Flickr in the classroom

Flickr is new to me.  As I was researching Flickr I was thinking that it could be a good tool that would be useful in the classroom.  Technology in the classroom increases student engagement and I think Flickr could increase engagement.  "Flickr is a photo-sharing website where anyone can upload and tag photos, browse others' photos and add comments and annotations." (Educause, 2008)

So how would Flickr be useful to students in the classroom?  There are some great maps on Flickr.  If a student was doing a project that needed a detailed explanation in a map, Flickr would be the place to find it.  Additionally, students can take a virtual field trip using Flickr.  There are pictures of almost any topic and "a picture is worth a thousand words."  Digital stories is another great project students can use Flickr for.  Students can upload pictures or find photos on the creative commons part of Flickr to create a digital story.  This would be very engaging for students who have written a story in writers workshop and wanted to bring their story to life.

There are so many ideas that photos could be used for in the classroom.  The list goes on.  They could be used across the curriculum.  In math students could be doing a project on geometry and the shapes of things they find in pictures.  They could also take the pictures and store them on Flickr for a geometry unit.  Science and social studies would also be a great area to do projects with photos.  All in all I think Flickr would be a great idea to try in the classroom.

Educause (2008, February) 7 things you should know about Flickr. Retrieved May 20, 2014 from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-flickr