Some Rights Reserved (Thing Nine)

Creative Commons:  Something that I have never even heard of....until today. 

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I really didn't know all that much about Copyright until today either.  I know a little about the Copyright Act and I feel like I know the basics (especially about the legal uses as a teacher).  Mostly, I know that if I'm not following the rules set up by the Copyright Act then I am breaking the law.  Let's be honest though, in the moment of making copies, creating a powerpoint, or using internet media, not many people care all that much about the rules of Copyright.  I think the problem is that wording of the Copyright Act and Fair Use Guidelines can be confusing and people don't want to take the time to really understand it.  Not to mention, as a teacher, rules and laws can get in the way of the materials that you really need to teach your students!

I definitely didn't know that the instant something is created it might as well be stamped with that little "c" in the circle...pretty much everything has a copyright. I know that little "c" indicates all rights reserved, which really disables anyone else to use or modify the work.  That is great if you want to reserve all rights, but sometimes an author or artist wants a little flexibility and may not mind if eithers use or modify their work.  That is where Creative Commons come into place.

I have never noticed Creative Commons (indicated by a "cc" in a circle) on a website before.  I've also never looked for it before either!  It is definitely something I will keep my eyes out for.

I have been working on writing research reports with my students, and, just last week, I taught a lesson about researching using the internet.  My students are pretty young so it can be hard to get the point across that work or media online is really only for us to read or look at.  We cannot "borrow or steal" someone else's work.  While that is true in most cases, Creative Commons allows for a little more flexibility.

As a teacher, I find myself using media from the internet all the time.  I usually don't think twice about it, but I probably should be more careful in the future.  I wouldn't want someone else use my work without my permission!  Now that I know more about Creative Commons (and how to use the Creative Commons search engine), I will be more likely to use clip art and media that is completely legal to use.  I really like the feature of the search engine that allows me to use Google Images and Flickr to find media that is legal to use.

Overall, I think Creative Commons is something important for educators to know and understand.  It not only reminds me of the importance of following Copyright laws, but is also allows me to use some resources and media that I find online.