SCIENCE THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

Abstract

The focus of this chapter is to discuss how recording videos and generating digital stories promote the learning of science from the perspective of students. To do so, we have examined 12 group interviews of 44 Finnish 5th grade students who participated in our teaching experiment in autumn 2013. The results indicated that recording and generating digital stories added value to the learning process in five ways. First, the students enjoyed filming their inquiries on various physical phenomena during the lessons. Second, the videos offered support for the students to remember the things that they did and learned during the lessons. Third, the mobile technology itself brought variety to the learning process, especially allowing the students to handle the tablets and to be responsible for them. Fourth, students found joy in using technology, partly because it seemed fun and interesting and partly because it allowed them to entertain themselves in between the learning tasks by, for example, surfing the net and chatting with friends. Fifth, through the camera lens, students gained a wider perspective of motion as a scientific phenomenon in their everyday surroundings.