OAKLAND, California—As a longtime teacher of science, Anthony Cody appreciates the power of inquiry. "If students are asking and answering their own questions, they develop ownership of the learning process," he says. He's discovered that inquiry can be equally powerful for motivating students outside the science classroom.

Last year, Cody taught an elective class in digital photography, designed to engage middle school girls in the use of technology. The all-girl class took place early in the morning, before the start of the regular day at Bret Harte Middle School. "The girls all really wanted to be here," he says. The class, called Techbridge, was sponsored through a gender-equity grant from the National Science Foundation and Chabot Space and Science Center.

Although student motivation was high, Cody still had to work "to get kids to take on the initiative for their own learning. I wanted the girls to use digital photography not just to play, but to express themselves. As a teacher, you walk a fine line between telling students what to do and creating avenues for their expression."

Cody kept the assignment open-ended with some structure. He wanted students to do more with the cameras than learn just to take pictures. "The goal was getting them to apply their creativity to using technology," he says. The specific assignment was to create a photo essay that would tell a story. "That meant they had to consider, 'What am I interested in exploring? What will I do with this tool? How will I develop my ideas?' It's a different kind of inquiry," Cody says. "It takes work."

The girls, a racially diverse group of about 30 living in an urban area with a high poverty rate, began with little experience using digital cameras. Cody offered some basic instruction, explaining photographic techniques and demonstrating what constitutes good composition. He had a set of cameras that students could check out overnight, along with classroom computers for editing their images.

The idea of creating a photo essay was also new to students. "Most students tend to pick up a camera and start snapping pictures of their friends," Cody says. "That's not an essay. It took a while for the girls to figure out what a theme means. They needed to think about it. It's OK to give them time to figure it out."

The most successful essays came about "when they turned inward and thought about themselves. Their work became more personal, and more successful," Cody says. "That's the hardest thing to get from kids, to get them to think about what's going on within and then communicate that with others. But it's what makes their work meaningful."

The girls found meaning in a variety of contexts. One essay focuses on boys and how they affect girls. "This clearly reflects issues the student is dealing with," the teacher says. "It was good for her and her peers to see these conflicts articulated so well." Another student explored careers in health care, using the camera to document interviews she conducted at a nursing home.

Cody describes the digital photo essay project in more detail on the Digital Edge Learning Interchange (http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/deli/ nav5.shtml*), an online video library featuring teachers who are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Cody received his NBPTS certification in 2000.

Photos courtesy of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and Digital Edge.