The Title should be: Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning.

This post is due midnight Sunday October 12, 2014.