Teaching students to correctly cite resources they use in their reports can be a difficult task. But Photos for Class can make it easier for them. Photos for Class is a free website that allows students to search for and download images that are safe to use in schools with the Creative Commons license. All of the images available are appropriate due to their proprietary filtering system, so that’s a big relief for teachers. But the best thing about the site is that, when the image is downloaded, the author, title of the image, a link to the original photo, and the image license terms are automatically added to the bottom of the graphic. So students can’t help citing their source.
Explaining Copyright First
Before starting to use Photos for Class with students, take time to teach them about why it’s a great tool. Explain basic copyright law to them using one of the resources below.
- Copyright Kids
- Copyright with CyberBee
- Teaching Copyright (lessons and handouts)
- YouTube Copyright School (five-minute video)
Putting the Photos Tool into Use
Once students understand the basics of copyright law, put them into small groups or pairs and have them create short scenarios illustrating the main ideas. Then have each group share their scenario and ask the rest of the class to determine what action should be taken. Finally, show students Photos for Class and how to use the search feature. Discuss with them how each image is automatically cited and what each part of the citation means.
By the way, if you are using Edmodo, then you can quickly add the Photos for Class free app from the Edmodo store.
As of this month, Photos for Class now includes public domain images from Pixabay’s safe search, which really enlarges the library of graphics available. This is great news for students and staff.
Photos for Class is a very easy-to-use website that can eliminate one small headache for both teachers and students – the problem of finding appropriate images to use in class projects and then citing them correctly.
This blog was updated with additional resources on March 16, 2018.
