3 Great Ways to Use Your Chromebook Camera!

That's right! The Chromebook comes with a built in camera, and there are all kinds of educational applications that will engage your students and make learning fun! So, peel off the tape you placed over the camera lens (I promise there are no hackers watching) and let's get started!

1. Power Statement Posters (Or Any Kinds of Posters, Really!)

At the beginning of the year, I spent a day in a 4th grade classroom where we used Google Drawing and the camera on the Chromebook to create Vision Statement Posters. The students opened a Google Drawing, used the camera to take a picture of themselves (Insert Menu>Image>Camera), added some personal information about themselves and a quote that really meant something to them. They shared their posters with their teacher, Mrs. Schultz, and she displayed them for all to see!

Students could create posters in December to sum up their favorite concepts from the first semester.

Or use the same idea to create New Year's Resolutions at the beginning of the second semester?

Thanks to Kathy Schultz at CFES for letting me work with her and her kiddos on this activity!

2. Visual Vocabulary

Do you want students to know the vocabulary necessary to succeed in your content area? Of Course You Do!

Create a visual vocabulary slide show for each concept you teach, or one that you add to all year long! Here's how...

Use the School Video Recorder (In Google Drive>New>More>Video Recorder or at this Website) and the camera on the Chromebook to create a short video that shows or expresses the definition of a vocabulary word. The video will save automatically to Google Drive.

Then use Google Slides to insert the video from Google Drive and create a slide show of visual vocabulary! Here is an example of one, and a template that you can use to get started. Visual Vocabulary Template

Make one slide show. Assign a slide to each student, and you will have a visual vocabulary dictionary that all students can access whenever they need to review!

3. Show What You Know Comic Strips

Google Drawing is just so VERSATILE! Use it to create fabulous comic strips and have students show what they know. Here is a comic strip template to get you started, courtesy of Meredith Akers (@meredithakers.com).

Have students take pictures of themselves. Then using the shape tool, insert a call out box to add text to their pictures. How fun! Students can explain their thinking about any concept, and take pictures to show how they feel about the topic they are learning. They can work independently or in pairs/groups. Take a look at the example below.

You could also use the call out options with a picture the kids find, either online or in a textbook. Here is an example.

Obviously, this option doesn't use the Chromebook camera, but I thought this was a fun way to use the call outs.  It's a better option than drawing a mustache on George Washington, and so much more educational! 

The camera can be a fun tool to provide some high interest engagement to some of your lessons.  Why not give it a try before the break to help keep the kids on task and doing something they love!