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You may be wondering why you would want to use video or photo sharing. Sure it’s great being able to see friends' photos or videos, but can these technologies be successfully integrated into teaching and learning and if they are integrated, for what purpose?

Using any new technology raises questions, but I would challenge you to ask yourself “Why not use photo or video sharing?” We have classes full of 21st century learners who have grown up in an age where they can watch a video on their cell phone and expect you be able to use technologies that will equip them for their future world.

** Why use photo/video sharing? **  There are many reasons for using video/photo sharing including student engagement, student achievement, promoting higher order thinking and key competencies as well as the skills gained through using the tools.

Engaging students in positive learning experiences leads to greater retention rates and higher success rates for students. The use of Web 2.0 and other technologies provide students with a more authentic context for their learning in a medium that they can relate to and that is an integral part of their world.
 * Student Engagement **

The use of photo and video sharing, along with many other technologies, opens up opportunities for students to have success when they may not have been succeeding with traditional learning experiences. Imagine being a student who can not read or write, but being able to share their learning digitally through podcasting, creating a video or sharing a story that has been created online using photos.
 * Student achievement **

As with many technologies, using video and photo sharing caters for a diverse range of learners. Students with little experience and as young as age five can quickly master using a digital camera and produce a digital story or take part in making a podcast.

** Higher order thinking ** ( ** Key Competency - Thinking) ** The New Zealand curriculum states that “Students who are competent thinkers and problem-solvers actively seek, use, and create knowledge. They reflect on their own learning, draw on personal knowledge and intuitions, ask questions, and challenge the basis of assumptions and perceptions.”

The use of video or photo sharing promotes higher order thinking because the students are working in a learner-generated environment and creating their own knowledge. On the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, this is at the highest order of thinking.

Using Flickr or Video Thread students can comment or annotate photos or videos. In the Video Thread below, a student is explaining how to solve a maths problem with comments added by other students. Similarly, students can provide comments on a piece of art, a photo, or student work. The possibilities are endless. media type="custom" key="3822773"
 * Collaboration (Key Competencies - Participating & contributing and Relating to others) **

= Digital and Visual Literacy = Use of photo (and video) sharing Web 2.0 tools, the likes of Flickr promote the development of [|digital literacy] through the uploading, naming, tagging and description of images. The pedagogy of [|visual literacy], being able to make meaning from images, can be enhanced through the combination of images and text functions.

** Some examples of photo and video sharing… ** Examples of using photo sharing include: Both photo and video sharing can be used for digital storytelling to support and enhance traditional literacy programmes. Although the medium in which the story is presented is digital, the foundations of writing a traditional story still apply, but it is through student engagement in a multi-media environment that can lead to increased success in literacy. Although not related directly to Photo and video sharing, websites such as [|Read, Write, Think] can also be used to scaffold learners. Jason Ohler's website ([|jasonOhler.com]) provides a good introduction to Digital Storytelling.
 * Photo Sharing **
 * sharing students’ learning experiences with parents online
 * creating a digital portfolio
 * creating students' multimedia projects
 * using digital storytelling to promote reading programmes
 * teaching students about photo sharing, tags, searching for images and copyright
 * organising photos
 * Digital Storytelling **

Podcasts, which are is being successfully used in many schools, are an excellent example of learner-generated content. Students engage in this activity because they can see immediate results, share their work with their peers, family and anyone else in the world.
 * Podcasting **

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If you are interested in Digital Storytelling or Podcasting, I recommend you have a look at [|Pt. England School's website]. They have been doing some amazing stuff over the past few years. 

Examples of Image Sharing in Teaching and Learning
[|Science] [|Science Teacher Blogg] [|Language] [|English] [|Maths] [|History] [|Art History] [|Podcasts and videos]