Teaching students about copyright and ensuring that compliance happens in the classroom is a difficult task. Much of the difficulty arises because traditional copyright laws were written long before the digital age in which sharing educational resources has become so easy. In recent weeks, I have heard about a resource called Creative Commons. However, the best summary I have seen is this article, “The New Rules of Copyright” written by Judy Salpeter (Tech & Learning, October 2008 issue). In addition to the overview of Creative Commons, it also includes a chart on what is appropriate and what needs to be avoided when it comes to copyright issues. Check it out.
Photo Credit: www.creativecommons.org