so what am i doing in Guatemala I'm here
to work with a school called the
American school of but a month working
with the kids working on teaching visual
literacy and what I'm doing here is
working with the camera working with
photography and video the children are
learning to take pictures I'm showing
them how to use the camera but what they
don't necessarily realize they're
learning is how to see the world in a
different way and this is a big part of
what I'm here to teach
but what I really want people to achieve
from this what I really want the kids to
gain is learning how to quite literally
see the world from a different point of
view then a big part of this comes from
using the camera and that's really the
key here is teaching children how to
learn using the camera they may not even
realize that that's what they're doing
but we encourage using the camera as a
learning tool throughout the classrooms
and throughout all programs not just a
standard photography program but
actually through programs like science
and math and even history we're using
the camera can be an incredible learning
tool for example the fourth-grade class
here at the American School of Art Amala
are working on a program where they're
designing and ultimately building small
model homes that are supposed to be
earthquake-proof as I probe the children
in and got them to think through the
process a couple of them usually at the
same time would always go the camera we
can take video and then somebody else to
say
slow motion video and while too many of
this may seem rather obvious through the
eyes of a fourth grader this is not the
first thing that comes to mind but once
we start encouraging the use of the
camera this way suddenly becomes more
obvious seeing that light up in their
eyes seeing that recognition is just
incredible
the fifth year students are creating
posters based off of a single topic if
you're putting pictures on the poster
where you're gonna get them oh I'll get
it from Google download it and print it
out okay but what if you can make your
own picture and it all comes down to
using that camera as a learning tool
seeing their topic differently seeing
their topic through a new light through
a new lens quite literally and giving
them the ability to really really
comprehend their topic much more for
many of the kids this is nothing more
than just learning how to make better
pictures and of course we did a lot of
that too
we'd go out in the yard here on the
school campus taking pictures with iPads
and iPhones and throughout that process
I would guide them it's amazing what
just a little as bit of Direction can do
and who knows where this is gonna spark
in some of these kids I know some of
them are coming up to me telling me how
excited they were to be taking pictures
they love photography and now they're
getting to take some better ones or
they're showing the pictures to their
parents and the parents are excited to
how good their pictures are already it's
really exciting to see just how quickly
it changes how much growth potential
there is here whenever I work with the
school like this we always have some
kind of a keynote opening presentation
where I can address the students and the
faculty and sometimes even the parents
all at once and allow them to see who I
am and learn a little bit more about me
and then I meet with the teachers for a
PD program of professional development
and I tell them a bit more of the
background of what it is that I'm doing
and and my philosophies here and how I'm
working in the way that I'm doing things
and why I'm doing things the way that I
am and this allows them to support what
I'm doing in the classroom and
understand a little bit more of what it
is we're trying to achieve and then of
course to continue this education once
I'm gone I'm usually only here for a
short time in this case here for a week
and of course learning doesn't stop
after that week and the teachers are
able to take these ideas and encourage
their growth and try and incorporate
them into their own classroom the camera
is a fantastic learning tool it's no
different than anything else that we
have we have pencils and papers and and
notebooks and rulers and all these other
tools that we use in the classroom but
the camera is a very powerful tool that
can be used in so many different ways
it's just amazing to see how
enthusiastic some of the kids can be
when it comes to things like making
pictures or video or YouTube it's just
wonderful and phenomenal and I
keep encouraging that growth and I hope
it's an opportunity that I continue to
have if you happen to work at a school
that has an artist-in-residence program
I'd love to hear from you it's always
great to have new opportunities to do
this and I would love to consider
working with you someday
you