Classroom in the Cloud, ch. 4

          From chapter 4 of Classroom in the Cloud I have chosen to research and review the Yogile function. The reason I chose Yogile is because I had never heard of it until reading this chapter of the text. The book discusses the functions and features of Yogile on pages 99-102.
          Yogile is a tool used for sharing photos online. Users can access a single album by using email addresses, and can decide whether online albums are "public" or "private" through the use of passwords. Interestingly, photos on this online album are only kept for 14 days through the free account. This would give enough time for users to share and download desired pictures, if you act fast! However this is obviously not a reliable resource to use as a means of actually storing photos. Long-term photo storage is not the main function of this tool.
          Yogile was created specifically as a way for students to share concept learning through the use of photos. Clint Stephens explains why photos ought to be shared in a classroom: "...photos taken by the teacher or by students are used for many reasons: to document group or project work, to show evidence of learning, to identify real-world examples, and so on" (100). It has been a struggle in the past to establish a quick and effective method of sharing photos such as these. Unlike Facebook of Flickr, personal information does not have to be shared through this application, which is a great feature for a class of students.
          The special features of Yogile described by the text include "One click to start," customized URL, and password protection. The "one click to start" feature is self-explanatory. The chapter was simply proving how fast and easy it is to create an online album to which photos can be uploaded immediately. The customized URL is the key for students to send their photos in. Without this specific URL, students will not have access to the album. Another positive aspect of this system is that the teacher could potentially share this URL with another teacher, a principal, or teachers so that more than just students can post photos. This is also a great way to ensure that only those who you give the URL code can access the photos. That kind of control is crucial to student safety on the internet. Lastly, the password protection is essential because it protects your students' pictures. The internet can often be a vulnerable place, especially for young students, so this password is to ensure that nothing unsafe happens to your students on Yogile.
          A negative aspect of Yogile is the fact that to extend the online photo album to existing longer than 14 days, teachers must pay a fee. If you don't want to do that, then this application is only good for two weeks of time, witch for most school projects would be a sufficient length of time.
          As a teacher, I would live to use Yogile as a way to allow my visual learners to express themselves and view other visual examples created by their peers. It would also be a great assessment tool, if Yogile was used in place of an exam. Lastly, as the chapter points out, this would be an awesome way to share memories of the school year of photos from a field trip with parents! Parents love having photos of their children (obviously), so with a simple URL code any parent could access these pictures.