Re-looking at Flickr....
What fun!
After spending the last year in a Middle School Library I have a renewed appreciation for the power of graphics. Last year I discovered that these bright students evaluate websites based more on the graphics than the text. Yes, this is probably not a surprise but requires a shift in thinking on my part. I acknowledge that there is so much we can do with pictures. I can think of an endless amount of stories we could tell with only pictures. I also ask myself, if "A Picture is worth a thousand words" then why aren't I using more of them in my classroom. Definitely worth trying.....In fact as I make plans for my next set of 7th grade orientation classes I will probably try a photo scavenger hunt or a photographic essay on the use of a library resource.
So what about...Flicker....My first thought.... Another online web tool that is surprisingly free. I set up an account a long time ago and never used it. Despite the fact that it was an easy way to share photos with family and friends, I preferred other methods of getting my pictures to my friends. Given today's re-examination, I can see how some unique use of this online tool could enhance instruction and provide students with a way to demonstrate their understanding of topics in a non verbal or written fashion. Certainly sounds motivational. The Public Library Flickr collections showed us an excellent way to thank library supporters and at the same time drum up more support. The community was able to watch the library renovation and see how the library program really made a difference in their town. The best thing about these photographic documentaries is that they are free and very easy to create.
As I ponder the educational use of this web tool. I wonder about the chance that this tool is blocked by the school filter. I will have to test this out next week when I go back into my library this summer. At that time I will take a few library pictures to add to my Flickr.
...I also think about why this web tool is free. When revisiting the "Interesting" pictures, I found an absolutely wonderful photo showing a girl in bright stockings reading a book. What a temptation it was for me, to drag that picture to my computer's desktop, and post it into this blog entry. It would have only have taken only a minute of my time. My librarian conscience made me go back and read the legal jargon I agreed to when I registered as well as a few pages on Flickr about the ethical use of their website. Darn copyrights! The misuse of Flickr seems to be a concern of its creators. Just like Blogger, Myspaces, and other web tools Flickr offers us the best of things and the worst of things all wrapped up in a very neat package ....with no clear division between the two. Does the good out weigh the bad? Of course! ....but what is the cost to those un-thinking individuals who publicly post away their private lives in a series of pictures that once posted can not taken back. Seems like another challenge for librarians who seem to be taking on the job of finding the dividing line in information (including photographic) and steering their patrons to the right side of the line.
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