Teaching Young Learners to Take a Photo

As an Apple Professional Learning Specialist working in the Early Years, I often get asked "Where on earth do I start? 🫣" when it comes to early learners and iPad. My response?

Camera. 📷

Always Camera. 🫶🏻📷

Never before have our students had such a powerful camera so readily accessible 🤩

Start with teaching our early learners HOW to take a photo with iPad and you'll be rewarded as they share with you (through lovely crisp images 🤞🏻) their WOW moments, their wonderings, their achievements and most importantly - their voice.

My top tips for teaching young learners how to take a crisp image are:

  1. We ZOOM with our feet, not with our fingers. Believe me, your young learners will know all about how to zoom with their fingers - however, even the steadiest hands struggle with full zoom. Teach students to move their feet right up close to the subject. We also encourage students to PLANT their feet once they are in the right position for a steady foundation.
  2. We tuck our WINGS in. Tell students that our elbows are like wings. To take a steady photo - we tuck them tight by our sides.
  3. We press the button only ONCE.
  4. Review, keep or delete. Teach students early what a good photo looks like, and show them how to review and delete.

Click on this link to view a video clip taking you through these steps.

So many other apps that we use in the early years focus on a photo to start with. Help your students master this? And so many other opportunities arise 🥰

(ps. See below for a poster you can download and display to help students remember the steps of taking a photo with iPad)

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8 replies

November 07, 2022

I agree! The camera is such an overlooked app, some people forget that it is even an "app". I love doing photo walks with Kindy.

November 07, 2022

You're speaking to my heart! 🥰 Tell me more about how you do your photo walks?

November 07, 2022

peaking to my heart! 🥰 Tell me more about how you do your photo walks?

November 09, 2022

❤️ Zoom with our feet and tuck our wings in!

Depending on the task, I also find that sometimes it is helpful to work with a partner. Once person holds the iPad while the other person takes the photo. Teamwork!

November 09, 2022

Wonderful tips for littles - and olders too. Thanks! I loved “most importantly - their voice.” The camera does provide all us learners with voice!

November 19, 2022

Thanks for this post, Rachel! I love how the quick tutorial video you created could be used in any early learners classroom as a reminder of best practices before a photography activity.

December 01, 2022

I was looking for something like this. Thanks for the useful resource. Do you know of anything that could be pitched to older students? Thanks.

December 02, 2022

For older students, Steph, you might take a look at the Everyone Can Create Photo Guide linked in the Learning Center. Also Brian Phillips has some tips here: My favorite iPhone/iPad camera tricks.

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