Creating online teaching modules takes an enormous amount of time. Many teachers are tempted by the swift right-click-save-as action, or popular CTRL-C / CTRL-V shortcut to, well, take short cuts.
Teachers that randomly and freely use online content in their lessons, and often trample over copyright in the process, have a common excuse, “...but it’s for a good purpose.” School administrators trying to curb the practice are inversely seen as sticklers or buzz-kills.
Retaining and protecting the rights of content owners is not only an important principle in keeping the internet a safe and vibrant place for original creation and content, but teaching students the importance of attribution is a critical lesson in the boundary between research and plagiarism. A skill that becomes more important as they move into college, as plagiarism is likely to get them kicked out of college and will dramatically affect their academic record.
So, let’s walk our talk and not only teach ethics, but also teach in a way that is ethical. The first step on this journey is to understand the difference between copyright and fair use.
We will refer here only to the U.S. Copyright Law. The U.S. code defines copyrighted material in surprisingly broad terms: practically everything that is tangible, and originally created, attracts copyright protection - even if the author hasn’t used the copyright symbol, or explicitly stated that the work is copyrighted.
A list of non-copyrighted work includes:
Many teachers assume that the fair use rule exempts them from any restrictions, but this is not the case. Fair use, while applying to instruction and teaching, also has limitations that are intended to protect the rights and commercial benefits of an author or creator.
When establishing whether your intended usage of material is “fair” as defined by the copyright code, teachers are obliged to ask themselves a number of questions.
The fair use rule gives teachers a reasonable framework within which to decide if they need to request permission for using material or not. There are however other options for the resourceful teacher, seeking thought-provoking content.
Creative Commons is a non-profit organisation that permits copyright holders to more easily share their work, within the copyright framework. The licenses come in four basic formats:
The below graphic is a helpful way to understand the various licences. Sourced from foter.com under a BY-SA license.
Finally, there are a host of truly wonderful free-to-use resources online. Find a good list of free photo, music and video resources here. Be aware that much of the work will be released under one or other Creative Commons license.
Working within a copyright or Creative Commons framework may seem restrictive and cumbersome. However, if creative people are going to continue producing eye-catching and thought provoking work of quality, they need a system that ensures they are correctly acknowledged and remunerated.
The ideal of the internet is a free, open space where original, useful and important work can be created, shared and enhanced - copyright and licenses ensure it remains that way.