Understanding Copyright, Fair Use And Creative Commons

Earlier this month I did a workshop for teachers from across the district on understanding copyright, fair use and Creative Commons. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding copyright; what it is and what it isn't; what we can use in the classroom and more importantly, what we can not. There is a lot of information out there, much of confusing so what I hoped to do was show how to avoid copyright rules all together and use Creative Commons resources instead.

First, watch this video about Copyright and Fair Use. Notice how it was made and the questions it asks.



Here is the presentation that I created with some definitions and some interpretation of what can be used and what can't in the classroom.



You can also check out all the resources in this Livebinder I created for the presentation. In it you will find information about what Creative Commons is and how we can use it in the classroom. I also compiled websites to find copyright free audio, video and images for use in student and teacher projects.

All About Creative Commons And Copyright

So take some time and learn about copyright, fair use and creative commons for use both in and out of the classroom. 

Blogging and Images



Two Bloggers After Norman Rockwell

I like putting pictures on my blog. Whether it is a picture of something I have created or from my camera; I think it gives the blog character and adds a bit of interest. I think all of my blogs have a picture of something on it.



I have heard of Creative Commons for a while now, but haven't done a lot with it. I am really glad that this challenge is covering Creative Commons and the proper way to add and attribute images into blogs.



How to Grow A Blog

We are always teaching teachers and students about copyright and where to find images they can use legally. The sites that were posted will really help in giving teachers and students other places to visit for "free" images. I could not get one of the sites to change the creative commons only, so I just used the FlickrCC site.

All of the other sites I added to my Diigo list. I think I might create a webmix in Symbaloo on image sites using Creative Commons.

I went to FlickrCC site, and then I searched for images that relate to blogs. There were a lot of images that came up, but my two favorites are the two that I have used here.

I then saved the images to my computer, made sure that I copied the attributes and will paste them at the end of this blog. By clicking on the edit, on site button above the image, I could have saved the attributes as a part of the image. I really liked that about FlickrCC.

The next thing that I did was to upload one of my photos that I took when I was in San Diego a few weeks ago. We went to the zoo (loved it!) and saw the pandas. I took my picture of the panda and uploaded it to befunky. Befunky allows you to add effects to your photos.

I applied the cartoon effect to my panda and then resized it to better fit within this blog. The home page said that I could upload my photos from Picasa, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. I did it the old fashioned way, went to my album on Picasa, downloaded the image to my computer and then uploaded it to befunky. If anyone knows of how I can upload it direct from Picasa, please let me know.

Original Image: 'Two Bloggers, after Norman Rockwell' by: Mike Licht

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9106303@N05/2744489459

Original Image: 'How To Grow a Blog' by Konrad Glogowski

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53346833@N00/1776430181

Released under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Images We Can All Use

Yesterday on Twitter my good friend, Mary Beth, posted a video for her kids on how to find Creative Commons photos on Flickr. It is a great and simple tutorial that really anyone can use with teachers or kids.




Short and simple.

In addition to this video you could also check out the Creative Commons Search to find photos, music and video. Also check out Compfight, which is a tool that searches the CC photos in Flickr.

This post on Understanding Creative Commons can be helpful also.

Thanks Mary Beth for the great video!

Finding Copyright-Friendly Pictures for Your Blog

"When you use pictures in your blog please make sure you are observing copyright."

Okay so where can I get pictures to use?

It's a fair question. Sometimes the "copyright" mention in the workshop sessions (any workshop session) turns into a lot of "don't." So where should you get pictures for use in your classroom blog?

Most of the time teachers aren't really interested in hearing me talk about how much I likecreative commons, they really just want a few sites to check out and see if they can find the pic they need. So here are a handful of sites I'd recommend, but I'd also need to mention that one of the best ways to use pictures would be to take your own (or even better have students take them). This won't work for all pictures but is a way to avoid any issues in copyright.

I'll also say that while many of the sites are "copyright friendly" and not likely to have any questionable content, it might not be a good idea to pull up pictures with your students. I've used all these sites before and not encountered anything objectionable but enter disclaimer here.

Top Sites for Copyright-Friendly Pictures for Your Blog:

• Pics4Learning This site grants teachers and students the use of the pictures on its site, many of which were submitted by teachers and students. I love the idea, but there are some areas that there is not a lot of content. As a plus, it is very easy to use the site.
• Flickr Flickr is a great one for finding pictures uploaded by users who in many cases have some real skills in photography. In most cases you'll find more than enough images to choose from. However not all content should be used. Be sure to check under Additional Information for details on the rights for the image. You may need to become familiar with creative commons licenses.
  
• Compfight isn't a part of the Flickr site, but it does provide an easy option for searching. In Compfight you can easily search Flickr for only creative commons images. Just set the search option at the top of the page to Creative Commons Only.
  
• Photo8 is maintained by a photographer who has a nice collection of quality photos that are now public domain. Again, this site might not have the volume of pictures other sites offer but should ease any copyright fears.
• UncleSam'sPhotos The government might seem like an unlikely source of great photos. However, they have a nice directory of free stock photos available for commercial or personal use. There are a few steps to get to the content, but there are many good pictures related to the military, civics and United States.

Finally in many cases "copyright-friendly" still means cite the source. Even if this step is optional, it is still a good to model the process for our students.

So there they are, not a comprehensive list but a good starting place for pictures to use on your blog (voicethreads, webpage, etc...)

RemixAmerica.org

Recently I have been interested in two ideas: promoting the types of digital media students can create and share as well as the concept that we are in a “remix” society. I stumbled a across a site trying to address both within the framework of U.S. History.

RemixAmerica.org is a site that describes itself as being a "nonpartisan, nonprofit in-browser editing tool that allows citizens around the country to remix the great words and speeches of American History with the hot button issues of today.” Additional language on the site surrounds the idea of creating a platform for ideas, discussions, and public expression.

The result seems to be a lot of videos clips that pull together various media to tell a story, or represent an idea housed on the site where users can view and comment in a manner similar to youtube or teachertube. The site appears to be focused on both past U.S history as well as current events. Like any site that contains user-created content, some of it is very good (I watched a remix titled “Civil Rights 09” which was very well-done) while a lot of it is not. It will be interesting to see if this site will become a real resource for discussing history or a battleground for users to just create negative videos about those who don’t share their views and politics. The site appears to be relatively new—the oldest remix video I saw was from May of last year, but someone is uploading material daily (10 videos between 7:30 and 1:30 today), and much of it looks like student work.

And although I didn’t encounter anything vulgar or profane, I’m sure there is the risk. But there appears to be a system for reporting objectionable content, and with an option to download videos you choose, it appears there is a way to avoid some unwanted content. Besides, there are subjects in history and politics that may not be appropriate for every classroom.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting this is a site to start using right away with students, but I’m interested in its possibilities. And I’m in support of projects that have students engage in creating media and provoke discussions and feedback with a broad audience—andRemixAmerica.org has the potential to be a tool to do just that.