Join the Physics Classroom Flickr Group

When the The Physics Classroom was an infant back in 1986, its home was referred to as the World Wide Web. A lot has changed since then. Today's technology wizards talk about Web 2.0 technologies and the read-write web. In the past, the creating of a web page and the addition of content to the world wide web was a big deal that relatively few individuals participated in. Most people just read and used what was already there. But today it is no longer a just-read web. It is a read-write web where anyone and everyone can easily add content to the volumes that are already there. Whether through a FaceBook page, a blogging site, a YouTube channel, or a photo-sharing site like Flickr, adding text, images and video to the Web is no longer a big deal.

So in the spirit of Web 2.0, The Physics Classroom would like to invite its users to help out. The Photo Gallery section of our website is our effort to ask others to participate and get involved - to contribute to the content that appears at The Physics Classroom. Grab a camera, snap a picture of some phenomenon that takes place inside or outside of your classroom, and post it on Flickr. And encourage your students to do the same. Once the photo is added to your Flickr photostream, simply add it to The Physics Classroom's Flickr Group. Take an active role in the creation of a pool of photos that depict physics phenomenon in unique ways.

Don't worry if you don't know how to do it. Learning to do it is easy ... and fun. And don't worry if you're not a professional photographer. The Physics Classroom is the proud owner of some of the grossest looking photos on Flickr; and that hasn't stopped TPC from sharing physics through this unique, educational medium. And did I mention that it was free? Yes! It won't cost you a penny (unless you exceed the 200 free photos limit). So now that you have no more excuses, read on and find out how your photos can become a part of The Photo Gallery.

 

The following step-by-step procedure will help you to create a Flickr account, join The Physics Classroom Photo Sharing Group, and contribute pictures to the pool:

Step 1: Create a Flickr Account

To get started, you will need to create a free Flickr account. Go to the Flickr website and click on the Create Your Account button. Fill in the information form and click the Create Account button. Viola! You now have a Flickr account.

As of this writing, joining Flickr demands that you have either a Yahoo, a Google or a FaceBook account. If you do not have such an account, then you will have to first acquire a free Yahoo account and then use it to create your Flickr account. Follow all onscreen directions to create the Yahoo account. Then return to Flickr and create a Flickr account using your Yahoo username and password.

Step 2: Acquire and Edit a Photo

Grab your camera and take a photo of a physics phenomenon. Be creative and have fun. It could be a photo taken inside your own classroom - of a demonstration or a lab experience. Do try to avoid the inclusion of student faces in your photo. The Physics Classroom does not tag photos with student faces; so these photos will never show up in the pages of The Photo Gallery. Once you've taken your photo, feel free to edit it in using photo editting software.

Step 3: Upload the Photo to Your Photostream

Go to the Flickr website (http://www.flickr.com) and sign in to your account. Click on the Upload Photos and Videos link. Follow all on-screen prompts and directions in order to locate your photo and upload it to Flickr. Once uploaded, the photo becomes part of your personal photostream and viewable by others. If you wish to restrict who can see your photos, then follow Flickr's directions for restricting access. The Physics Classroom recommends that you write a short description of the photo that explains the physics.

Step 4: Add Your Photo to The Physics Classroom Flickr Group

Now that you have your photo in your photo stream, its time to add the photo to the The Physics Classroom Flickr Group. Go to the group page, found at

http://www.flickr.com/groups/thephysicsclassroom/pool/

Click on the Add something link. A list of thumbnails of all your photos is shown. Find the thumbnail that corresponds to the photo that you wish to add to the group. Click on the photo to select it; then click on the Add to Group button. The photo has now become part of The Physics Classroom's Flickr Group. Soon The Physics Classroom will tag the photo with the appropriate tags so that it shows up in searches conducted by visitors to The Physics Classroom.

To facilitate the future addition of photos to the group, consider becoming a member of the group by clicking on the Join? button found on the group page.

As you continue to participate in this group project, you will likely become more creative with your photography. Try new things. Experiment. Have phun. And always remember the end goal - to capture a physics principle and to present in some way through the medium of photography.

 
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