Flickr Experience
In this second activity, we will again explore a free, public website that is built around collections of digital images. Flickr is a site for building and sharing digital images. Beyond what it can do for photos (build slideshows, create hotspot interactive images, share via folksonomy tags, publish to other sites), its interface and user experience is designed to be easy to use, as well as displaying a personality, if you will.
The Purpose: This is another study in user experience with what we might call a Web 2.0 application and to examine the value in the way the site works. Groups will be be charged with collecting a set of intial images to a flickr site they create, and learn how to display a dynamic feed of images from their flickr collection to their group weblogs.
The Setup:
Instructions are available as a MS Word document [flickr-experience.doc]
1. Create an account for your team at flickr http://flickr.com/
2. Use a digital camera (one that has the cables, etc to transfer images to a computer) to collect the following photos for you team:
If all works well, there will be a collection of flickr photos from all groups at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/itl05/
If you have time, explore some of the other flickr features:
The Reflection:
As a team, add to your blog an entry describing and reflecting on your experience in flickr, considering these some/any of these points:
The Purpose: This is another study in user experience with what we might call a Web 2.0 application and to examine the value in the way the site works. Groups will be be charged with collecting a set of intial images to a flickr site they create, and learn how to display a dynamic feed of images from their flickr collection to their group weblogs.
The Setup:
Instructions are available as a MS Word document [flickr-experience.doc]
1. Create an account for your team at flickr http://flickr.com/
2. Use a digital camera (one that has the cables, etc to transfer images to a computer) to collect the following photos for you team:
- A group photo in an "nteresting" location or pose (remember this is going online, so be tasteful ;-) [example]
- An "action" photo of one of your team members (in motion, doing something, etc, but nothing dangerous) [example]
- Find an everyday object in the vicinity and take a closeup photo of it that will challenge the rest of the group to identify it. [example]
- Take a photo of an object that can be a visual metaphor for a strength or characteristic of your team. [example 1] [example 2]
If all works well, there will be a collection of flickr photos from all groups at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/itl05/
If you have time, explore some of the other flickr features:
- Set up flickr to create your own public URL http://www.flickr.com/profile_url.gne
- Set up to load images by email or camera phone http://www.flickr.com/profile_mailconf.gne
- Create a “badge” to display the latest images of your photos. Copy this into the template or an new entry on your team blog http://www.flickr.com/badge_new.gne
- Set up flickr to be able to post to your blog http://www.flickr.com/blogs.gne
The Reflection:
As a team, add to your blog an entry describing and reflecting on your experience in flickr, considering these some/any of these points:
- How easy was the site to use?
- Does the site seem to have a “personality”? How would you describe it (did you look closely at the wording on the agreement statement when the account was created?)
- How does flickr enable connection with other tools, people, content?
- Is this a technology that instills excitement or trepidation?
- What did you discover that was a surprise or something you might be able to use in other contexts?
- What ways can flickr be used in a learning situation?
• permalinnk • posted 6/20/2005 10:15:00 AM •
