Photo Sharing in the Elementary School: Is It Worth the Time and Energy?

Photo by Brittney Bush on Flickr

I think many of us in the elementary school are overwhelmed by all that is possible with technology. We want our students to have great opportunities but we don't want to use technology for technology's sake. So, we have to be picky about the tools we commit to.  With so much else to do in the elementary classroom, is Photo sharing worth the time for teachers and students? What are the benefits to our students?


I have always understood the importance of images and the need to have a "photo library" of sorts for kids.  But until exploring Flickr this week, it merely seemed like one more thing--one more huge thing to add to my list of things to figure out.


I could never understand the reasons a Flickr account might be important for elementary students.  Most of my work this week has been in trying determine the benefits of Flickr for elementary school. I went into the week wondering if Flickr is really a tool that is worthwhile for elementary students.  With so many other tools available, is it really important that our students have access to photo sharing tools such as Flickr?

One article that impacted my thinking was “The Promise of Social Networks” by Derek E. Baird on Tech and Learning.  In it, he says, "Today’s students have grown up surrounded by the digital world, and as a result they have developed new ways of understanding, learning and processing information. As new types of social media are developed, teachers will need to find new and innovative ways to harness the power of these technologies to enhance their curriculum, and support differing learning styles. Flickr holds great potential as part of a multi-faceted approach that blends learning theory and social technologies in the curriculum."

I have heard about many schools and  libraries with Flickr accounts but they seem to be mostly for public relations purposes. Much of what I read about Flickr and libraries tended to talk about how Flickr could raise awareness and communication about your library or classroom . Although I see this as one possible use of Flickr, I think for it to be worth the time, it must have an impact on student learning.

Our students are using photos constantly. As I watch over their shoulders, they have somehow learned to take photos from wherever they would like.  Because most image searches are blocked in schools, our young students are teaching themselves to pull photos from websites without regard for copyright or citation.  Many of our students have no idea that there are photo-sharing sites available that provide great photos with a Creative Commons license.  Many have no idea that what they are doing is not right.  In my reading, I found that this is not so uncommon.  In her article, "Teaching Students About Creative Commons and Appropriate Use of Images", Kathy McGeady states, "Little do many people know, you can’t just use any images off the internet in your blog posts. Not only is this ethically incorrect but you could leave yourself open to copyright infringement.”

My youngest daughter is a perfect example of this. She is in 5th grade and blogged quite a bit this summer. She has a blog called FUN THINGS TO MAKE and I was alarmed to realize how she had taught herself to take photos and put them right into her blog.  I quickly showed her how Flickr worked and taught her to do an advanced search looking for Creative Commons photos.  This box in the advanced search allows for searching of only photos licensed by Creative Commons.

I also showed her where to find the information on who took the photo. After the initial whining about having to do something that didn't sound fun (she had already found her photos after all) she realized how many great photos she could find on Flickr. After seeing how easy it was and how many great images were available, she went on to use photos from Flickr to create a birthday invitation and other projects.  Now she would like her own Flickr account.

Teaching about Creative Commons is only one way I can see Flickr being used in school.  If a school or classroom has a Flickr account, students can begin to build a photo library of the school year.  Photo sharing safety could be addressed in a very authentic way as students determine which photos from the field trip should be put into the Flickr account. With a Flickr account, students can learn about tagging items for future use and for sharing purposes.  They can learn about citing sources and about licensing their own photos. I can see Flickr as a very easy way to teach so many of the skills we want our students to have when working with all kinds of media.  And if we teach them early, our students will be able to use these skills for life.

Another thing makes Flickr or other photo sharing tools worthwhile for elementary schools is the global piece and the ways in which Flickr allows for global collaboration. Giving students ways to see and participate in projects like THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN 21 COUNTRIES WALKING IN STOP-MOTION- a project done by photo sharing site Blipfoto. For kids to be able to see and participate in global projects using photos from around the world would teach important lessons about collaboration.

As an elementary librarian, it seems critical that our students have access to photo sharing tools such as Flickr

My vision for a Flickr account in the school library is a basic one. Since our students are young (grades K-5), I think that teacher management of the library account is important. I hope to set up an account so that we can:

      -add photos from classroom, school and other events.  When a group goes on a field trip, we can determine as a class which photos get downloaded and how to tag them. After we finish a science experiment, children can choose to include photos.  For school events such as assemblies and art shows, a team of students can choose photos to be placed on the Flickr account. We can create sets and collections when appropriate.  Over time, I see the library of photos building quickly so that students have a huge variety of photos to use in projects--photos that connect directly to the curriculum they are studying.    Adding photos will also provide a great opportunity to help students understand district guidelines of not posting student faces online. 

     -learn about Creative Commons licensing. By adding photos to our Flickr library and learning to use the Advanced search options on Flickr, students will begin to understand the ethical responsibilities of using and posting images. 

     -tag photos and learn about tagging and organizing. This will be an important skill students can learn from participating in a Flickr account.

     -have conversations around responsible posting of images of others can be taught as groups of students work with teachers to determine which photos from events to post. Determining which photos are acceptable for public sharing and how to stay within our school's guidelines and agreement will help students' see their own responsibility with their work.

There are definitely things to be aware of if using Flickr.  First of all, it is a self-monitored site so there is the potential that an inappropriate photo will be found once in a while.  Flickr is blocked in many schools, as are many image sharing sites, and although Flickr is listed in many articles as one of the most child-friendly photo sharing (http://photography.families.com/blog/best-places-for-photo-sharing-on-the-internet) sites, there are other options for educators. One such option is SMUGMUG.  These other sites provide some different options but the Creative Commons tools are not as easy to navigate or as global  as in Flickr.  Flickr is a tool that is easy for young children to navigate and learn with.

I now see the benefits of a Flickr account for elementary schools and libraries. I think it is imperative that our students have access to safe ways to contribute and use images in this way.  I agree with Will Richardson when he says, "Personally, I think Flickr is one of the best sites on the Web.  It's true social software where the contributors interact and share and learn from each other in creative and interesting ways.  And for that reason, it's educational potential is huge." (Blogs, Wikis , Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, p. 102) I think the possibilities for teaching are endless and a school library account would be a great scaffold for our youngest students. By understanding the issues and concerns about images on the web and also seeing the possibilities for student learning, I am convinced that Flickr and other photo-sharing sites are not just one more thing to learn. Instead photo sharing sites like Flickr can support our students as they learn incredibly as they learn about creating and using visual images.