Picture That: Using Images in the
Classroom

Children learn in many ways.

Teacher-generated bulletin boards and mosaics composed by adults are visually pleasing.
But how much more powerful to have children find, photograph and identify plants
themselves.

http://www.flickr.com/
A basic Flickr account is free; Pro accounts offer more storage capacity for a minimal yearly
fee. There are no special options for educators, but a teacher/librarian could create a set of
photos for classroom use.

Snowball Visits the Library
This collage was created by a public librarian. A similar set of photos could be used to
introduce young students to the library. Even better, children could create their own library
guide, illustrate genres, or promote reading with original pictures.

365 Project: September 2009
2009/365
For the 365 Project, participants post one photograph per day for the entire year. Students
might work alone or in groups to record their school year or promote their community.

Different perspectives
Cameras help students to look closer, see differently.

http://bighugelabs.com/
After signing up for a free account, users can create mosaics, posters, puzzles, and trading
cards, among other things. This site can link directly to a Flickr account, eliminating the need
for additional uploading of images.

Created with the trading card generator. This application could be used in almost any
curricular area, featuring careers, famous people, plants, animals - or the students
themselves.

http://www.picnik.com/
Picnik is an online photo editing site that works with Flickr. It also has both free and Pro
options. Special features include the ability to add text and stickers to photos.

www.slideshare.net
“SlideShare is a business media site for sharing presentations, documents and pdfs.”
Uploaded slideshows can be easily embedded in a blog or website or accessed for public
viewing.

Classroom Rules
My high school students were challenged to determine rules of behavior from unlabeled
slides. Of course, an even better activity would be to have them brainstorm their own list of
classroom etiquette, then locate images to illustrate the concepts.

Classroom Rules Part 2
My students had some interesting interpretations of the images I chose!

http://animoto.com/
Animoto takes uploaded pictures and produces short video clips. The site includes music
available for free under Creative Commons license. Teachers may apply for an classroom
account at http://animoto.com/education/signup

A Day in the Life of a Librarian
This clip was used at an Open House. Variations might be “A Day in the Life of...” a middle
school student...third grader...fireman...lawyer...etc.

Where in the World?

Keeping Current

Heavy Metal - Remix!
This was a high school student’s first attempt at creating an Animoto. I loved his coupling of
heavy metal groups with classical music.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

http://search.creativecommons.org/
When students need copyright-friendly photos, a Creative Commons search is a good option.
Be sure to grab citation information - and be aware that some images might not be
appropriate for student use!

“Addo Elephant National Park” by exfordy

http://dmcordell.blogspot.com
dmcordell@gmail.com

Sources
“Twirling Princess” by dmcordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3388630818/
“life’s.illusions” by pawpaw67 http://www.flickr.com/photos/luschei/2295989987/
“Another little drummer” by basykes http://www.flickr.com/photos/basykes/8933562/
“Children learn how to make Chilean Rain Sticks” by San Mateo County Library http://www.flickr.com/photos/smcl/
2076526391/
“New Face of Learning” by courosa http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/2812306513/
“Learning the technique” by MiikaS http://www.flickr.com/photos/miikas/169444840/
“yr1plant” by LindaH http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindah/182284570/
“Black-eyed Susan” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3790227060/
“Flower 4 U Mommy” by mudkat http://www.flickr.com/photos/mudkat/180810487/
“September 2009” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3969916400/in/set-72157622201176782/
“The Rose Garden at Yaddo” by dianecordell and Ellen White
Animotos by Diane Cordell and Zack
“Addo Elephant National Park” by exfordy http://www.flickr.com/photos/exfordy/429421469/
“Pines” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3707711431/
“Spiral” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3390014819/
“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3192552018/
“Trophy Case” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3247979763/
“Landscape” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3435638019/
“Feather” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3617303407/
“Spirit of the Library” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3195847950/
“My camera” by dianecordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/3187649857/
Journeys http://dmcordell.blogspot.com/
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/
Picnik http://www.picnik.com/app
SlideShare http://www.slideshare.net/
Animoto http://animoto.com/
Creative Commons http://search.creativecommons.org/