PixelPipe: Cross-Post Media to Multiple Places from One Text Message

I enjoy being about to post pictures, videos, and text directly from my cell phone to public and private spaces on the Internet. What I love about this is the fact that students do not have to bring their cell phones into the classroom in order to collect and store data. A few of my favorite places to post cell phone media include Flickr, my Blogger Blog, Photobucket, my gmail, YouTube, Twitter, and Drop.io. While I normally have to send separate messages if I want to post one piece of media or text to all of these sites, using PixelPipe I can now send one message and have it post to many different places on the Internet. PixelPipe allows you to create a free account, where you receive a mobile address. You (the teacher) can give out the mobile address to all your students, while you maintain control of the settings and passwords in the account! Next you can set up your PixelPipe account to post to as many web resources as you would like (including email). It is very easy to set up and get started. Everything sent to PixelPipe is automatically backed-up in the private PixelPipe account (along with times and links to the websites where the media was posted).

While playing with PixelPipe I immediately thought of iReporting and how students could document their local news reporting in multiple places (just as real reporters do). Not only is PixelPipe a great way to report the news, but also a free and easy way to back up data collections in multiple places.

Students Become iReporters at Inauguration!

News organizations are eager for those perfect inauguration pictures and videos! There are many opportunities for students to snap a few pictures (or take some video) and possible get them published through a popular news organization. A great opportunity for students to take advantage of their cell phones and turn them into data collecting tools for journalism!

I just read a great post from Andy Carvin, about the students at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts who are documenting their inaugural experiences via their own cell phones. They have a mobile Flickr account, a YouTube account, a Twitter account and a blog where they are sending their pictures, videos, and text messages about their inaugural experiences. What could be more authentic social studies, data collection, and data analysis than this!!???

Here are a few places that inauguration student goers can send their media and participate as iReporters...

1) CBS News (CBS EyeMobile)
Send to: eye@cbseyemobile.com

2) CNN iReport
Send to: iReport@cnn.com

3) The New York Times
Send to: pix@nyt.com with your full name and the location where the picture was taken

4) PBS Newshour Speak Out Podcast for Student Reactions
Call in: to the Gabcast number and record your reaction to the Inauguration (call Lizzy Berryman, Director of the Teacher Center, at 703.998.2182 to get the Gabcast number and pin).

5) NPR Inauguration Report
Send Videos: Upload your video to your own YouTube account and tag it either inaug09 or dctrip09.
Send Pictures: Using your Flickr account, upload pictures and tag them inaug09 or dctrip09.
Send Text: Send a text message to 66937. Begin the message with the phrase #inaug09 or #dctrip09. You can include a ZIP code or one of the location tags

6) Photobucket Obama Album
Send Videos and Pictures to your Photobucket account. Then post to the collective album here.