Flickr

Flickr—a site that allows users to upload and share images—can be a useful resource for practically any aspect of life. The many features of Flickr provide a great variety of possibilities; some of the features include tagging images, creating groups, embedding images into personal blogs, chatting via FlickrLive, e-mailing via FlickrMail, commenting pictures, etc. Flickr also provides a secure place to decide whether pictures can be viewed privately (including friends only for group purposes) or publicly with personalized copyright privileges.

In the classroom, Flickr can prove useful as a tool to allow students to see something in addition to a description being given—various geographical places, animals, plants, people, etc. This ensures students have the best opportunity to learn by allowing visual representations of practically any topic (visual learners would perhaps benefit the most). Also, Flickr provides the ability to create groups that can be set to public or private where members can upload personal images and discuss them via comments, chat, or e-mail. This could prove beneficial in the upper level curriculum (secondary and collegiate) more so than the elementary, however, it would be possible to incorporate it into some unit plans to allow access whether the child is at school or at home (assuming Flickr is not blocked at the school).

Allowing for various technologies to be incorporated into classroom instruction is essential in student engagement in the 21^st century. Flickr provides a safe and secure place for photos to be shared for personal and professional use.

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To the right there is a picture that is embedded from Flickr. It is purely an example of how to insert a photo into a blog—one of the many ways in which Flickr can be used in the classroom and personal life.

Delicious and NetVibes

In the 21st century most business—be it personal or professional—is done via the internet in one way or another. It is websites such as Delicious and NetVibes that allow for completely personalized and quick and easy navigation to internet sites most commonly used. 

Delicious is a convenient way to make certain that any and all personal bookmarks are accessible regardless of the computer in use; the bookmarks are saved on a website rather than one’s personal computer which ensures that all content that may be needed for whatever reason can be accessed at home, work, school, etc. The fact that Delicious is a Yahoo! company adds to the credibility of the website itself. In no way is this site a waste of time to check out.

NetVibes is more of a personalized compilation homepage. It is completely customizable and allows the user to compile all of the most commonly used websites (including Delicious) into one main homepage—mainly with the use of widgets. This is more useable for personal use than professional, but it can be used as a professional tool if created properly. NetVibes, like Delicious, allows for the user to conveniently access his personal favorite websites via one main webpage. 

Of the two discussed websites, Delicious seems more useful when it comes to teaching simply because it allows for all websites to be organized into folders and such that can be topic specific. While both of these websites—along with others like them—can be useful in any aspect of life, they are much more personal-life based than professional. In addition, a possible downside to using Delicious and NetVibes is that they may be blocked by some institutions due to potential misuse by the computer operators.

"Engage Me or Enrage Me" by Marc Prensky

Implementing technology into lesson plans today is not only important, it is necessary for student success. Children of the twenty-first century rely heavily upon the ever-expanding technologies to engage them in all aspects of their life—be it social, personal (entertainment), or academic. Unfortunately, many teachers do not keep up with the latest technologies, resulting in bored children, which then causes academic and behavioral problems in the classroom—ultimately resulting in failure altogether. If including technology into a lesson can promote academic achievement then it would be worth the extra time needed to keep up with the new technologies—after all, school is primarily about providing the best opportunities for the success of the students. However, while technology is important in ensuring the children the best opportunity for engagement, lessons should not be so focused on technology that the base curriculum is lost. Finding a balance between technology and curriculum is essential when approaching this new way of teaching.