Thing+8

=Get Creative with Creative Commons=

Relax. This is an easy, but **incredibly significant** one.

Introduction
Fair use guidelines enable teachers and students to use copyrighted materials within the classroom for direct educational purposes. But fair use seems restrictive and [|can be confusing]. All of those wonderfully illustrative images found via Google search and pasted into that Oscar-worthy Powerpoint presentation cannot legally be shared back on the Web, even with proper citation -- **citation does not equal permission**. As educators, it is our responsibility to teach students about the ethics of content gathering and use, whether for a research paper or a digital storytelling project or for a wiki project.

(**Do not despair** -- we actually have broader fair use rights than many of us may realize -- we just have to understand some important guidelines. Legitimate fair use of media can be determined by criteria such as "transformativeness" and benefit to society -- see my "note about 'traditional' copyright" below for a phenomenal resource that can help educators de-mystify copyright).

Now, where was I? Oh, yes...
One of the hallmarks of Web 2.0 is the creation and sharing of user-created content with tools like Flickr, YouTube, Scribd, Thinkfree, Archive.org (and hundreds of others) which make uploading, sharing and obtaining digitized content a snap. But with the free exchange of content comes the **responsibility** of determining how it is shared, how it may be used, and how to properly credit the author or creator.

Enter **Creative Commons**, the best thing to happen to Copyright since, well, ever...

"Share, Remix, Reuse — Legally"
"[|Creative Commons] provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. You can use CC to change your copyright terms from 'All Rights Reserved' to 'Some Rights Reserved.'"

Creative Commons will celebrate its seventh birthday in December 2009. Currently, there are millions of photos, books, songs, poems, artworks, videos and other media shared on the web under Creative Commons licenses, including this course. K12 Learning 2.0 is an example of how you can take a piece of information or a product (in this case, the original Learning 2.0 course) and 'remix' it--as we're doing--to make it fit your needs, giving attribution to the original author.

One of the most exciting developments in Web 2.0/Creative Commons culture is the **OER Commons** -- a site where users can find and contribute to the collection of thousands of [|Open Educational Resources]. The most highly-rated content in the OER Commons comes from the [|MIT Open Courseware (OCW)] project -- an online repository of free lecture notes, exams, and other resources (including, increasingly, audio and video) from more than **1800 courses** spanning MIT's entire curriculum. MIT recently announced a subsection of OCW called [|Highlights for High School].

Cool, huh?

Why Should I Care?
As educators, as we create more and more content online, we must be models of ethical use of content. We've always known we shouldn't use another's idea without giving him or her credit. But, we need to realize other people's works have expanded beyond mere text to include slideshows, images, videos. We must credit these mediums as well. The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Teachers puts it this way:
 * //Teachers advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.//

Sure, it's usually quicker and easier simply to copy and paste an image off the Internet onto a web page or into a PowerPoint. But, if we don't model being responsible and ethical users of online content--using only images that give us permission to use them and crediting the author--we can't expect our students to be ethical and responsible users. Afterall, it is our job as educators to mold students into responsible, ethical users. NETS for Students says:
 * //Students advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.//

**¤ NOTE ABOUT "TRADITIONAL" COPYRIGHT:** Creative Commons is an amazing evolution in copyright, but it does not magically erase the need for proper citation, and ethical use. Neither does it solve our confusion about "traditional" copyright, which still applies to most works or art and intellectual property. What to do, what to do? Well, I am glad you asked.

I am so excited to share an unbelievable resource I recently learned about: The Media Education Lab at Temple University has worked with a number of expert groups to develop a newly released **[|Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in Media Education]**, which "helps educators gain confidence about their rights to use copyrighted materials in developing students' critical thinking and communication skills." EVERY educator should read this guide, share it with colleagues and practice applying these guidelines thoughtfully with their students. These resources not only diminish copyright confusion, but provide educators and students with tools to help them fully exercise their fair use rights. The site provides case studies and teaching resources, too.

= Discovery Exercise = Watch the two animations below to learn about the history and basic concepts behind Creative Commons.


 * Get Creative** (6:37) and **Wanna Work Together?** (3:00)

= **Task** = Write a blog post reflecting on how you think Creative Commons may affect you professionally and/or personally and/or your students. Be sure to include "Thing 8" in your post title and bookmark your post at Delicious, tagging it //bsd21things//.

Feel free to share any ideas you have about Creative Commons. If you need a prompt, to get you started, you may use any of these:
 * Have you noticed the CC logo on any websites you visit? Did you wonder what it meant?
 * Do you think CC will impact the way students learn and create projects? How?
 * Do you use digital images, audio or video clips from the web in your teaching (or professional practice)?
 * Do you ever share content on the web?
 * Who owns your teaching materials?
 * What are some potential negatives for using CC?

Stretch Task
Check out some Creative Commons resources from the [|OER Commons], the [|CC Content Directories], or try out the [|CC Search] tool and see what you find. Extend the blog post above to share about your findings. Include **a link** to any resource you mention.

This page modified from Thing 10 at K12 Learning 2.0.