On Friday, our class had a really great conversation about how to gather images that we want to use for projects, blogs, etc. in a manner that is responsible and fair. When the class was asked how they typically gathered images from the internet, the overwhelming response was “Google Images”. BUT….the question is: do you have permission from the owner of the image to use it? Unfortunately, you don’t.

So…where to go to find pictures you are ALLOWED to use? A great website I like to use all the time is called www.compfight.com. This website uses Flickr’s API to search the database of photos and then feeds back the results as live clickable thumbnails. When you visit the website, you first need to type in a word you’d like to search. For example, if I’m looking for an image that is school-related, I could type in ‘school’.

To be sure that the photos you want are from people who WANT you to use their photos, you MUST have selected Creative Commons on the left side of the screen. See below.

Next, click on a photo that appeals to you.You will be taken to the author’s page of that particular photo you liked.

Creative Commons is worth knowing about! Check out the youtube videos below that help to explain exactly what it is and why it is sooooo powerful!