Flickr, What a kicker! Using Flickr technology

My Easter break (not much of a break!!) of technological learning has culminated in Flickr, a photo sharing website where you can both upload and download images which are for the most part freely usable. I have successfully been able to upload my own photos and make them accessible to whomever I choose (see one of my travel pics!) and have also discovered a seemingly never-ending stream of photos and pictures that others have so kindly shared, some of which I can save, print, embed and use however I like. This presents another great resource for teachers which I have promptly added to my 'tool kit' for the pre-service I will soon begin and, of course, beyond into the big bad world of 'real' teaching.

Using pictures when presenting information not only makes a document more visually appealing and entertaining, it also appeals to visual learners (Felder, 1991) and can provide some relief and variation to long blocks of text.

"Pictures speak a thousand words" has never been more true than in the classroom and incorporating pictures with text and verbal teaching can add another dimension and enhance understanding for many students. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Pictures can also be used as a memory tool when trying to achieve rote learning. Although memorising information shouldn't be the main aim of any given learning experience, there are certainly instances where using information storing strategies is necessary and useful. By attaching a personally appealing symbol or picture to a concept of piece of information, obscure information can be made more relevant and therefore easier to commit to long term memory. Dimension 2 of the Dimensions of Learning (Marzano & Pickering, 1997) support this notion stating, "The most powerful memory strategies are those that use imagery." Flickr is a great resource for finding symbols that will appeal to students in this context, for example, students could find images that represent/remind them of some of the elements in the periodic table and the symbol for each. e.g helium balloons to remember helium.

In these ways, pictures are a vital component of learning and Flickr is a tool that makes their use in the classroom even more accessible.

PS Check out this link for more ideas on Flickr in the classroom.

References

Felder, R. (1991). The Index of Learning Styles.
Retrieved 12 March 2010 from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html

Marzano & Pickering, 1997. Dimensions of Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.