One of the things I’ve been emphasizing with my grade 8 students this year is the need for them to keep their curiosity, and to keep observing interesting things. This of course leads nicely into using microscopes. As a learning task, kids were asked to wet mount a piece of paper with small letters and to record what they see. Several students on their own decided to use their phone to take pictures through their eyepieces.
While I am a believer in using technology in education, I also feel that most typical technology uses in school are unnecessary and perhaps even harmful. However, I liked that students took photos. It showed initiative and independent thought.