Photosharing and other fun media

I'm fortunate to have accounts in 3 different photosharing sites, although I primarily use Google's Picasa for personal photos. Professionally, I'm a huge fan of Flickr and its wide selection of Creative Commons licensed photos for school use. Last school year, I made a point of introducing students to the advanced search in Google images to ensure that they were searching for images that could be altered or used without going through the lengthy permission-seeking process. (Having spent the summer negotiating this process with Cirque du Soleil for a 3 minute segment of a song, I have a new appreciation for Creative Commons.) Students were frustrated by the limited number of images that would be returned, but when introduced to Flickr and other sources, the number of hits returned widened.
Although I've used Flickr and photo sites for sharing family photos and videos, the features of tagging definitely present the most amazing opportunities to create visual dictionaries. For children with stronger visual learning tendencies (FASD, Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum) the use of tagging can allow for a more focused viewing of a picture and enhancing of vocabulary development, as well as improving visual tracking skills.
The tools are simple enough for most learners to master, although steps must be broken down for learners with cognitive delays.
As I'm currently attending a National Youth Leadership conference in Montreal, the photos my students have uploaded to my laptop will be loaded up to a specific and private account (family & friends only access)so that they can see the fun we're having. Students will also be working with me on the flight home on the presentation we will give to our school to share our experience. Tagging for locations, sections of a plate of traditional food, and people will be part of the process and will be part of a special blog that I'll create when I have more than 15 minutes at a computer. (That will probably be on Monday!)