A talk about the experience of using Flickr and Blipfoto to do the photo a day project, and what lessons might be in it for higher education.

1. What I learnt from a photo a day
Martin Weller

2. The rules
• Take a photo every day for a year
• Upload to flickr, or blip
• You must take it
• It must be taken on that date
• You can upload at a later date

3. I need structure

4. Being forced to do something has
benefits

5. And negatives

6. I didn’t learn much about photography

7. I need to get out more

8. It’s unpredictable

9. I’m a coward

10. The whole is important

11. The best camera is the one
you have on you

12. The best camera is the one you take
with you

13. You see the world differently

14. And look for stories

15. Sometimes it’s about the photograph

16. Sometimes it’s about the day

17. Sometimes it’s about just doing it

18. Different sites have different context

19. Some fun related things
• Dailyshoot
• Flickr pecha kucha
• Flickr 5 story
• DS106

20. Is there anything we can take from it?
• It’s not in competition with formal ed
• It can be complementary to it
• Structure & informality gets you so far
• The community, social aspect is a strong
motivating factor

21. What other activities might it apply to?
• Literature, poetry
• Films
• Music
• Flora and fauna
• Learn a thing a day…

22. 10 min Activity
• Devise a photo assignment
• AND/OR
• Come up with a similar activity in a different
domain

23. To consider:
• Can we take lessons in motivation?
• Assessment isn’t necessary
• Light social connections are effective