Thing 7

As a music teacher, I don't typically assign projects "away from instruments" but we do research on composers, some living and some long gone. Flickr seems like a giant version of ClipArt for photos--I have no doubt that with a little bit of searching, students would be able to find a relevant photo to complement just about any topic. I think one of the advantages is the copyright issue is taken care of for you--the definitions for what uses are acceptable for any given photo seem to be pretty clear. I think it's important for students to understand these guidelines too, that copyright isn't just about words but also other types of creations and intellectual property. I would expect the clarity of the labeling in Flickr would help develop that understanding.

I can also see a disadvantage to the sheer volume of choices available, which seems to be a common thread through many of these Web 2.0 technologies. I can easily imagine my students getting so excited about finding the best photo (ok, I can also see myself getting so excited about finding the best photo!) that it becomes a distraction away from the main project. Part of using this technology might also include a component on search techniques so as to help students get a smaller number of specific, relevant results.