Recently, I opened an account with the online picture facility Flickr. This site is completely free to join and use. I uploaded one of my digital pictures onto my own profile page. However, before loading, I used Microsoft Office Picture Manager to resize this photo so it was not a large file. After uploading my picture, I then searched for ‘Sunshine Coast’ and received many different photos of the Coast. I then saved this picture and placed it onto this blog (this is the picture on the left hand side). Flickr allows the user to upload, edit, share, organise and create cards for friends and family which can be shared with users around the world. Maps can be used to show where pictures were taken and investigate other pictures that have been taken in the same location. This also allows the user to keep in touch with family and friends as they can view the pictures, regardless of their location, as long as they have access to this site (Yahoo7 , 2009).
While I was completing this task, I thought about the practical uses of this technology in the classroom. Students could further enhance their ICT skills (link to Essential Learning Outcomes) and use a digital camera around the school, on excursions and at home. With the assistance of the Learning Manager, they could then upload their pictures onto this site for other students to view.
The issue of net safety could easily be overcome by ensuring that all parents have given permission for their students’ images to be placed on this site. I also investigated on this site that the user can set their profile to private which allows only family and friends to view their photos. This option would have to be used for students so that net safety standards are maintained.
Flickr can also be used if students are requiring pictures topic pertaining to classroom work. Learning Managers would need to monitor the use of the search function and ensure that students are using the safe search option on this site.
The practical use within the classroom is that Learning Managers can use it as a tool to engage students in visual literacy. They can place a picture on their whiteboard, through the use of a data projector and get students to write a creative piece based on that picture. Students could also search for photos to add into their writing pieces as well as provide authentic pictures for presentations that relate to their current unit of work. In Early Years’ classrooms, parents could assist students to upload photos and they could be used as a basis for show and tell.
Oliver’s Learning Theory effectively aligns to this learning tool. For example, Learning Managers could create a learning task whereby students are required to create a brochure for their community, thus engaging in the first part of the theory (AusInfo, 2003). Students would then be required to search in Flickr and locate pictures that can be incorporated into their task, which form the resources component of this theory. The third part of this framework is for the Learning Manager to scaffold students’ learning by providing learning experiences that assist them with the writing, designing and publishing of their brochure (AusInfo, 2003).
This technology can also be used with the site, Picnik. This site allows the user to edit pictures for documents, websites and presentations (more about this in the next post).
Flickr enables users to store their files and share them privately as opposed to Google Images, which is purely a search engine, making it a useful pedagogical tool in the classroom.
Next on the list is Picnik, so watch this space!
AusInfo. (2003). The Learning Design Construct. Retrieved July 24, 2009, from Learning Design: http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm
Yahoo7 . (2009). What is Flickr? Retrieved August 1, 2009, from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/tour/