3 Digital Photography Activities to Teach Hobbies

Digital photography – it’s definitely taken the world by storm! I LOVE it! It’s easy, doesn’t have to break the bank and it’s fun! Initially, I learned simple things like what is a viewfinder camera and what lens can be used for a certain situation, but the more videos I watched and the more I actually went out to practice, I found that taking photos was what I enjoyed doing.

It’s all over social media and has become an integral part of visual literacy. You can even get a wifi digital photo frame now to show off all of your amazing snaps. So, are you making the most of it in your Languages classroom? It’s a creative, fun way to engage students and incorporates technology into your Languages curriculum.

One of those topics that is ALWAYS included in a Primary Languages Program is… ‘hobbies’ or ‘leisure time activities’. It’s a great topic and one that students always enjoy as they like to talk about themselves and what they like.

When planning curriculum, I like to integrate a couple of topics and focus vocabulary such as; if we are focussing on ‘hobbies’ or ‘leisure time activities’ then it just makes sense to also include ‘likes and dislikes’ – students need to talk about their leisure time activities so stating whether they like or dislike an activity is the most obvious way to go, right? You could also further extend the topic by including ‘frequency’ vocabulary.

But, do you get bored with the same old activities that you use, year in and year out? I know when I was teaching, I hated repeating an activity from one year to the next with different classes, it was boring, things really get a bit stale! {For me! Not for the students!}. So, today I want to share with you some ideas on using digital photography activities in your Indonesian Languages program when teaching the focus topic of ‘hobbies’.

Teachers across the country and around the world are discovering the many valuable uses for digital cameras; uses that both engage students and that can make their own professional lives easier too. There are a multitude of uses for digital photography in the classroom. Digital cameras are easy and fun to use and they offer teachers unlimited opportunities to engage students and to incorporate technology into their curriculum. For instance, a colleague managed to get some funding for a trip to whale watching california to bring a whole class along and they all loved it! They got a chance to develop those photography skills as well through waiting for the right moment to snap some of the whales. A great biology lesson as well as a great day out!

Students love taking photos as much as they love being in them. Photography is an enjoyable hobby to be sure, but if you are here looking for a professional for a special occasion then you could check out Olga Topchii Photographer.

So, lets take a look at 3 digital photography activities to teach hobbies.

1. Photo-drawing

Take photos of each student from head to shoulders {or students could take photos of each other}. Print out the photos and give each student the photo of themselves. Students cut out their face {they can include their neck and shoulders if they want to} and paste it onto a blank A4 piece of paper. Students then need to draw the rest of their body doing their favourite leisure time activity or hobby. Students can include a sentence about their photo-drawing too. Students can share their photo-drawing and read their sentence/say what they like to do, to the class.

2. Photo-book

Students take photos of different leisure time activities {these could be taken at school and/or at home or around the local community}. Students each create a book using the photos that they have taken, including their photos and a sentence to accompany each photo. Students can include activities they like and dislike e.g. Saya suka membaca buku. Saya tidak suka naik sepeda. *Student photo-books could be made digitally or on A4/A3 paper.

3. Photo-blue screening effect

In pairs, students take photos of each other in poses to show them doing their favourite leisure time activity. The photo must include the subjects’ head right down to, and including, their toes. Students then print their photo, cut it out and glue onto an A4 piece of paper, they can then draw the background and the props/equipment needed to show their favourite leisure time activity. This activity puts ‘students in the picture’.

Further extension: Students could create a page for a book with their photo-artwork, and include sentences to show what leisure time activities they like and dislike. Make a class book.

So, there you have it, three simple ways of using digital photography in your primary Indonesian Languages program {or, of course, easily adaptable for a secondary Languages program too}. I’m sure your students will totally enjoy the opportunity of using digital cameras and digital photography, and will be fully engaged in these creative activities. And they may just make you think about the endless ways in which you can integrate more technology into your Indonesian Languages classes, {if that’s something you don’t do a lot of}.

For some more ideas, you can also check out my previous posts; Five Strategies for Using Digital Images, My 5 Fav iPhone Apps for Literacy Development and My 5 Fav iPhone Apps for Creativity.

Also, head to the Language Learning Space to find some great resources to use when teaching Hobbies/Leisure time activities. There’s a Quizlet: Kegemaran/hobi link, which has a great vocabulary list for your students to use and in the Showcase section of the site there is a link to Languages Online, which has two useful topics: Topic 11: Sports and Topic 12: Pastimes – these would be a great accompaniment to your program’s activities, and some more integrated technology.

Do you use digital photography in your Indonesian Languages Program?

How have you used digital photography to engage students?

Please share any great ideas you have, I’d love to hear what you do with digital photography in your classroom!