After the readings this week I really wanted to explore some of the tools described more in-depth so I chose to focus on Flickr.
One of the topics that we discussed by Richardson was photo sharing sites like Flickr and their potential in the classroom. Richardson suggests many uses for this site including using it to “create presentations and slide shows, cobble together virtual fieldtrips, illustrate poetry, document school work, teach about social software, and teach geography” (Richardson 2010).
One use that I thought would be particularly engaging for my students would be to have them use digital cameras to take pictures of the different stages of their science labs. Students could then upload the photos and create a photo lab report commenting on the most important parts and what the photos show/mean. This would be a great tool for some of my special education students because it would allow them to express what they learned in a format that doesn’t require a lot of writing while still helping them remember what they learned and share it with their peers. However, I am not saying that it should be limited those students, I think it could be a greatly motivating activity for all students that would really help them extend what they have learned in a new format.
I think it would also be a great presentation device for teachers. They could share photos about the lesson with students while including their personal notes and highlighting specific detail that may provide students with useful information. I love the idea from the text about using Flickr and linking it to Google earth to teach geography (Richardson, 2010). In fact it gave me a great idea for a way to help students practice for their up coming geography test beyond basic flash cards. Click on this link to see my example (I plan to add much more to it in the future but this should give you an idea). http://www.flickr.com/photos/67900676@N04/6179622626/
Here is a link to another activity I created on Flickr based on a science lesson about plants. http://www.flickr.com/photos/67900676@N04/6179651540/
Overall I think this would be a great tool to use in the classroom and I can’t wait to share it with the other teachers in my building. I know I will definitely be using it with my students soon.
Richardson, W. (2010) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other powerful classroom tools. California :Corwin.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteYour ideas are so creative and thoughtful. I need to use photos and images more and you've inspired me!
You'll need to follow up on the idea of
"digital cameras to take pictures of the different stages of their science labs" when we talk about "digital storytelling in a week or so." The science reports you describe are, in effect, stories. I love it!
Dawn
Michelle, you are an inspiration. I can't believe that you were only exposed to Flickr in the last week or so. Since then, you came up with two actual Flickr activities and a great idea for a third. It sounds as though you may be revamping your curriculum based around Flickr! Just great.
ReplyDeleteI really like the ideas involving Flickr and virtual field trips. I am a very lucky individual in that I had a chance to take my children on a 14 month around-the-world trip. I saw how much they learned from being immersed in a 14-month field trip. To be able to bring a semblance of that to other students via Flickr would be very satisfying. Your inspiration may just get me to create some virtual field trips with our trip photos.
Great work!