Chapter 7 Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts

Chapter 7 was all about digital images and how Flickr, the photo sharing website, can be used in a classroom. The chapter raves about all the possibilities using Flickr in the classroom. It would be possible to photograph pictures from daily events or field trips, guest speakers, and projects. Flickr is a free website for anyone’s use. When first beginning this chapter I was concerned about inappropriate pictures that students may run across. According to Chapter 7, Flickr’s members are responsible for sifting out the inappropriate pictures along with filters that have changeable settings. If students were to create their own accounts I am uncertain how they would be monitored easily. I would choose to create one user and have the class all share one account. I am glad that restricted access is available because that would be a huge concern for some parents if their child was in a picture. I think it’s neat that Flickr uses a tagging process similar to Delicious because I think that method is very successful when trying to locate a specific picture.

                I thought the idea of using Flickr to identify features of a model a third grader had made was great! If all students were working on a project, pictures could be taken and annotated so others could view them. I loved the idea of being able to take images and annotate them, such as the Civil War battlefield or fetal pig dissection examples in the book. The ability to take pictures and annotate them could help facilitate a lesson or even a study guide for an exam.

                I love the idea of using Flickr to connect teachers and students during the summer. My main concern with this would be if every child had access to a computer, or even a camera for that matter. I would never want to make any of my students feel incapable of completing something because they were not able to access the appropriate tools. When first coming to a new school I think it’s important to keep in mind what type of home each of them may live in and to not make assumptions that everyone owns certain items that we take for granted.

                I like that there are different tools available for use with Flickr. I already like the “Flicktion” tool because it would be fun for students to pick a random photo and use it as inspiration for a story. An activity such as this would help writing skills develop and allow students to be creative.