In case you missed it in November, Daniel McNulty at the PATINS Project tweeted, “Students are also creating massive amounts of digital content, in addition to consuming. It’s essential for students to have modeled for them sound practices for respecting copyright for digital media and protecting their own original work!”
We agree. Digital content and materials found on the internet (images, artwork, videos, etc.) are often copyrighted—but are frequently used without permission. We want to make sure that as teachers, you are modeling and appropriately using digital information in your classrooms, your online content, and your presentations.
Creative Commons is a site that allows content creators to share their information with others. Materials you find on Creative Commons can be:
- In the public domain—meaning the content is free to use without attribution
- Openly licensed but sharable—meaning the content creator will allow you to use the content if you provide appropriate attribution.
Check out the CC wiki here on how to provide correct attribution for content you’re sharing as is or that you’re modifying. And this “Using Creative Commons” video from GCFLearn Free will help you navigate the searching, licensing, and sharing process.