Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms: Chapter 7

FUN WITH FLICKR


I had heard of Flickr before reading this chapter, but all I really knew about the site was that it focused on pictures.  But now after reading the entire chapter I see all the possibilities and option Flickr provides in the classroom.  One of the main areas it focused on was that by using this site you are opening up the entire world to your students.  When you post images you could invite people from anywhere in the world to have discussions with.  That is amazing.  Who better to learn about a certain area than someone who lives there! You could also post a photo and ask your students to comment on what they see and the importance of that photo, which makes a for a great online classroom discussion.  Also if you post a picture with a certain tag then more pictures involving that topic would directly come to you.  The more tags you give your photos, the better chance that your photos will find others of the same subject.  Think about all the time you could save because of technology's talent.  I definitely would love to incorporate Flickr into the classroom because my students will learn how to interact, share and learn from each other in creative and interesting ways.  Another great aspect about Flickr is the ability to share the daily life of you classroom.  I think parents would love seeing what their child has been doing in the classroom or where they are going on field trips.  I really want to make communication with my student's parents a high priority.  You can make slideshows and create presentations with Flickr too! There is also a very unique tool on Flickr call "annotation," which allows you to add notes to part of the image.  Flickr also allows you to post videos, which I think would great to create virtual field trip tours (in case someone was sick, or for student reflection, or for parents to see).  I also learned that Flickr is free! There is a limit, but the text said "you could easily post 500 images a month without too much worry." I think I could handle that ;) I feel much more knowledgeable on the Flickr site now, and would definitely consider incorporating it into my classroom at times.