Exploring the World of Copyright

Before delving into my Genius Hour, I am taking the time to educate myself a little more on copyright laws and how to abide by them in the digital world. We all have heard of copyright laws, but how many of us know the details of these laws and how it impacts what we can use, where we can use it, and how we can use it?

Some of the things I have learned thus far is that copyright notices are not actually required! By creating a piece of work copyright automatically applies, thereby assuring that only the creator of the original work has the right to use the work. This means that anyone else that wants to use this work must obtain permission. Also, the need to learn about copyright and in turn share this knowledge with our students is so important due to the ever increasing availability of digital tools in which students can infringe on copyright by taking media from the Internet regularly and uploading it for the purpose of sharing.

San Jose Library, Pearl Avenue. (2008, August 9) Children using the library computers (Photograph). Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sanjoselibrary/

I also learned a bit about how copyright laws affect teachers, as we are constantly faced with copyright issues when we want to share a resource we have found online or otherwise. For example, Canadian teachers may not show a video in class without acquiring public performance rights! When sharing a video on YouTube with your class, you need to check to ensure it has a CC (Creative Common license) as this allows for distribution. Additionally, distribution or the use of copied documents within the classroom setting is also prohibited unless payment is made to the copyright owners. 

Additionally, out of the common need for educators and learners to have access to open educational resources and a desire for creators to share their work openly and make decisions about how their work is used, Creative Commons was founded by the Center for the Public Domain. An interesting way to emphasize to students the importance of following copyright is to encourage students to create their own images and apply a Creative Commons license to it! 

Ribeiro, Lucella. (2008, June 30). Children at school (Photograph). Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lupuca/8720604364

In considering the information I have read on copyright licensing, when I think about what is most important to teach my students I think about getting them to understand the importance of it, and giving them the tools and knowledge to abide by them. I think that a great way to do this is to teach your students how to create their own work (ie. graphics, videos, taking pictures, drawing) so that they don’t have to look for the work of others. Further, teaching your students how to decode the different types of copyright licenses so that if they want to use the work of others they can do so responsibly!