Flickr in the Classroom 5-A-1
I spent several years training teachers in the 4MAT method of teaching. 4MAT emphasizes a concept that the lesson builds around. The concept was often cemented in the lesson with the use of what was called the Visual Explorer. This is a box of large post card sized pictures that are quite striking and compelling. The student is asked to find a picture that they think represents the concept well. Since students are different they choose different pictures and explain why they think it represents the concept. This is a great informal assessment to see if students are “getting it”. What does this have to do with Flickr? Simple, you don’t have to purchase large volumes of pictures to do concept work with students. They are available digitally at Flickr! I searched “using Flickr in the classroom” and one of the first sites that came up was JakesOnline! where I found a pdf document on the ways a teacher could use Flickr in the classroom. I don’t know if I can add to his list but I would focus on a few things. Geotagging for virtual field trips was the first to jump out at me. I teach in Auburn Indiana which has the world’s greatest classic car auction. When I was walking up to the gate last year I heard Joseph Stalin’s car that was a gift from FDR getting auctioned off for like 20 million. Auburn is a small city/large town north of Fort Wayne that has some impressive museums students can go to. Another geotagging option is geocaching the Indiana Spirit Quest of historically significant hoosiers. This is especially interesting since we are north of Fort Wayne with such rich history including Chief Little Turtle, “Mad” Anthony Wayne, etc.
Before a teacher starts using Flickr they should be both competent online and have an understanding of social networking, RSS and probably the Creative Commons system of licensing for digital photos.
I would sum up using Flickr in the classroom as the concept of insight.
Visuals give us insight into what we are percieving at the moment. We all perceive something a little different, it doesn’t mean the thing we percieve is different for everyone, just that we are different and visuals are an effective way to describe our experience or perspective of something.
This picture shows this concept in my opinion. It’s a picture of ocean bacteria. To get the picture the photographer had to put some effort into to it. It required the correct focus and zoom. The effort paid off because it gave the photographer great insight into what was going on everyday but seldom seen.
Image Citation:
ES. (2007, March 15). Diversity in the Ecological Soup. jurvetsons.’s Photostream. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/422234138/
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