QUESTACON VISITS AURUKUN CAMPUS

	On the 5th of November, 2006 Questacon visited Western Cape College Aurukun Campus to teach the students how to use digital cameras in a fun and innovative way.  Questacon wanted the students to put together a photographic exhibition on the theme �School is Fun!� Students were taught the basics of how to use a digital camera, and also how to upload, resize and insert photographs into documents. Students learnt that there are many ways to take a photograph.  You can get up high by standing on a chair or down low by lying on the floor and take a photograph.  These techniques make photographs more interesting to look at.  From these lessons students were asked to take photographs of things that they love to do at school which would be the basis of the photographic exhibition.
Students embraced the task and enjoyed working with the cameras.  They began using the cameras in a more creative way and produced some fantastic photographs.  There were so many good photographs to choose from it was very difficult to choose which images would appear on the wall of the exhibition space.  The photography exhibition was held at the Art Centre on Friday 17th November. Posters made by students were displayed in key areas around the community, and announcements were made over the local radio station. Classes helped choose three photos which best revealed interesting use of perspectives and focus on �school is fun� theme. These were printed A4 and mounted on the walls of the exhibition space All other photos were printed and made into a class booklet, also displayed in the exhibition. Groups rotated through the exhibition, viewing their photographs, taking documentary photos (improvement in camera skills, use of perspectives and composition, and choice of relevant subject matter immediately apparent and undertaken independently), and viewing a movie (of playground activities and sounds, school song sung by year 2). The response was overwhelmingly and consistently positive. The exhibition remains on display for two weeks, whereupon it will be returned to the school. Questacon also provided tution for teacher aids to learn or improve their computer skills.  Photography-related programs generated the greatest interest, with basic computer skills and internet searching also receiving some interest.