BP9_2009122FlickrLesson

Flickr is a great collaboration and community online tool that has the capability to connect and share a variety of resources for the art classroom. Flickr enables members to apply a variety of Creative Commons licensing to photographs they upload. As teachers we can help our students understand and apply the concept of intellectual property rights. Photos from Flickr’s various pools can be reproduced by students in a variety of ways and enhance their creativity and motivation in any art lesson.

One way we use Flickr in the art classroom is by establishing a class group from which each student is a member and posting their art pieces up for discussion. We can implement healthy art critiques as well as great peer feedback at the speed of light. A written art critique, and self-evaluation can be implemented at the same time through Flickr’s group discussion board. This helps students complete projects to their best ability, as well as develop motivational and higher thinking skills about the visual art. Student will establish a sense of accomplishment, as well as become members of an artist community.

Flickr can be used anywhere visual images are required, like in a PhotoShop Movie Poster Lesson, where the students research images using third party Flickr’s creative commons photo pools by typing in selected movie titles, approved by the teacher to create a movie trailer or poster developing their own approach to marketing that particular movie to the public.

Another Art lesson using Flickr, can be designing a magazine cover about artist careers, Creating motivational theme posters in visual arts advertising the art education. Developing their own portfolios and sideshow of the work to be presented to colleges or used as a summative assessment. On I particularly like it single image writing prompts called “Flicktion”, which can be used at the beginning of class to hook or enhance creativity in the art classroom.