Thing 11: Creative Commons

Ever use photos or images you find on the web--or instruct your students to use images in work they produce for you? Ever wonder about whether or not you (and your students) were following copyright law when you do so? Copyright law can be incredibly complicated, and seeking out permission to use copyright images and music can take a lot of time--if you're able to get permission at all.

But what if the creators didn't mind? What if they want to share their work--they just want to specify how, and be sure they're given credit? That's where Creative Commons licensing comes in. Creative Commons is different from traditional copyright--it allows artists to share their work, while giving guidelines for how to do so. If you look to the right of this blog post, you'll see I've applied to a CC license to this blog.

The two videos below do a good job of explaining what Creative Commons is--and why it matters.





A Creative Commons license can be applied to images, music, videos, writing, scientific research--anything that would normally be covered under a copyright license.

Want to use Creative Commons licensed images, but not sure how to find them? Check out FlickrCC Blue Mountains and Photo Pin. I use Jamendo for CC-licensed music.

To complete Thing 11:

• Watch the videos above.
• Explore the Creative Commons website and some of the Creative Commons links on my Diigo account to learn more--particularly The Educator's Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons
• Write a blog post about what your thoughts on Creative Commons. Were you familiar with it before? What did you learn? Will it change how you use media you find online? How can you use it with students?