Module 4

[ Image courtesy of Flickr ]

My friend Flickr...

I've been playing around in Flickr all day. I managed to create an account, create a buddy icon, set up a profile and levels of security, and I even managed to allow access to my photos using Creative Commons. I viewed the map feature. I have uploaded some photos, given them tags, titles and descriptions, seen how to crop and rotate them when necessary, and then organised them into sets. I have run these as a slideshow and shown them off to a friend. I am very chuffed.
Here's one of my efforts:

Educational application?

Flickr is easy to recommend for personal use. How could it be used in the school setting?

Upside:

1. Huge range of images for students to access anytime they are required e.g. in presentations, posters

2. Visual Arts students can upload their own work, label images with hot spots by using the add notes option, engage in critical analysis via the comment section, identify art vocabulary within images etc.etc.

3. Geography and Science students could make records of excursions and add notes, and incorporate the use of the map feature 

4. Provides an opportunity for a wider feedback to students about their work

5. Could be used to illustrate the concept of copyright and intellectual rights.

Downside:

1. Tags: Because these are generated by the community, they are subject to the mis­takes of the users who enter them. I understand that there are over 1,000 entries for Mexcio. So if you're looking for Mexico, you will miss quite a few!

2. Copyright: Flickr seems to run a self-regulatory/honesty system for copyright violations, and there are ample opportunities for invasions of privacy by anyone who wishes to do so.

3. Videos can be no longer than 90 seconds - perhaps there are better places to save them anyway.

4. As Flickr is hosted by a commercial enterprise [Yahoo], anything placed there will be subject to that company's continued viability. Nothing is forever.

Comments posted on other blogs:

Hi Jay,

As you know, copyright is a big issue in my line - librarianship. Whilst we'd all love to just go open slather, helping ourselves, it is important to be aware of the legalities of ownership. As member of Flickr, we too are placing our material, our intellectual property, at the mercy of the globe. We can perhaps discuss this with students when they upload their images and when they access other's work.

Cheers
Cath