Recently we were asked to post some photos on flickr, tag them, and share them with the users of our class. In doing so I began to ponder how this great tool could be used in the classroom. Just as any of my students would do when given a direction, I turned to Google to see what already exists. I found that many educators are using flickr for its greatest asset, tagging. When you tag a photo in flickr it takes on its own life. The photo is no longer restricted to just the elements found within the image. Users can use keywords to tag their images and give them deeper meaning. A lesson plan I found by Pamela AuCoin requires that her students search for images on flickr that show Soviet propaganda and how the propagandists used color and slogans to get their messages across. The students also upload their own images that they have found using a tool like Google and are required to tag the appropriately in order to add to the depth of results. The students are then asked to share their findings with the class and peers post comments back to the student presenting using the comment box on flickr. Then, as a reflection piece, students are asked to relate their work to the content.
In my own classroom I could see myself adapting this lesson to have students research color theory. They could find images on flickr that represent a color in the color wheel. Combine the findings into one document in photoshop and re-upload as a whole new piece with newly developed tags. While the process would not directly teach them color theories, it would introduce them to colors use in the world and how it can fit within the color wheel.
Photo: "Hail to Aurora"
"While the process would not directly teach them color theories, it would introduce them to colors use in the world and how it can fit within the color wheel." Priming, hands on, technology, tagging, and the introduction to the colors give them the experience to build on in an engaging collaborative way. Awesome:)
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