Snapshot of a Photo Sharing Exploration 2.0

What is "Photo Sharing"?

Simply put, photo sharing is "the publishing or transfer of digital photos online, thus enabling users to share them with others (whether publicly or privately)" (Schrum & Levin, 2009, p. 46). I feel silly that I didn't figure that out on my own. I suppose in the back of my mind, I knew what photo sharing was, but because I was taking this as part of my Web 2.0 course, I felt there must be more to it.

I began my exploration with Wikipedia. Wikipedia helped me relax a little. A simple definition, some interesting facts, and a list of photo sharing websites set the foundation for my exploration.

I learned some interesting things from Wikipedia, such as, photo sharing has been around since the 1990s (who knew?), it was primarily for developing photos (well, I was doing that but wouldn't have called it "photo sharing" – I called it "developing"), and it wasn't until the early 2000s that photo sharing became something more (and more is right!). And then there was the list of photo sharing websites – I have been using a couple of these sites for a few years now but I referred to what I was doing as "scrapbooking" and "photo editing".

So, let's consider the terminology for a moment. If photo sharing is the digital sharing of photos, I have done this. I have shared photos on Facebook, created PowerPoints with photos which have been displayed on Smartboards and computers, developed photos on-line (Kodak Gallery was my first experience with this), emailed digital photos, and a few years ago I stated playing with Smilebox on a very basic and limited level. I have viewed other peoples' photos on various platforms, but again, never considered these to be Web 2.0 photo sharing tools. These were all ways of sharing photos; they had crept into my life unnoticed, yet I had never thought of them as photo sharing in the sense of a Web 2.0 tool.

This free digital slideshow created with Smilebox

So with the definition and a few examples, I began my exploration of the Web 2.0 Photo Sharing tools – a new perspective.

Reflections on the process of learning about the tool

Spell With Flickr

My reflection is not of one specific photo sharing tool or platform, but rather the concept of photo sharing – photo sharing as the tool.

Learning about the tool doesn't simply mean defining it – it is about unpacking it. Knowing what it is simply opens you to seeing possibilities on a personal and professional level. You need to explore beyond the functionality. With this technology comes a shift in data keeping and data searching capabilities. It is important to consider the implications and explore the ripple effects of such technology.

I believe this is a life-long exploration with few definitive answers, requiring much reflection and consideration. Here are some key points I have come across that I think warrant such reflection and consideration;

- John Palfrey and Urs Gasser write that there is a "proliferation of personally identifiable information" and there are no longer any limits on data-keeping because unlimited amounts of information can be saved cost-effectively due to the digitized
nature of files and their contents (2008, p. 44).

- Susan Brooks-Young writes about privacy in her book Teaching With the Tools Kids Really Use (2010). Although we may want to share our pictures and videos, the people in our pictures and videos may not want them shared online. We need "to educate parents and students about the need to get the permission of every individual shown in photographs and videos prior to posting" (Brooks-Young, 2010, p. 80).

- Teachers need to be aware of age restrictions when posting students' work (Brooks-Young, 2010, p. 83).

- Other areas for consideration: safety, cyber-bullying, copyright infringement, inappropriate content (Brooks-Young, 2010, pp. 80-83).

- Identity formation and online identity (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010, pp. 217-218).

Another very important point to consider is one made by Schrum and Levin in Leading 21^st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement (2009). Simply this:

It is almost impossible to offer a description of all the tools that are considered Web 2.0; for one thing, the number of them expands daily, and they will continually evolve, grow, and expand. Suffice it to say that if you can imagine something you would like to do in the curriculum, you will probably find a tool online that will accomplish it. (p. 56)

So keeping this in mind, an awareness of the limitless possiblities of photo sharing is the tool I need.  The platforms will come, evolve, and/or go; the concept is what I need.  I know enough now to know that if what I imagine doing with photo sharing isn't already available, I can create a tool to do just what I want...

Discussion of the tool in terms of my own personal life and learning

I photo share and didn't even know it – until now.



Orin Zebest's Photosteam: Flickr

Several years ago I stated using Kodak Gallery for editing my photos and my photo development. I even created a few photo books for family members. I can remember being so excited by the finished look and feel of the pages. I loved using this platform because of its simplicity and high quality prints. With the digital photos and online editing tools, many more of my pictures were turning out good or great. The result: I was getting too many pictures developed and I noticed the expense. Further, I couldn't keep up with putting them in albums, nor could I find a place to store everything (they were starting to pile up).

Eventually I stopped developing pictures. The sharing of pictures evolved from sitting around photo albums to sitting around computers and other electronic devices. I still felt overwhelmed, though, because they were disorganized, unedited and the sharing was inefficient.

Several years ago my dad set me up with Picasa. At that time, I don't remember being able to do much more than organize my photos on my computer and edit them with this program. I also had Windows Media Gallery, but rarely used it. I spent the last few years searching for some platform to do what I wanted it to do (even though I hadn't thought enough about what that might be). It was a process of trial and error – until this course.

For Web 2.0 I systematically dug into photo sharing and played with various platforms to get an idea of what I liked and wanted. I was hoping I would find one tool that did it all. However, I now think it is about knowing what tool to go to for what you want to do.

So I came back to Picasa and looked at it through a Web 2.0 lense. I am impressed. It did so much more than I originally thought – the ability to share to Twitter and my blog, create web albums, the people recognition and tagging tools... I wonder what else I will find as I continue to explore it.

I also revisited Smilebox...and I loved it even more. It was very easy to use and very easy to share on Facebook and my blog. Then I started exploring the different templates and features it had. There are templates for digital photo albums, slide shows, recipe cards, invitations, newsletters, and others. You can include music (theirs or your own) in your projects. This is a fun tool. I did pay to have an upgraded account, but I think it was worthwhile. I showed my 14 year old daughter the program, and she also loved it. In the couple hours she played with it this evening, she created three projects which she shared on Facebook.

I also looked at Flickr. It too is an amazing tool (check out Flickr Toolbox: 100+ Tools For Flickr Addicts). I love the idea of a space where extended family and I can share our photos. We take so many pictures and always say we will share with one another, but never do because of the logistics of transferring from one camera or computer to another coupled with the distance and/or time constraints. How wonderful to be able to upload and share at our own convenience. However, I will note that my father is very sceptical of the online sharing (he would fall under the "privacy" concerns noted previously).

Discussion of the tool in terms of teaching and learning

I am excited by the potential for the Web 2.0 tools in my teaching and classroom.

I will begin with the benefits for my teaching practices. I have already used photo sharing to save time and record thoughts. In one of my first lessons, the students and I had brainstormed a concept central to their unit of study this year. We created a web on the white board to illustrate the concept. At the end of class, I simply took a picture of it with my cell phone and uploaded it to Evernote. I had a digital record of our notes in a matter of a few seconds.

I also have a calendar which lists a different place in the world for each date – places to see and wonder about. I think of the virtual journey we could take each day with Flickr and Google Earth...the places we would go in that one school year.

When I consider critical thinking, these tools provide rich opportunities to foster such skills in students. If we use these photo sharing tools with criteria, and structure the lesson correctly, we have engaging and critically challenging lessons.

Practical Suggestions:

Teaching With Tools that Kids Really Use (Brooks-Young, 2010, p. 84)

- Photo albums to illustrate a particular concept
- Pictures books (and accompanying illustrations)
- Writing prompts
- Virtual field trips

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Richardson, 2010, pp. 106-110)

- Flickr with Google Maps and Google Earth
- Current events
- Flickr for camera phones
- Photo editing
- Digital storytelling
- Flickr Magazine Cover

As an AISI lead teacher, I am helping to lead our school with our second project of the year. The idea is to provide a mini-lesson for parents in inquiry. We are using historical photos to teach historical thinking concepts and to give parents an opportunity to use questioning and critical thinking strategies which support a culture of inquiry in the home. Students will be using photos from their own families, which is the "third space" Kuhlthau, Maniotes and Caspari identify as essential for effective inquiry (2007). I am playing with a couple of platforms for this, and will post the final product when I complete it, but I am considering Flickr and Glogster. I will share my draft of the Glogster I have created to this point, and post other trials and errors I experience along the exploration.

This is only the beginning of my exploration...but I am open to the possibilities.

References:

Bellanca, J., & Brandt, R. (2010). 21^st century skills:

Rethinking how students learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution

Tree.

Brooks-Young, S. (2010). Teaching With the tools kids really

use: Learning with web and mobile technologies. Thousand Oaks,CA: Corwin.

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2007). Guiding inquiry: Learning in the 21^st century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Palfrey, J. & Gasser, W. (2008). Born digital: Understanding the first generation of digital natives. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Schrum, L. & Levin, B. (2009). Leading 21^st century schools: Harnessing technology for engagement and achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Wikipedia. (2010, September 24). Photo sharing. Retrieved fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_sharing