Implementation

Implementation of Flickr and other photo sharing sites have taken place in classrooms around the world. The photo sharing abilities can be used for most, if not all grade levels and disciplines. Elementary classrooms can share a user name to alleviate the username and password remembering while middle school and high school age students could use their own account for sharing information with the rest of the class assembled as a group online. They can create online discussions and comment on each other's opinons. The possibilities are endless.

As an alternative, high school publications can use the site to manage and share photos from everyone in the school. They could be uploaded and used for yearbooks, newsletters, newspapers, websites, social networking sites, etc. This would allow the students to have a larger part in the creation of their memories by using their own photographs.

At Ephrata, we use Flickr for the advanced photography classes to recieve comments and post photos to share their photography with the world. We join groups and contribute to discussions about photography and learn tricks and hints from other professionals. [|My Flickr site] is also used for a yearbook fundraiser. Since the photo staff on the yearbook are responsible for taking photos of all the school activities, we offer an order form to make prints of students involved in the activities of the school. We have our own photo printer that will print enlargements up to 24" wide. The files that are uploaded to Flickr are a lower resolution than the original files so that enlargements larger than a 4x6 can't be stolen off the web. This is especially popular in sports photos and photos of special activities like awards ceremonies and graduation.

Additionally, and probably the most effective use of a pro account on Flickr, is that it can be used as an off-site backup for schools that are not given enough server space for photos. Since digital cameras are saving larger and larger files, we no longer have enough space available to save photos even from the current year (we are at 133GB for photos alone so far). Since off site storage bandwidth is too expensive, the IT dept. has stopped backing up the yearbook drive and instead has put me in charge of any backups on an external HD. If I wasn't as lucky to have that extra space available, I would be able to upload all the backups to Flickr and just keep those photos private to not be downloadable by students and parents. This is an exceptional value in off site storage: unlimited space for 25.00 per year.

Installation and training on Flickr would take a minimal amount of time even for less tecno savvy teachers. There are also some youtube videos already available that take users through the process of setting up an account, uploading photos, and managing your pictures, tags, collections, and groups. All uploads, photo manipulations, and account work are completed online through web2.0 applications, so the only requirement for schools is to maintain an internet connection and a web browser. There are no threats of network infiltration, ads, or spyware. The only transfers of files come from the Flickr server, not P2P. Just as with all Internet filtering, you must be careful to not change the safety level provided by Flickr if it is to be used in a school setting. For high school students, a separate acceptable use policy might be used to let parents know that students will be managing their own account.