Thing 9

Creative Commons is an exciting new idea to me. I hadn't heard of it (or noticed the logo anywhere!), but I'm delighted to learn about the new laws for educators and the sources for finding allowable materials for me and my students to use. I use things in the classroom and post material on my website, but I can't always post exactly what I use in class because of copyright issues. I've tried to follow them, but it certainly does get confusing. It seems we grew up with the idea that, as long as you're not making a profit from it or taking credit for it, it was okay. I think that might still be a common misconception. But the proliferation of technology and the internet has made us rethink copyright. As an educator, I can't afford to pay everyone for everything I'd like to use- I don't make that much money! But, if it means exposing hundreds of students to a particular work by allowing its free use or not allowing it unless a fee is paid, it seems reasonable that creators would want to share what they've done, if only to develop a following who would continue to support their work financially!
I took some classes in graphic design recently and, naturally, copyright was a big part of the coursework. Of course, it was more in the interests of the creators, but even there the instructors made it clear that images could be used for learning in our classes. We also learned where and how to find royalty free stock images and even some fee-free royalty free images. I plan to explore and use extensively the Creative Commons to ensure that I use materials appropriately and teach my students how to use them, too. Learning that there are ways to let consumers know how they can use your materials in a copyright was great- if I get the chance to create things (using what I learned in graphic arts...) I would like to let people know they can use them, so I'm glad to find out where to go for that step.
The new laws from 2008 seem more reasonable for educators. I thought it was odd that we could only keep copies of an article for a year- I only use it once a year, after all- but then I could go back to the magazine's website, download it again, print it again... talk about a lot of paper. I suppose I should pay for a class set of copies to keep, but that becomes cost prohibitive. After all, I want to provide the best for my students as well as set a good example in how to use materials. I believe the new laws make more sense with how we use things and with the availability made possible through the internet.