Images, Videos and Podcasts
Sylvia
Images


Flickr is an online multimedia database and sharing application, which can be used to derive photos or upload and share photos. The use of images has many associated copyright and privacy issues, which Flickr overcomes by having a Creative Commons section, where photos which can be shared are found and also has the option of making uploaded photos public or private (Flickr, 2011). Within a learning context, Flickr can be used to support visual literacy, providing access to numerous pictures of an appropriate nature. Class photo albums of student work, excursions or diaries of learning and digital portfolios, can be uploaded, providing access to images across the web. Photographs can be subject specific and Flickr provides an opportunity to search for photographs by location, providing geographic descriptions of various places, which aligns with the geography KLA. Sections with photos of current events, links to NASA photos and older photos, can be used within a diverse range of contexts (Using Flickr in the Classroom, 2006).
PMI of Flickr


Picnik is a photo-editing site which has basic editing and effect capabilities and is designed to be user-friendly, making it ideal for simple editing within learning contexts. Editing of images can be used to enhance image quality for classroom usage. Image editing can also teach students about visual literacy and how distortion of images results in bias, for example cropping can emphasise certain components of an image and alter the ‘dominant reading’. Students can also develop knowledge of photo manipulation by the media, by ‘airbrushing’ and altering their pictures.
These are some pictures I edited using Piknik.

Podcasts 

Podcasts are broadcasts made as media files which are easily and often freely downloaded from the internet containing video, images or just audio. Podcasts range from expert talks and presentations, announcements and audio books making them effective for a range of contexts within the classroom.  Providing expert opinions can contextualise knowledge by placing it in an authentic situation, often extending on the knowledge which the learning manager can provide. The accessibility of podcasts means students can access them at a later date when they become pertinent to learning, or to facilitate the learning of difficult subject matter. The ability to download podcasts to portable devices such as iPods and phones enables students to access learning anytime when it is convenient such as on the bus or when walking (Thacker, 2007). For younger learners, the lack of video on some podcasts may be disengaging, with students struggling to comprehend something they cannot see.
Videos







With the growth in the number of Prensky’s Digital Natives (2001), a corresponding increase in the expectation of gathering information by ‘seeing’ on the internet or television has also occurred. Videos, which combine audio and images in a compelling way meet the needs of Digital Natives whilst engaging them, to the benefit of learning outcomes. Videos also enhance learning for visual learners who often make up the majority of learners, having a need to ‘see’ something in order to understand and make connections. Videos can be used to encourage digital storytelling; developing literacy through planning the story line and plot, visual literacy through planning of frames and collaboration by working in groups. Encouraging students to create videos about books can also develop their interest in reading. When students create videos, teachers must monitor the sharing of such videos, as privacy issues may occur.
This is a video I made using MovieMaker.


References

Flickr. (2011). Retrieved November 25, 2011, from Flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/
Images in Education. (2006). Retrieved November 25, 2011, from Drs Scavanaugh: http://drscavanaugh.org/digitalcamera/images-in-education.htm
 
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from Marc Prensky: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/prensky%20-%20digital%20natives,%20digital%20immigrants%20-%20part1.pdf
Stokes, S. (2001). Visual Literacy in Teaching and Learning: A Literature Perspective. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education (EJITE): http://ejite.isu.edu/Volume1No1/Stokes.html
 
Thacker, C. (2007). Podcasts In Education. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from Macinstruct: http://www.macinstruct.com/node/43


Using Flickr in the Classroom. (2006). Retrieved November 25, 2011, from Jakes Online: http://www.jakesonline.org/flickrinclassroom.pdf
 

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