The Teddy bears 'Picnik'!

Most of you probably already know what Flickr is and have a Flickr account but just in case you haven't heard of it it is a place that will store your photos online for you. The advantage of this is that you can keep large amounts of photos without using all of your own computers memory up. You can also find photos there that are free for anyone to use in the Flickr commonshare. That is where I found this cute little squirrel.
Image courtesy of Flickr

In the classroom, not only can teachers use Flickr to locate images, they can use Flickr to enhance learning opportunities and engage pupils in their learning. "The fundamental idea underlying engagement theory is that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks" (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999, P.1).

For example a student might be asked to open a group on Flickr in order to add and catalogue images. Students might need to locate commonshare images or take their own photos that represent the moods they feel are reflected in particular music. So reggae music might be full of bold images that have a lot of red, green, and gold in them and so on.

This could be used as an exercise that helps students to understand the 'abstract reasoning process' (Marzano & Pickering, 1997, p.130), by then showing them how the same types of patterns can be found in moods created by colour or even the layout of a room. This could be done collaboratively in groups or individually. The theoretical framework that supports the exploration of concepts and issues (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). Students might also develop a photo story to explore a topical or current issue. They are also donating the work back to others, in the Flickr community, who can access and use the images for their own purposes.

Today I found Picnik. It allows you to use photos from Flickr or elsewhere and edit them, create collages or apply effects to them, using imaginative and easy-to-use tools.It is a fun feature and could be used in many ways.

My first thought was you could let the students use it to personalize their avatars that they will use in any student forums and wikis throughout the year. It would also be a great tool to help them design posters. It gives their work a very professional yet fun touch and allows even the least talented student to get very creative and artistic.












References:
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Marzano, R.J., & Pickering, D. J. (1997). Dimensions of learning: Teacher's manual. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Helpful Websites
Flickr:- http://www.flickr.com/

Flickr Creative Commons:- http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

Picnik:- http://www.picnik.com/