Thing+10

=Thing 10: Snap and Share a Pic!=

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Above images created by [|Spell with Flickr], using Flickr [|One Letter] photo pool. Click any letter to see original image with attribution and CC license.


 * How I got it here on my wiki page:** I copied the **big mess of HTML code** from the box on the [|Spell with Flickr] page, then clicked "Embed Widget" (the TV icon) and pasted it under "Other HTML." (I did it as two separate words). Feel free to try it on your sandbox wiki page (you know you want to!).

For LOADS more Flickr goodness, visit [|Flickr Services], [|FD's FlickrToys] and [|Great Flickr Tools Collection] -- **after you have learned about Flickr!**

Introduction
You may have noticed that nearly every page on this wiki includes a photograph or image that relates visually to the content. Most images on this wiki come from the [|Flickr Creative Commons] collection. In Thing 9, you learned how Creative Commons allows users to publish their original work on the web, and give legal permission to others to use, adapt and remix the work. "Flickr CC" currently includes nearly **100 million photos**, from users all over the world. Creative Commons, folks. Wow.

**What, pray tell, is Flickr?** But what is Flickr? Short story? It's a type of online photo storage site. Storing photos online is not a relatively new concept. We've all seen the advertisements from our local drug stores where you can upload your photos online to share with loved ones and have them printed and ready for pick-up in an hour. Many companies exist for this very purpose, but these are consumer/commercial oriented sites, not ones necessarily designed for social "sharing".

However, to investigate the social aspect of photo //sharing//, we're going to focus on a service called **[|Flickr]**- one that I am personally addicted to. There are others out there, including a Google product called Picasa that also offers some pretty great FREE photo editing software, but we're going to keep the scope of Thing 10 focused on Flickr - for the most part.


 * So what //are// photo sharing sites?**
 * They provide **free** online **storage** up to a certain number of pictures and/or up to a certain amount of storage space. Flickr allows you to upload up to 200 images for free.
 * You can **tag** your images (think tagging just like in Diigo). That's what makes Flickr so incredible! Whether searching for your own pictures that you've uploaded or pictures others have taken, the ability to **search by tagged keywords** makes finding images you need SO much easier.
 * Make photos private or public - but if they're private, you're not sharing :)
 * Ability to comment on photos of others and receive comments.
 * Join themed photo groups - have something you're interested in

Photosharing in Plain English (2:50) Let's take a look at what Photo sharing is and a couple of the advantages from our friends at CommonCraft. media type="custom" key="6458375"


 * IMPORTANT! ** ** Tagging and Folksonomies - Two Defining Attributes of Web 2.0 **

So, online photo-sharing has been around for about a decade, but Web 2.0 sites like Flickr offer more than just a place to store your photos and share them with family and friends through email. Flickr is a **searchable**, **social**, **user-driven** community. The social power of Flickr comes from **[|tagging]**, which is the process of **adding meaningful keywords to photos** (or any type of content), something we discussed when Diigo (social bookmarking) was introduced.

If you’ve ever used a subject heading in a library catalog or written names or places on the back of a photograph, you’re already familiar with tagging! Flickr's public photo tags are visible to the whole community, so the entire collection becomes organized and categorized, searchable and browsable. Flickr users can also comment on each others' photos and [|create Groups] to develop //photo pools// (shared photo collections, such as the [|One Letter] pool I mentioned above) and have discussions about any topic or interest.

Photo tagging is an example of a **[|folksonomy]**, an important Web 2.0 concept that refers to the **collaborative organizing of content by everyday users**. Unlike a highly structured, professionally developed and controlled **taxonomy** (such as library subject headings), a **folksonomy** evolves over time, as //more users// add //more tags// to //more content//. Tagging is a bit messy, can be very individualized, and is non-hierarchical (i.e. there are no "sub-tags"); For example, a photo of your dog may be tagged as //dog//, //beagle,// //rover// and even //cute// if that means something to you. (Also, **tags cannot have spaces**, e.g. **chocolate** **chip** **cookie** is actually **__three__ tags**, whereas **chocolate_chip_cookie** (or **chocolatechipcookie**) is **one tag**).

You may recall that in the Thing 2 video //The Machine is Us/ing Us//, in reaction to the explosion of digital content on the Web, Michael Wesch asks the question: "**Who will organize all this data?**" His answer (//the// answer): **We will** - using TAGS!

SIDEBAR: Visual Literacy is Essential **

This "Thing" is not meant to be a primer on Visual Literacy, but such a critical skill set can't go unmentioned (without loss of sleep on my part). For our students to be visually literate in the 21st Century, they must be able to "**interpret, use, appreciate, and create** images and video using both conventional and 21st Century media in ways that advance **thinking, decision-making, communication and learning**" ([|Engauge - Digital Age Literacies] ). As you explore Flickr, I hope you will consider how you might incorporate more visual literacy-building activities into your teaching, and also how you can teach your students about Creative Commons, because, believe me, they don't know.

Here is a brief outline of reasons for [|Communicating Visually in the 21st Century] from David Jakes; Please visit [|JakesOnline] for suggestions about using online resources (including Flickr) to improve students' visual literacy skills. If you are interested, check out Dan Meyer's ([|dy/dan]) blog series about **design and visual literacy**, in which he ultimately **challenges educators** to submit a four-slide presentation "selling" themselves //a la// the [|UC Graduate School of Business]. The submissions and the dialogue are both provocative and compelling. The four posts in the series: [|Chicago Hope] / [|Misunderstanding Chicago] / [|Contest: The Four-Slide Sales Pitch] / [|Four-Slide Sales Pitch: Final Entries] (If you are short on time, just check out the entries -- they are pretty cool).

Discovery Exercise
**¤ NOTE:** The discovery exercises and task **do not require** you to JOIN Flickr, but you are certainly welcome/encouraged to do so -- a good place to start if you want to join Flickr is the official [|Flickr Tour].

**¤ BIGGER NOTE:** **Please be mindful** as you explore Flickr that not all images are free to use! **Just because you can view it and you know how to capture it doesn't mean you have unfettered permission to use it.** See notes at the top of the Flickr Search Tips page for a few words about copyright and Flickr. The good news is, Flickr currently has over 140 million images licensed under Creative Commons, and also, many Flickr photographers will graciously give permission for educational and classroom use of their photos. Incidentally, this same concept holds true for Google or other image searches. We are responsible for honoring copyright, seeking permission, citing sources, **understanding what constitutes FAIR USE**, and for //teaching these essential ethics to our students//. Don't forget to check out that WONDERFUL **[|Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in Media Education]**. =On with it...=

Expect to spend a good hour "roaming" in Flickr -- the time should fly by, as you are exploring an //amazing resource// and this should be FUN!

The following ** ‡ HELP Pages: ** are designed to assist you in **Parts 1 and 2** of this exercise. They are worth perusing.
 * 1) Anatomy of the Flickr Explore Page (The many possibilities for exploring photos in Flickr)
 * 2) Anatomy of a Flickr Photo Page (How to navigate a photo page; how to download or link to a photo)
 * 3) Flickr Basic & Creative Commons Searching (It's important to **understand the difference**)

Spend a few minutes just getting to know Flickr. One of the best ways to do that is visit the [|Explore] page, where you can check out: Most Interesting Photos, Most Popular Tags, Places & Maps, Groups, and general Search. (Try browsing and sample searching in each of these modes). Flickr treats each search word as a **separate tag**, so you may have better results using phrases, e.g. "long island" (with quotes) or compound tags, e.g. **long_island** or **longisland**. Just have to experiment.
 * PART 1: Explore Flickr (~15 min)**

Pick a **concept, topic or theme** of your choice (preferably something you could use in your teaching or professional learning) and search the [|Flickr Creative Commons] to find **3-5** (or more if you choose) photos matching the theme, concept or topic. **Download the LARGE (unless it's really big) size of each photo** (easiest to save them all to a single folder), **being sure to** **record the photo page URL** and photographer's **username** (I recommend that you paste them right into the bottom of your wiki sandbox page, but you can also save them as browser bookmarks/favorites or paste them onto a word document if you must -- **just be sure to save them!**) so that you can give credit. ‡ HELP Video: ** [|How to Search Flickr CC, Download a Photo and Save an Attribution Link] (The Whole Enchilada)
 * PART 2:** **Find some Creative Commons Licensed photos in FlickrCC (~30 min, depending on your personality and chosen search task!)**
 * ‡ HELP Page: **How to download and/or link to a photo.


 * You will be invited to use these images to create an __embeddable slideshow__ in Thing 12.**

**¤** **PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT** to [|watch the help video] and/or view the help guide for searching Creative Commons photos, as it is a bit different from the regular search and NOT OBVIOUS. You have to click "see more" next to one of the CC photo pools to reach the search box for those photos. If you don't see CC license symbols next to the search bod, then you are using the "regular" Flickr search box, which searches ALL photos and not CC-only.

An alternative way to search all Creative Commons photos at once is to use [|Flickr Advanced Search] and check the box that says "Only search within CC licensed photos."

** STUCK for ideas? ** A few possible ideas: geometric shapes, colors, architectural styles, barns, lighthouses, bridges, vocabulary terms, natural elements, transportation, monuments, people, cultures, seasons, insects, animals, plants, landforms, billboards/signs, feelings/moods, writing prompts, inspiration, weather, technology, communities, holidays, collections, symbols, simple machines...

You can't help it, you are teachers, and you want to know about the educational possibilities of Flickr. For a mere start, take a look at some of these resources and examples:
 * PART 3:** **Explore some Educational Possibilities for Flickr (~15-30 min**)

> A blog post full of ideas for using Flickr to support classroom learning, including //Carl Sandburg Meets Flickr//, in which he uses images to illustrate a poem (think poems, quotations, vocabulary, figurative language, literary passages, also think slideshow or digital story).
 * Collections of Ideas**
 * **David Jakes -** [|Classroom Uses of Flickr]
 * **Alan Levine** - **//What Can We Do With Flickr?//**
 * [|Find Photos to Illustrate, Inspire or Support Most any Idea or Concept];
 * [|Tell Stories or Support Writing Activities] ;
 * [|Map Photos to Geographic Locations] (Geotagging);
 * [|Create (or enhance) Slideshows and Visual Presentations];
 * [|Add Notes, Annotations and Hyperlinks to Photos];
 * [|Extend Flickr with Lots of Cool and Useful Applications];
 * [|Create Groups to Share Photos and have Online Discussions Around a Particular Topic, Theme or Idea];
 * **[|Flickr Lesson Plans]** from Education Grad Students (discussions posted in a Flickr Group -- using the tool to explore the tool!)


 * Individual Lessons/Examples**
 * Teacher Dude - [|Teaching Vocabulary Using Flickr]
 * Darren Kuropatwa (via CoolCatTeacher) - [|Fascinating Flickr Assignment to Teach Math] (A high school Trigonometry project. Be sure to check out the student projects and the project rubric!)
 * Shelley Paul - Flickr-Inspired Poetry - These are from an adult writing workshop, but the lesson could be adapted to any age.
 * MisterTeacher's Flickr For Teachers - [|Blogging Photos Part 1]; [|Blogging Photos Part 2]

**¤ NOTE:** **A Quick Word About Photo-Posting Etiquette** When posting identifiable photos of other people (especially minors), is it advisable to get the person's permission before posting their photo in a publicly accessible place like Flickr. Never upload pictures that weren't taken by you (unless you have the photographer's consent) and **always give credit** (and a link) when you include photos taken by someone else in your blog, wiki, slide presentation or digital story.

**Further Resources (provided for your reference)**
> All kinds of cool "stuff" to help you get creative and extend your use of Flickr.
 * David Jakes - [|Flickr Resources]
 * Anne Davis - [|Putting the Pedagogy into the Tools: Flickr]
 * Josh Lowenstein - [|Newbie's Guide to Flickr]
 * [|Flickr Services], [|FD's FlickrToys] and the [|Great Flickr Tool Collection]
 * Jeff Utecht - [|Getting to Know Flickr] (Screencast from October 2006))
 * Educause - [|7 things you should know about Flickr]

**Task** Select one of the themed/topical photos you downloaded in **Part 2** above. **Insert** the photo **via link or by upload**, so that it appears WITHIN a blog post (see video below for help) in which you **reflect on your Flickr experience**. Please share some things you learned about Flickr, the topic/theme you selected for your search, and any ideas you have for using Flickr (or other photo sharing tool) to support your own teaching and learning. Be sure to post an attribution -- or, credit -- to the photographer, in the form of his or her **username** and a **link to the photo page**). Be sure to include "Thing 11" in your post title.


 * ‡ HELP Video: **Insert a picture in a blog post
 * ‡ HELP Page: **How to download or link to a photo.