Photosharing in the Middle School

How would I use this opportunity in the classroom? Most students today seem to carry around much more technology than I would have though possible even 5 years ago. I am even out there on Facebook because a great student of mine took a picture of me, and then she posted it on her Face-book site. No longer is it possible to corral the creative juices of individuals into the form of slides, 3x5 prints, and glossy or mat? The web 2.0 experiences will make it possible for students to share what they did over the summer using something other than a Power Point presentation. Now with a few simple clicks and a good firewall-free internet connection, students can put themselves out there into cyberland for the whole class to enjoy. Students could use a photo-sharing site to demonstrate a skill. Imagine demonstrating how to shoe a horse at your stable, or the basics of barrel racing. Then maybe you could move on to sharing a week in the life of you. Maybe taking one meaningful picture at a different hour everyday until you had 24 pictures. Could you tell a story without ever talking? You could also create an assignment where you pick a subject or topic then have the students create a photo montage or slideshow demonstrating their take on the subject or topic. This would be a great way to see what they hear when you discuss or talk about something in class. The possibilities are endless and more than likely some students have already expressed themselves using this medium. I would however (ever the internet safety advocate) discuss methods for ensuring as much personal safety as possible. This would also be a great time to discuss the general concepts of fair use and collaborative/comment potential when using some sites. In addition students could demonstrate different methods for solving problems, mathematical or otherwise using pictures with or without sound. Students could also demonstrate their understanding of the chronology of an event by expressing it in modern symbols relating the story or event to the rest of the class. Plus you could offer students who choose to the opportunity to express some of their own poetry in a short picture montage. I attended the 2008 digital storytelling camp as well, and was fortunate enough to meet Ali (a soon to be sixth grader) in the class. What a great way to augment her own poetry!

As for allowing students free reign on the internet at most photo sharing sites? I shudder to think how many phone calls I would receive on that day. I would use the sites but I would create limits and expectations for the students. This would probably also include a letter home to parents explaining both the purpose and possible issues. I would run this by the administration first as well!