Using Flickr in the Classroom

There are many practical ways to use the resource that is Flickr. For one thing, there are few "references" that can be used to visually represent or depict a topic that could be at the center of a class discussion. Sometimes the easiest way to get students involved in a topic is by incorporating different modes of teaching the same idea. Some students are visual learners, some perfer auditory guidance. Flickr can incorporate both.

By using Bubblr, a connected site to Flickr, one can make art from the visual representations accumulated by others. The intent is to build comic strips, but the idea of creating "literature" from a picture can vastly improve students' abilities at any level in an English class. The abilities to think, incorporate, and create are not honed enough at the middle and high school levels... this site allows for students to work on their own as much as they want... and it is fun!

I would be remiss if I didn't also say that it is a great opportunity for teachers. It is a great way to do a five to ten minute writing based on a visual comic strip or scene put on the front board at the beginning or end of class. The students can respond to the teacher's "art" or finish a story that has been started. They can find significance that others might not see and then share it with each other. The following link is my attempt at starting a story that the students can finish or comment on.
click here: My Example
It didn't take long to make, and it could start a great discussion in class about social norms.

Bubblr goes a long way to infusing excitement back into the classroom!

Flickr: Recreating the Copyright

The internet has revolutionized much of what we have done over the last few years. We are a generation of "now," not we'll get to it "later." In that spirit, Flickr (a website where one can "acquire" art throught photos on just about anything) has created the means to share material without infringing on the author's rights. It has been dubbed "creative commons."

There are several kinds of "creative commons" and the author of the photos gets to choose how they want to share. The types are:

Attribution means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work - and derivative works based upon it - but only if they give you credit.

Noncommercial means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work - and derivative works based upon it - but for noncommercial purposes only.

No Derivative Works means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.

Share Alike means:
You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

Now, it is very important that one always credits a source. Even though the pictures can be used, they must be used properly. It's bad karma when one doesn't follow the rules... sort of like being around for lightning to strike the same place twice.