[August 26, 2011] Flip cams added to middle school's technology arsenal Tweet Aug 26, 2011 (Clay Center Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The computers aren't the only things inside the CCCMS technology classroom that have gotten smaller. The video cameras too are smaller -- CCCM technology instructor Rhonda Gierhan has added seven flip cams, which students will use to shoot video for projects. The cameras, slightly bigger than a cell phone, cost about $60 each and were purchased from Wal-Mart, Gierhan said. GEEK Squad students first used the cameras to shoot video of sixth-graders arriving for their first day of school. They were also used by other teachers as part of Back to School night. The flip cam's small size doesn't create camera shake, but they produce surprisingly good video and audio. The students use miniature magnetic tripods to hold the cameras in place. Technology, particularly that utilized by kids and teens, is increasingly becoming more handheld, said Gierhand. Students use cell phones and small computers like Ipads and Ipods to do most of their research. The middle school has a handful of Ipods and Ipads to create a "Ipod/Ipad band" last year. Kids downloaded instruments onto the computers and played "Thriller" as part of a motivational program for state math assessments. "It may seem silly to us," Geirhan told parents at Thursday's Back to School night. "But it was something they were really interested in and kept them engaged." ___ (c)2011 the Clay Center Dispatch (Clay Center, Kan.) Visit the Clay Center Dispatch (Clay Center, Kan.) at www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1160 Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]