We all know the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" and good practice suggests using images to convey a message and evoke feelings when creating materials for learners. It's another way to grab the learner's attention and engage them at the same time speaking to different learning styles.
The problem is that copyright free images can take more than a thousand minutes to find. While we know using images is important, eMINTS teachers are challenged to find those they can legally use on published documents. It's very difficult to find images they and their students can include in websites, WebQuests, and other online content as well as classroom materials. With student's eyes on them daily, teachers want to model ethical practices and give credit where credit is due to pass that skill on to students.
Take this blog post for example.... I wanted to find an image to drive home my point. It could have taken me longer to find the image than it did for me to create the entire post but I used a couple of strategies and resources to help expedite the process. Some of these strategies may help you on your next search for images.
If you have additional resources or suggestions on this topic please comment and share them with us all. Happy image searching to you; may your searches be short and sweet.
Image - "Worth 1000 - 3rd Edition." Flickr - spcbrass'. Web. 21 Oct 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/spcbrass/4543486633/#/>.
The problem is that copyright free images can take more than a thousand minutes to find. While we know using images is important, eMINTS teachers are challenged to find those they can legally use on published documents. It's very difficult to find images they and their students can include in websites, WebQuests, and other online content as well as classroom materials. With student's eyes on them daily, teachers want to model ethical practices and give credit where credit is due to pass that skill on to students.
Take this blog post for example.... I wanted to find an image to drive home my point. It could have taken me longer to find the image than it did for me to create the entire post but I used a couple of strategies and resources to help expedite the process. Some of these strategies may help you on your next search for images.
- Brainstorm key words to search and go beyond the obvious to identifying main themes you want to communicate.
- Use your own original images. Take pictures with your own camera or scan in images you or your students have created.
- Search for images under the Creative Commons license (Flickr offers a quick and easy explanation of that licensing)
- Find and use sights for finding photos as well as clip art such as those listed below. Always remember to save the link back to the original image so that you can give credit to the owner.
Photos
Flickr - use advanced search to only search within Creative Commons lisence content
EduPic
Pics4Learning
Wikimedia (how to use wikimedia)
Clip Art
Phillip Martin Clip Art
Microsoft Office Images - not all content is copyright free for online publication, read fine print
Discovery Schools Clip Art Gallery - read copyright permissions
If you have additional resources or suggestions on this topic please comment and share them with us all. Happy image searching to you; may your searches be short and sweet.
Image - "Worth 1000 - 3rd Edition." Flickr - spcbrass'. Web. 21 Oct 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/spcbrass/4543486633/#/>.
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