How Do You Find Images?

Steps for the Activity

1. It's not hard to find images on the web for specific things that are well described by keywords. An an introductary activity, participants will describe their current approach it image searching. A discussion can surface an understanding of:

   • Their Thinking Process: Pay attention to the way we construct and conduct images searches.
   • How Image Search Works: When we search for images, the technology that not actually search image data, but information associated with them (the web page they are embedded in, titles, tags, descriptions, meta data published with an image).
   • Awareness of Reuse: What are the differences between what we find by wide open searching (e.g. "just Google it") and using search tools such as ones available from Creative Commons?

2. You can run this discussion in a number of ways, including:

   • As a Group Discussion No technology needed! Announce a suggested subject and ask participants to share how they would go about finding images of it. Or use flip chart paper with pens/ sticky notes to collect responses.
   • On Computers/Mobile Devices Give the prompt and ask people to conduct the search the way they would do for their own uses. Consider using an EtherPad to share results or ask participants to describe what they found and why.
   • Use the How Do You Find Images of Things Thimble This Make has five built in topics (see below) from which one is chosen at random, and you are asked how you would find images to represent it. A sample image fades in slowly after 30 seconds, leaving time for discussion about the search process. You can remix it to use with your own subjects.
     
     And particpants can also remix it to publish their own result, modifying the Thimble to display a single image, and adding some comments to their results.

   

3. Below are some topics you can use as a prompt (these are the ones in the How Do You Find Images of Things Thimble), as simple as asking "What would you do to find an image of a shark?"

   • a shark
   • the planet Saturn
   • a pyramid
   • a balloon
   • a guitar
   • a smile

4. Give some time for people to work on their searches or to share their strategy, then end with a group discussion.