Another great lesson. A basic tool that I had no idea how to access. First, I will put on a couple of my silly images (looking at the photos that some people have posted, I am truly humbled by their creativity) which I had a blast editing. Then two that I downloaded from Flickr: a cute one, and then one that has the potential to be truly moving and thought provoking.
A few ideas that I have come up with to use Flickr in a classroom setting include:
1. Taking photos of students and having it in a presentation for parents night etc. The students could possibly even edit their own photos. Also, students could take photos of the teachers and edit them in silly ways ie. the popping eyes, blurring them etc
2.I could imagine even just showing these photos to students to inspire their own creativity - some of the photos on file are just stunning
3. Teachers and students could use the photos (as they are free) in presentations
4. You could take photos and create your own electronic story book by editing them
5. teachers could use the photos to expose their students to different things. For example, they could be used to see what the physical differences and similarities are between a praying mantic and a stick insect
6. The photos could be used to spark emotion, or humour, or to prove a point. For example, the last photo that I have on here is a photo of a World War 2 memorial in Hungary. Apparently, at that spot on the wharf, the Nazis lined up many Jews and shot them. How do you feel now? Do you want to know more? I know that I did. It is such a simple, yet powerful image. Of course, using photos for this purpose we would have to be extremely sensitive to the different personalities within our class, and recognise if our students were mature enough to handle it.
Flickr technology would allow our students to express their own creativity, and for many, perhaps a chance to pursue an inner talent. They would have a chance to develop mastery, and being creative in this form could potentially give them a sense of achievement. These potential outcomes are all a part of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (1970), in the 'Self-Esteem' and 'Self-Actualization' [sic] sections, which are at the top of the Pyramid. As teachers, we are working to ensure that our students can reach their full potential, and reach the top of this pyramid. We first have to ensure that the lower levels of the pyramid are being met (physiological; safety; belonging-love), but when they are, I believe that lessons incorporating ICTs like Flickr have the ability to meet those higher needs. I guess a lot of it comes down to how we are presenting our lessons and engaging with our students.
I am loving learning all of these things in our course. It opens up the door to so many exciting lesson opportunities.
Love to hear from you :)
- Leesha!
Maslow, A. (1970). Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs. Retrieved on March 8, 2010, from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=9976&week=3
Thank you for provoking more learning Leesha. I hadn't made the connection to Maslow's Hierarchy (self actualisation and self esteem) and ICT theories and applications before reading your post.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Karen
s0191020
Thanks Karen,
ReplyDeleteI guess that is what most of our lessons should be aiming for - helping our students to become the very best versions of themselves. After being in a classroom for a couple of weeks, it's easy to see that it is not just about the content that is taught, but also about how it is taught (methods) and how it is taught (from a teacher who has a relationship with the children and whom they respect).
- Leesha
Hi Leesha,
ReplyDeleteGreat idea's for using Flickr in the classroom. I like you comment about using images to express emotions and even body language. I could see myself using that idea in my EPL classroom this term!
Thanks
Natalie