Volume 2 - Number 1 - 2009 - A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' USE OF FLICKR PHOTOGRAPHIC NETWORKING TO DEVELOP CONFIDENCE, ENGLISH LANGUAGE FLUENCY AND SHAPE WORLD CONSCIOUSNESS - Abstract

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Putri

A project involving 4th-year English major students in a Bachelor of Education programme used Flickr photographic networking to build writing fluency while engaging with people and cultures across Southeast Asia. Students collaborated through photo uploads, paragraph writing, and comment exchanges with participants from Bali, Hong Kong, and Japan. The initiative also offered a computer and internet task with social responsibility. Early indications suggest improved understanding of other cultures and beliefs, enhanced computer skills, and broader perspectives on environment, humanity, and equity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Flickr and project background

Countries involved and implementation steps

Implementation

Student selection and motivation

Training teachers and introducing Flickr

Project activities

Volume 2 Number 1, 2009 A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' USE OF FLICKR PHOTOGRAPHIC NETWORKING TO DEVELOP CONFIDENCE, ENGLISH LANGUAGE FLUENCY AND SHAPE WORLD CONSCIOUSNESS Steven Graham Abstract: One class of 4th year English major students who are part of the Bachelor of Education programme at Udon Thani Rajabhat University volunteered to participate in a project designed to increase their writing fluency whilst exposing them to different people and cultures in Southeast Asia. A secondary objective was to give an enjoyable task based exercise in the use of computers and the internet, with the social responsibilities that this involves. This project was designed to give these students the chance to investigate different cultures and to promote their own in a safe environment by using the Flickr photographic networking programme on the internet; to make contact and exchange ideas and cultures with students from Bali, Hong Kong and Japan. At the time of writing, this is still a work in progress; however, early indications are that students have benefited from this type of social interaction as they are experiencing better understanding of other cultures and beliefs, whilst increasing their computer skills. In addition, this project has widened the horizons of many of the students resulting in what is hoped to be a more pragmatic view of the environment, humanity and equity, beyond sustainability. Zusammenfassung: Eine Gruppe von Studenten im 4. Studienjahr mit Hauptfach Englisch im BA-Programm Erziehungswissenschaften an der Udon Thani Rajabhat University, nahmen freiwillig an diesem Projekt teil, mit dem Ziel ihre schriftliche Ausdrucksfertigkeit im Englisch zu verbessern, und sie gleichzeitig mit verschiedenen Personen und Kulturen in Südost-Asien inkontakt zu bringen. Eine weitere Zielsetzung des Projekts war die Bereitstellung einer unterhaltsamen Übung zur Tehema Computer- und Internetnutzung und damit zu verbinden soziale Fähigkeiten. Dieses Projekt war darauf ausgerichtet, den Studenten die Möglichkeit zu eröffnen, verschiedene Kulturen kennenzulernen, durch Nutzung des Flick FotoNetzwerkprogramms ,dem zu erforschen, und ihre eigene Kultur zu fördern und in Interaktion mit Studenten in Bali, Hongkong und Japan Gedanken auszutauschen und deren Kulturen kennenzulernen. Zum Zeitpunkt der Erstellung dieser Abhandlung sind die Studenten noch mit dem Projekt befasst. Es gibt allerdings erste Anzeichen dafür, dass die Studenten durch diese soziale kontakte positive Erfahrungen sammeln, indem sie ein besseres Verständnis für andesen Kulturen und Ansichten entwickeln und dabei gleichzeitig ihre Computerkenntnisse erweitern. Darüber hinaus hat dieses Projekt den Horizont vieler der Studenten erweitert, was hoffentlich dazu führt, dass sie eine pragmatischere Sichtweise ihres Umfeldes, ihrer Mitmenschlichkeit und Gleichstellung mit ausbaufähiger Zukunftsfähigkeit erlangen. Keywords: writing, computer, English language, Flickr, social networking Introduction At the 12th English in Southeast Asia Conference at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi in December 2007, Alec McAulay gave a presentation on teacher generated podcasts, which was of interest due to the ease in which it could be implemented. Having spoken to Alec after his presentation, I was rewarded with an email on a connected matter, which proved to be the start of this project. Flickr is a photo sharing website that allows people to upload photographs and write comments about them. These details are contained in personal photostreams. It is then possible to write comments on other people’s photographs and respond to comments made by others. Received 16 February 2009, accepted 2 March 2009, published 30 March 2009. Initially, there were four countries involved, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia (Bali) and China (Hong Kong) . Others made contact; however, these four are the ones that remain at the time of writing. A minimum criteria was set

FAQs

What was the main goal of using Flickr in the project?

To improve students' writing fluency while increasing exposure to different people and cultures in Southeast Asia.

Who coordinated and supported the project?

Alec McAulay served as the main coordinator, with other teachers in Bali and Hong Kong and administrators supporting implementation.

What activities did students complete on Flickr?

They opened accounts, uploaded photographs, wrote descriptive paragraphs, and commented on others’ photos while responding to comments.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Putri