I learned about the Flickr Tag Browser from Susan Gaer, an instructor at Santa Ana College, through an ESL listserv.  It’s sort of a combination vocabulary-builder and “mind-map” creator.  I think it’s an exceptional find for English Language Learners.

You type in a word or two in the center.  For example, I typed in “Ancient Egypt.” Immediately, thirty-six excellent pictures from Flickr with that same “tag” came on my screen, with an option to see 1,500 more!

But that wasn’t the best part.  At the same time the images appeared, the labels of about forty other related “tags” showed-up in a circle surrounding the photos.  These included words like Pyramid, Cairo, Giza, Valley of the Kings, desert, etc.

Clicking on any of those labels then brings it into the center along with Flickr images with that same tag.

English Language Learners at all levels would find this useful for vocabulary development.  It’s also an ideal model of a graphic organizer.

Even though I only found appropriate images, as Barry Bakin mentioned in a subsequent email on the same listserv, it’s important to be aware that it’s always possible that some might slip in that should be passed over quickly.

I’ve placed the link on my English For Beginners page under Vocabulary.