Creative Commons

In Canada we use “Fair Dealing” as our language around using materials or work created by others. The laws around copyright in Canada have recently been updated to reflect the broad spectrum of available media and how that media is being used.

The way we use and interact with media is constantly undergoing change. Where we once were satisfied being an audience to other people’s “Funniest Home Videos”, we now upload our own, or make mash-ups of thematic videos we find online. Public domain becomes a grey area; someone shares an image on Flickr that may have originally been copyright protected by the original author, but is now an image of an image with the option to download and share freely. There is a cultural shift towards sharing the wealth of information and resources and knocking down some of the paywalls that exist. MOOCs, open learning and PLNs contribute to the ideals of open source initiatives.

As teachers, what does that mean for how we teach our students to access and use online resources? Every year teachers encounter students who cite “Google Images” as the source for an image that they have copied and pasted into their work. When shown what an actual link to an image looks like (often 4 lines of text long, filled with random numbers and percentage signs), the students exhale and say “Ohhhhhhhh”.

Students are often surprised to learn that those images are actually owned by someone. Many young people are very comfortable “sampling” text, images and video from the Internet for a variety of purposes, and openly share their creations. It is difficult for our students to grasp how things that are so easily shared online can still “belong” to an author or artist.

To set a high standard for your students in using online resources, you can teach them about only using Creative Commons licensed images, or images that they acquire permission to use. You may wish to teach this as a literacy especially if you are encouraging your students to blog and Tweet for a public audience. If your students choose to continue to write and create publically, they will learn to make choices about how they share and licence their own work. They will contribute to a culture where the online community respects each individual’s words and work.

Some favourite search tools for copyright free material:

compfight.com – mainly searches Flickr for images

cc search – a tool to help you search multiple mediums, including sources for sound and video

If you are interested in learning more about Copyright law in Canada ERAC offers a free course for members.

Additional Resources

Cybraryman - creative commons

Or, you can learn a bit about Copyright law from the “Fair Use” privileges in the United States, one of which allows for use of materials for the purpose of satire in the video to the left. Enjoy!