I have heard of photo sharing websites, but have never thought to become involved with them. I am probably the only person in the world without a Facebook. I just don't like the idea of my private information displayed on the Internet. However, my initial impression of Flickr has changed my mind. This website is so user friendly. Even without a tutorial, a person could easily navigate the website. Once I began posting photos, I couldn't stop. I had fun selecting which photos to share and looking at other photos submitted by my classmates.
Flickr could be used within my classroom. Because our curriculum is novel based, I think Flickr could provide me with some valuable resources for character identification, setting, and related historical events. I am a visual learner as many of my students are. I think we as people are fascinated with the way things look and having an image of something helps to better understand it.
My hesitation with using Flickr in the classroom is monitoring student activity. Although we have a feature in the library which allows us to see what students are doing, the COW does not have this option. I often use the COW so that students don't have to leave the classroom. I also wonder how many students use the website for personal use? Those that do may be more concerned with their personal photos rather than my lesson.
Before reading The Odyssey, I have students create a PowerPoint presentation of their life journey. Students enjoy using real photographs to share with myself and their peers the story of their lives. This website will help with time on task. Often students finish early because they do not have photos at school; instead, they are saved at home. If students uploaded photos to Flickr prior to constructing the presentation, they could easily insert photos from Flickr while creating their presentation.
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