Flickr in the Classroom

As the previous post explains, Flickr could be used in an ESL classroom as a simple upgrade over black and white drawn pictures from textbooks or picture dictionaries that are often ambiguous. I think the color, accuracy, realism, and possibilities would really be able to spice up a classroom.

In the Richardson book, I was becoming fascinated with the annotation function. Imagine finding a picture of a kitchen, for example, and annotating the different objects in a kitchen (refrigerator, table, knife, cabinet). This would offer many possibilities for learning vocabulary.

I also like the idea of illustrating stories. Again, if students had access to computers, it would be great to use Flickr or Bubblr to have students illustrate stories they had been reading with pictures they have found. They could type in the words (spelling practice / vocab repetition) and get pictures to map words in a story, thus embedding language in a context to help facilitate comprehension.

In a content area, as Richardson mentions, Flickr is an excellent way to see the world. Just type in Paris, for example, and you get real pictures of Paris' streets, houses, and people instead of the same cliched picture of the Eifel Tower. In an ESL classroom, students from other countries could show other students pictures of their countries. And then using Bubblr they could even make a presentation about their country.

Images are very power tools and Flickr seems like a great way to give students access to a vast number of them in a searchable and social mode