Classroom Use
Flickr can support different types of student learning
Flickr is a fantastic tool that can add value to any student production. Most productions can be made better with the use of visuals. Flickr can aid the student in uploading personal images, finding unique images in the database, and organizing the images in a centralized location. Flickr also offers basic photo editing features and the ability to print the electronic images if necessary. Not only is Flickr great at making the presentation of a student production better, it can dramatically increase the collaboration of a group production. Flickr offers a centralized area that many members of the group can contribute, analyze, organize, and download images. The images shared to Flickr could be photos of an experiment, a process, or the results of an experiment. So, Flickr can serve as a way to enhance a presentation or could be a crucial element in the dissemination of scientific data with an extended group.
The students’ learning can be elevated by the increased creativity on the part of both the students and the teachers. Images found in the Flickr database can open the door to the world for the students. Instead of simply discussing life in Paris, the teacher can assign the students to find a photograph showing life in Paris and discuss what the photograph represents to them. Or the teacher can improve his/her discussion of Paris by presenting images to the class.
Flickr can help students think critically about a subject. Science classes can benefit greatly from documenting their experiments through photography. Taking photos of the experiment set up, the procedure, the variables, and the results can greatly increase the student’s ability to critically analyze the experiment. By actually seeing and documenting the procedure, the student can detect where the procedure was or was not followed and any potential discrepancies. Documenting the results can expedite the analyzing process. As I have discussed, many concepts are understood better when seen. It can take a lot of writing to describe what a photograph can illustrate. Flickr could then be used to upload, organize, and share the photos with an extended group. Perhaps, the same experiment could be performed in three different schools in three different states and the results could be shared. I guess that means the Flickr would also be good in aiding students with communication as well.
The students’ learning can be elevated by the increased creativity on the part of both the students and the teachers. Images found in the Flickr database can open the door to the world for the students. Instead of simply discussing life in Paris, the teacher can assign the students to find a photograph showing life in Paris and discuss what the photograph represents to them. Or the teacher can improve his/her discussion of Paris by presenting images to the class.
Flickr can help students think critically about a subject. Science classes can benefit greatly from documenting their experiments through photography. Taking photos of the experiment set up, the procedure, the variables, and the results can greatly increase the student’s ability to critically analyze the experiment. By actually seeing and documenting the procedure, the student can detect where the procedure was or was not followed and any potential discrepancies. Documenting the results can expedite the analyzing process. As I have discussed, many concepts are understood better when seen. It can take a lot of writing to describe what a photograph can illustrate. Flickr could then be used to upload, organize, and share the photos with an extended group. Perhaps, the same experiment could be performed in three different schools in three different states and the results could be shared. I guess that means the Flickr would also be good in aiding students with communication as well.
Modification available to differentiate instruction using this tool
In the adaptation section of this paper, I address, in more detail, modifications in an example lesson that can serve to account for differentiation. Flickr is an international website in which the function is to facilitate the uploading, storage, and sharing of images. There is a social networking aspect to it as well. Flickr’s purpose and design is driven by the consumers. Flickr is not an educational tool with built in features to aid in differentiating learning. Flickr gives you the choice of the language you want to use, but it is limited in any technical modifications. Most modifications would derive from how the teacher plans on using Flickr. It can be as complicated or as simple as the teacher wants. The lesson plan needs to give opportunity for remedial training, printed tutorials, and assistance. Making the projects group projects will aid in this process. The students of different abilities can assist and support each other.