To prepare myself for my adventure in photo sharing this week, I began by reading Chapter 7 (Fun with Flickr) in Will Richardson’s Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2008). I always enjoy the Common Craft videos, and I was happy to see Lee LeFever was there to offer guidance and explain photo sharing to me in “plainenglish” on Joanne’s trailfire this week. I also found the “Wikipedia” entry very useful in describing the terminology and services associated with photo sharing.

So, in terms of being photo sharing savvy, this is where I am starting from… I own a digital camera. I know how to use most of the features on it, but not all. I can take pictures and upload them onto the computer. I can print digital photos off my computer and put them in a photo album or make a document such as a brochure. I might even show them to my friends and family when they visit… and it pretty much ends there.  I was somewhat aware of what was going on online in terms of sharing photos electronically, but in many ways… this week, I really learned that I have been missing out on the much bigger picture of what the potential of photo sharing can be in terms of teaching and learning… not to mention, all the social implications and just having fun!

I also have a new understanding of the two main types of photo sharing sites, those that offer photo sharing for free (with the intention of selling online photofinishing and a variety of novelty gift services) and those that charge a subscription rate for safe storage and sharing services (without the added come-ons and promotional gimmicks). There are many of these photo sharing sites to choose from, but I chose only a few to explore at length… Shutterfly, Photobucket, Webshots, Picasa, Zoto and of course, arguably the best of the lot… flickr.com. It’s not hard to see why photo sharing sites like “Flickr” have become such a phenomena online, with one to two million photos uploaded daily (Richardson, 2008). I think Lee LeFever says it best in his video “Online photo sharing in plain English” when he states that “photos on the web just makes sense.” Backing up your photos on the Internet keeps them safe and organized, as well as easily accessible, no matter where you are.

I have spent most of my online learning time on the flickr site uploading my photos, experimenting with the editing tools and assigning key words or tags to describe the content of my photos and make them easier to find. I was rather restrictive with the permissions on my photos and as a result, I have had some difficulty posting them from my photostream over to my weBLOG… but I will persevere! I could easily spend all day playing with editing effects in Picnik and the annotation tool in Flickr is a favorite. Annotations are a great way for students to collect and document snippets of data. The example Richardson gives of the photo of a Grade 3 student’s model using the annotation tool is very clever. What I like best about this use of flickr is how the photo sharing technology complements the student’s 3-D model in a fresh new way. It doesn’t discount the student’s effort in favour of technology, but uses technology to extend the student’s learning. From the point of view of the school library, I could envision library staff using photographs of their space along with the annotation tool, to create a kind or a virtual tour or library orientation for students.

In a recent publication entitled “In command!”, David Loertscher and Robin T. Williams advocate that students should be encouraged to create their own information spaces… “to be creative, share, produce and work to solve problems”… but not without protecting themselves in terms of photo sharing online. Loertscher and Williams also talk about the need for students to be diligent in protecting the privacy of others in terms of posting pictures. A teaching colleague of mine recently sent her son to camp and was surprised that he didn’t take his digital camera. She was explaining to me that after he returned home, she was still able to see photos of her son’s experience at camp because one of his friends posted an album on a photo sharing site for everyone to see. Was permission obtained from the children and the families involved? Probably not…

Our division is very careful not to use pictures of students and teachers online without a photography release form. However, in terms of how we use images online, I know that both our students and teachers need to develop a better understanding of digital citizenship, especially when it comes to respecting copyright of photos. Although American in origin, the Creative Commons area on flickr is a great place to start with brief descriptions of the different licensing agreements. Encouraging students to attribute a licensing agreement to their own photos and justify their choice might be an excellent exercise in building an awareness of copyright regulations. It is also important that students understand that what might be permitted in the States, does not always hold in terms of our Canadian copyright laws.

In exploring photo sharing sites this week, there are a multitude of possibilities for advocating their use to support teaching and student learning… documenting field trips or special events, labeling information on a photo or map, researching areas of interest, designing art projects, writing digital biographies, creating storyboards and digital storytelling. In his article “Capturing stories, capturing lives: an introduction to digital storytelling,” David S, Jakes defines “digital storytelling as “the process of writing a story and adding the multimedia elements of voice, imagery, and music to create a visual story.” As a learning experience, photo sharing has the potential to empower students to express themselves creatively, find their personal voice and communicate their stories to a global audience. That makes for a very powerful learning experience. In our division, we make great use of PhotoStory 3.0 which allows students to share their own photos in a safe environment (as far as I know, our students do not have access to flickr at school). I find it works very well with all age groups, from early years students describing a favorite penguin fact along with a photograph of their own drawing … to middle years students using their own photos to advocate conflict resolution strategies for dealing with bullies.

There is no doubt in my mind that photo sharing encourages learners of all ages to produce personal, creative content and use their voice before an authentic audience…. So, what would Snowflake Bentley have thought of photo sharing? Would he have even flinched at assigning the public rights to share his photos? … not a chance!