Focus on Photography — Teacher Guide

🚀 Getting Started

Plugin Installation

1. Log into WordPress admin at students.montessoricenter.org/wp-admin
2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
3. Choose the focus-on-photography.zip file
4. Click Install Now, then Activate

First-Time Setup

After activation, you’ll see a new Focus on Photography menu in the left sidebar with these sections:

• Dashboard — Overview and quick actions
• Students — Manage enrolled students
• Sessions — Create and manage class sessions
• Weeks — Configure weekly themes, quotes, and challenges
• Quotes — Inspirational quotes library
• Challenges — Weekly photography challenges
• Settings — Plugin configuration
• Uploads — View and manage all student photo submissions

Initial Configuration

1. Go to Focus on Photography → Settings
2. Review the default settings:
   • Edit Token Duration: 30 minutes (how long students can edit after uploading)
   • Max Photos Per Week: 1 per student per week
   • Gallery Columns: 3 (responsive grid)
3. Adjust as needed and click Save Settings

📅 Setting Up Your First Session

A “session” represents one complete 8-week photography class. You’ll create a new session each time you start a new class.

Create a Session

1. Go to Focus on Photography → Sessions
2. Click Add New Session
3. Fill in the details:
   • Session Name: e.g., “Spring 2026 Photography”
   • Start Date: First day of class
   • End Date: Last day of class (typically 8 weeks later)
4. Click Create Session

Add Class Weeks

Each session needs weekly terms for organizing photos:

1. From the Sessions page, click Manage Weeks next to your session
2. Click Generate Weeks to auto-create 8 weeks based on your start date
3. Or manually add weeks with Add Week:
   • Week Name: e.g., “Week 1: Light & Shadow”
   • Week Number: 1-8
   • Theme (optional): Brief description

Enroll Students

1. Go to Focus on Photography → Students
2. Click Add New Student
3. Enter:
   • First Name (required)
   • Session: Select from dropdown
4. Click Add Student
5. Repeat for all students (typically 10)

⏱️ Weekly Class Workflow

Here’s a typical 45-minute class session:

Before Class (5 min prep)

During Class

Student Upload Process

1. Student taps their name tile on the gallery page (pre-fills their name), then taps Upload Photo
   — OR goes directly to the upload page and types their name (autocomplete suggestions appear)
2. Selects or takes their photo
3. Writes their Journalette (brief reflection, 1-3 sentences):
   • What did you capture?
   • Why did you choose this?
   • What do you see?
4. Taps Submit

After Class

1. Review Uploads:
   • Go to Focus on Photography → Dashboard
   • Check “Recent Uploads” to see what was submitted
2. Award Stickers (optional):
   • Click on any photo to open it
   • Use the sticker panel to award recognition
3. Teacher Edits (if needed):
   • Click any photo to edit the journalette
   • Fix spelling, clarify meaning, or add context
   • Teacher edits have no time limit

👥 Managing Students

View All Students

Go to Focus on Photography → Students to see:

• Student name (First Name)
• Assigned session
• Photo count
• Last upload date

Edit a Student

1. Click the student’s name
2. Update their information
3. Click Save Changes

Transfer Between Sessions

If a student needs to move to a different session:

1. Edit the student
2. Change the Session dropdown
3. Save — their photos stay with them

Remove a Student

1. Click Delete next to the student’s name
2. Confirm the action

Note: This removes the student record but preserves their photos in the gallery.

🎯 Working with Challenges

Pre-Loaded Challenges

The plugin comes with 50+ photography challenges suitable for middle school students. Browse them at Focus on Photography → Challenges.

Create a Custom Challenge

1. Go to Challenges → Add New
2. Fill in:
   • Title: Short, catchy name (e.g., “Shadow Hunter”)
   • Description: What students should photograph
   • Tips: 2-3 helpful hints for success
   • Difficulty: Easy / Medium / Challenging
3. Click Save Challenge

Assign to a Week

1. Find the challenge you want to use
2. Click Assign to Week
3. Select the session and week
4. The challenge now appears on the gallery for that week

Challenge Ideas by Week

💬 Working with Quotes

The plugin includes a library of inspirational photography quotes that display on the gallery page. These quotes are designed to spark discussion and motivate students.

How Quotes Work

By default, the plugin automatically rotates through your quotes library. Each day, a different random quote is displayed to students. You don’t need to do anything—the rotation happens automatically.

Setting Today’s Quote (Manual Override)

Sometimes you may want to display a specific quote that relates to your lesson or the week’s challenge. Here’s how:

1. Go to Focus on Photography → Quotes
2. Find the quote you want to feature
3. Click Today’s Quote (gold link) in the Actions column
4. The quote is now set for today

Auto-Rotate vs Manual Override

Managing the Quotes Library

Add a New Quote

1. Go to Focus on Photography → Quotes
2. Scroll to the “Add New Quote” form
3. Enter:
   • Quote Text: The quote itself
   • Author: Who said it (e.g., “Ansel Adams”)
4. Click Add Quote

Edit or Delete Quotes

• Edit: Click the quote text in the table to modify it
• Delete: Click Delete in the Actions column

Quote Display Locations

Quotes appear in these locations:

• Gallery Page: At the top, above the challenge
• Shortcode: Use
  💬

  Every artist was first an amateur. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

  to display just the quote anywhere

🖼️ The Photo Gallery

Create the Public Gallery Page

1. Go to Pages → Add New
2. Title it “Photography Gallery” (or similar)
3. Add the shortcode:
   💬

   In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. — Aaron Rose

   🎯

   This Week's Challenge

   Path Lines

   Use lines, paths, or edges to guide the viewer’s eye.

   Practice: Technical Difficulty: Medium

   📅

   Week 5

   Composition is arranging parts of the image so they work together

   📅 Week 5 of 5: Composition ▼

   Click or tap on the dots to see just the photos for that week.

   ✓

   Paying Attention

   ✓

   Changing Perspective

   ✓

   Photo-graphy

   ✓

   DSLR Basics

   5

   Composition

   View: ☀️ 🌙 ▓▓ ▢

   Our Photographers

   Belle Cami Emmett Isaac Leif Mr. Roger Sky Sofia

   Mr. Roger

   "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

   Week 3

   Window and bushes

   This photo shows the window of the house and some bushes

   View photo to choose an emoji!

   Week 3

   Erosion from over-grazing

   Photo shows erosion due to over-grazing

   View photo to choose an emoji!

   Week 1

   Tortoise Beetle

   A tortoise beetle on a leaf in the rainforest.

   View photo to choose an emoji!

   Week 2

   A Very Hairy Catepillar

   A colorful hairy caterpillar moves along a log in the rainforest.

   View photo to choose an emoji!

   Week 3

   Purple flower in the cloud forest

   A purple flower growing in the cloud forest in Colombia.

   View photo to choose an emoji!
4. Publish the page

Gallery Features

The gallery displays:

• Quote of the Day — Rotates from your quotes library
• This Week’s Challenge — Current assignment with tips
• Class Collage — Mosaic of all photos (when available)
• Student Tiles — Grid of student names for quick access
• Photo Grid — All photos from the current session

Filtering & Navigation

Students and teachers can:

• Filter by week using the week selector
• Click a student tile to see only their photos
• Click any photo to view full-size with journalette
• Navigate between photos with arrows

Student View vs Teacher View

📤 Managing Uploads

The Uploads page gives you a central view of all student photo submissions, with tools to manage and moderate content.

Viewing All Photos

1. Go to Focus on Photography → Uploads
2. Use the filters to narrow by:
   • Week — Show photos from a specific week
   • Student — Show all photos from one student
3. Click any photo thumbnail to see full details

Quick Actions

Each photo in the list has action buttons:

• ⭐ Feature/Unfeature — Mark as “Student’s Choice” (adds gold border in gallery)
• ✏️ Edit — Modify caption, notes, or other details
• 🗑️ Delete — Permanently remove the photo (use with caution!)

Bulk Actions

To manage multiple photos at once:

1. Check the boxes next to photos you want to modify
2. Select an action from the Bulk Actions dropdown
3. Click Apply

🎓 Graduation & Export

At the end of your 8-week session, create a graduation package for students and families.

Generate Class Collage

1. Go to Focus on Photography → Sessions
2. Click Generate Collage next to your session
3. Wait for processing (may take 30-60 seconds)
4. Preview the collage — a beautiful mosaic of all class photos

Export Graduation Package

1. From Sessions, click Export Graduation Package
2. The system generates:
   • Individual Student Folders containing:
     • All of that student’s photos (full resolution)
     • Personalized certificate of completion (JPG)
   • Class Collage (high-resolution JPG)
   • Session Summary (text file with dates, student list)
3. Download the ZIP file when ready

Certificate Contents

Each student receives a certificate showing:

• Student name
• Session name
• Session dates (e.g., “January 15 – March 10, 2026”)
• Decorative photography-themed design
• Ready for printing at standard letter size (landscape)

Distribute to Families

Options for sharing:

• Print certificates for an in-class graduation ceremony
• Email ZIP file links to parents (via your school’s system)
• Upload to your school’s family portal
• Create USB drives for each student

📦 Archiving Sessions

After exporting and distributing graduation materials, archive the session:

Archive a Session

1. Go to Focus on Photography → Sessions
2. Click Archive next to the completed session
3. Confirm the action

What Archiving Does

• Moves the session to “Archived” status
• Photos remain in the database but hidden from active gallery
• Frees up the gallery for your next class
• Student records preserved for reference

View Archived Sessions

1. Go to Sessions
2. Click the Archived tab
3. You can restore or permanently delete archived sessions

Start Fresh

After archiving, you’re ready to:

1. Create a new session
2. Enroll new students (or transfer returning students)
3. Begin your next 8-week photography adventure!

💡 Tips & Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Common Issues

Getting Help

For technical issues:

1. Check this guide first
2. Note the exact error message (screenshot if possible)
3. Contact your school’s IT administrator
4. They can reach the plugin developer if needed

📌 Quick Reference Card

Shortcodes

Shortcode	Purpose
💬 There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. — Ansel Adams 🎯 This Week's Challenge Path Lines Use lines, paths, or edges to guide the viewer’s eye. Practice: Technical Difficulty: Medium 📅 Week 5 Composition is arranging parts of the image so they work together 📅 Week 5 of 5: Composition ▼ Click or tap on the dots to see just the photos for that week. ✓ Paying Attention ✓ Changing Perspective ✓ Photo-graphy ✓ DSLR Basics 5 Composition View: ☀️ 🌙 ▓▓ ▢ Our Photographers Belle Cami Emmett Isaac Leif Mr. Roger Sky Sofia Mr. Roger "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." — Dorothea Lange Week 3 Window and bushes This photo shows the window of the house and some bushes View photo to choose an emoji! Week 3 Erosion from over-grazing Photo shows erosion due to over-grazing View photo to choose an emoji! Week 1 Tortoise Beetle A tortoise beetle on a leaf in the rainforest. View photo to choose an emoji! Week 2 A Very Hairy Catepillar A colorful hairy caterpillar moves along a log in the rainforest. View photo to choose an emoji! Week 3 Purple flower in the cloud forest A purple flower growing in the cloud forest in Colombia. View photo to choose an emoji!	Main gallery with all features
💬 Photography is a way to shout without using your voice. — Anonymous 🎯 This Week's Challenge Path Lines Use lines, paths, or edges to guide the viewer’s eye. Practice: Technical Difficulty: Medium 📅 Week 5 Composition is arranging parts of the image so they work together 📅 Week 5 of 5: Composition ▼ Click or tap on the dots to see just the photos for that week. ✓ Paying Attention ✓ Changing Perspective ✓ Photo-graphy ✓ DSLR Basics 5 Composition View: ☀️ 🌙 ▓▓ ▢ Our Photographers Belle Cami Emmett Isaac Leif Mr. Roger Sky Sofia Mr. Roger "A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away." — Eudora Welty Week 3 Window and bushes This photo shows the window of the house and some bushes View photo to choose an emoji! Week 3 Erosion from over-grazing Photo shows erosion due to over-grazing View photo to choose an emoji! Week 3 Purple flower in the cloud forest A purple flower growing in the cloud forest in Colombia. View photo to choose an emoji!	Show specific week only
💬 Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. — Ralph Waldo Emerson 🎯 This Week's Challenge Path Lines Use lines, paths, or edges to guide the viewer’s eye. Practice: Technical Difficulty: Medium 📅 Week 5 Composition is arranging parts of the image so they work together 📅 Week 5 of 5: Composition ▼ Click or tap on the dots to see just the photos for that week. ✓ Paying Attention ✓ Changing Perspective ✓ Photo-graphy ✓ DSLR Basics 5 Composition View: ☀️ 🌙 ▓▓ ▢ Our Photographers Belle Cami Emmett Isaac Leif Mr. Roger Sky Sofia Mr. Roger "Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it." — George Eastman Week 3 Window and bushes This photo shows the window of the house and some bushes View photo to choose an emoji! Week 3 Erosion from over-grazing Photo shows erosion due to over-grazing View photo to choose an emoji! Week 1 Tortoise Beetle A tortoise beetle on a leaf in the rainforest. View photo to choose an emoji! Week 2 A Very Hairy Catepillar A colorful hairy caterpillar moves along a log in the rainforest. View photo to choose an emoji! Week 3 Purple flower in the cloud forest A purple flower growing in the cloud forest in Colombia. View photo to choose an emoji!	Show specific student only (use student slug)
💬 A photograph is the pause button of life. — Tyler Shields	Display quote of the day only
🎯 This Week's Challenge Path Lines Use lines, paths, or edges to guide the viewer’s eye. Practice: Technical Difficulty: Medium	Display current challenge only

Sticker Meanings

Photography Feedback — Students use these to give peer feedback on technique:

Recognition Awards — Teachers (or peers) use these for special recognition:

Weekly Checklist

End of Session Checklist