Thing #8- Playing With Flickr Mashups!

--Use the mashups to create something, and then upload one or more of your creations to your blog (most will give easy to follow instructions somewhere on the site about how to copy the code needed and where to place it on your blog).
--In your post, talk about some ways Flickr and/or Flickr mashups could be used in your future classroom or personal life. What are your feelings about sharing photos online?

Flickr Mashups!

After searching different Flickr mashups, I found that most of them won't be useful to create a lesson. They could be used as activities during downtime or recess. These are apps that make Flickr puzzles and coloring pages.

I did, however, play with two mashups that could be helpful when teaching spelling or vocabulary. Spelling with Flickr can be used by either the teacher to post spelling words in a exciting, and attention-getting way. Students can also create their own words and turn them in. This will serve as a creative way for them to learn their words and make them look cool. The teacher can also see if the students are learning their words by having them copy their words on a document and checking off their work.

Another Flickr mashup that I will most likely use is the Motivation mashup. The motivation allows you to take a photo. At a "Title" to the photo and a description. This app will be used in my classroom for weekly vocabulary words. This app allows a teacher to post the word, the definition, and a picture of the vocabulary. I posted an example of this in the post below. I used the word Sunrise. I happened to have a picture of a sunrise, but if you do not Flickr would have one you could use. Then I looked up the word Sunrise on dictionary.com and copied the best definition that matches what I'm teaching, out of the different definitions.

One thing you have to beware of is either crediting your picture or trying to take a locked picture. Taking pictures off the internet is usually not an issue, but you must always look at the text around the picture to make sure you can use that particular picture. I wouldn't let younger grade students to directly use Flickr and other picture sites because I would not want a student to find inappropriate pictures, but I think the middle and high school grades could use this site to do the vocabulary project at home for homework.