Flickr as a Student Centered tool

As you know I have explored Flickr in a previous post however due to time restraints I have not had the opportunity to explore this site with the students in my classroom. I really enjoyed using this program and I feel that it presents a number of learning opportunities.

I believe that the use of this application would vary depending on the year level that it is aimed at. For example, in the lower grades the Learning Manager could create a classroom account and introduce students gradually to the program and the various functions. In higher grades it would be fantastic to allow individual students to create their own accounts with images that they have taken and uploaded themselves. They could then edit and enhance their photos and create sets and collections of photos around a given topic or theme (Flickr, 2009).

Within my grade 1 class I would love to explore the use of this program to create a digital classroom journal. I would need to create the class account at the beginning of the year and as it progressed create sets of photos for each topic/unit and each student. Students could take photos of their work samples and then I would upload these to the program as well as any other major events that happened throughout the school year. I realise that the issues of student safety and copyright would need to be addressed and strict guidelines followed however this site allows users to change security settings and means that you can keep files completely private. During the year the Learning Manager could scaffold the task so that students were involved in all aspects and gradually became familiar with the program.

I believe that students would be excited with the prospects of this tool and would feel a great sense of achievement and ownership when they saw their work on the computer screen. With an emphasis on meaningful and engaging learning through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks this tool is consistent with Kearsley and Schneiderman's (1999) Engagement Theory. It highlights the effective way technology can facilitate learning in 'ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise' (Kearsley & Schneiderman, 1999).


References:
Flickr. (2009). What is Flickr? Retrieved August 20, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/tour/

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved August 20, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm