To Use or Not to Use, That is the Copyright Question
Post date: Apr 5, 2017 2:50:26 PM
It's a tale as old as time. No, not the tale you're thinking of with drama, romance, and hope set to catchy songs. I'm referring to the tale where someone puts their hard work and effort into something and then when they turn their back, someone else comes along and takes it for their own or breaks it. This tale happens almost daily at my house. It goes like this. My older daughters put a lot of thought and effort into a fantastic Lego creation only to find that her youngest sister has taken it for her own and has either broken it apart or used it in someone way that wasn't intended. My older daughters feel hurt and betrayed. My youngest daughter doesn't think she did anything wrong because the Lego creation was just sitting there, all shiny and new, to be used. There's yelling, tears, and general feelings of betrayal.
I'm sure this is a scenario we can all relate to. While some of us are creators all of us are users. The internet makes being a user so easy, especially through Google. If you need that one picture to make a PowerPoint stand out or you have a blank space on your classroom wall that needs a vibrant picture you've probably gone and found something on the internet and copy and pasted or just printed without much thought. Chances are, that image you found was probably created by someone that deserves some sort of credit for what they created. Check out this video from Common Sense Media's Digital Citizenship Curriculum about Copyright and Fair Use. As educators, we do have some more leeway than most when it comes to what we can do with content.
This post isn't meant to scare you or deter you from using content in your classrooms, but to provide a check and balance to make sure we as educators are using content properly and encouraging our students to also be responsible with content. If you have questions on what you can and cannot do here are some informative links.
Common Sense Media - lessons on a Creator's Rights, a Creator's Responsibilities, and Copyright and Fair Use (you may need to create an account to view this content)
Creative Commons - A place to become educated about licensing, even licensing your own content, and also a place to search for content you can use