In a world where sharing intellectual property online is ubiquitous, we as teachers must make sure when our own students are sharing things that they are respecting copyright laws. Sadly, few people, adults included, actually have a good handle on copyright laws, which vary by country. I moonlight as a photographer and illustrator so I have a better knowledge than most on the basics of copyright law and the do’s and don’ts of sharing content online, and in this post I’ll share some tips for ensuring students are respecting copyright when they create content, particularly content that gets shared online. By reinforcing to students that all content they find on the internet is not free, we are helping them become better digital citizens.
Basic Guidelines
In most countries, the basic guideline is, if you didn’t create the content you’re uploading, you need permission from the creator in order to share it. Simply giving credit isn’t good enough. Without permission, you don’t have the right to use it. Luckily, there are some places to get content for free that openly grant permission, so all is not lost if you can’t use that one specific photo you wanted for your project. There is such a thing in the United States as Fair Use that makes exceptions for certain types of very specific uses, but I personally don’t recommend relying on Fair Use unless you are very familiar with the Fair Use Doctrine, and I don’t recommend encouraging students to rely on it because it is quite complex. Note that only a court of law can actually rule on if a use constitutes fair use. Click here to read more in depth about the do’s and don’ts of sharing content online.
Finding Free Content For Students to Use – Videos
Sometimes we want students to create content with visuals or music. It’s very tempting to just do a Google search for what we want and then use it, but all content found on Google is not free for students to use however they wish. For videos, Adobe Express (formerly Adobe Spark and before that, Adobe Voice) and WeVideo have content students can use for free. I have used both with my students, but Adobe Express has gotten very buggy and my school has a subscription to WeVideo, so currently, that’s a better alternative for my students. Adobe Express has licensed music and allows you to search for Creative Commons images (images you can use for free if you give credit) to include. It automatically credits the creator(s) at the end of the video for you, which is very important. Adobe Express is very trendy looking and it’s free. WeVideo has licensed music, images, and videos that you can incorporate in your video, but most of the features require a subscription. Below is a video students created with Adobe Express. Click here to learn more about this project.
Finding Free Content For Students to Use – Photos
There are several websites that provide photos that can be used free of charge with credit not required. I personally like Pixabay and Unsplash. The only caveat is, when you search for something on either site, the first thing comes up is a series of photos you can license from iStock with a discount code, and it can be confusing, because some students don’t realize those images are not free, and they need to keep scrolling to see the free images. If you have your students use either of these sites, be sure to inform them of this. I had students use photos from Unsplash in a project last year, and even though credit is not required, I had my students credit the photographers to get in the habit of doing it. It also makes it clear to viewers that the images were properly sourced. Other options are Canva and once again, Adobe Express, which enable users to create posters, videos, and other projects with a library of images creators can choose from. Canva has a free version but some features require a subscription.
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that creates licenses that users can apply to their own intellectual property so that others can freely use them without needing prior permission, as long as they give credit. Creative Commons content can be found all over the internet, but a great place to find some is WikiMedia Commons. Creative Commons licenses vary in how restrictive they are. Some allow you to do pretty much anything you want with the image while others stipulate that the nature of the use must be non-commercial or that if you adapt or remix the content you must share it with the same Creative Commons license. In theory, Creative Commons licenses are great, but in practice, they are complicated, which often results in unintentional infringement by users. Users must always cite the name of the piece, the creator, and the specific Creative Commons license under which it has been made available, and it’s recommended that you include a link to the terms of that license. If you don’t follow these specific directions, you are violating the license, which constitutes copyright infringement. Years ago, I had my students find Creative Commons images to use in a project and I gave them an organizational sheet to help them credit their images (click here to learn about the project). In the end, even with this support, it was a lot for students to wrap their heads around. I only recommend delving into Creative Commons with older students who have lots of experience citing sources. Because there are other simpler ways to get free and legal content online now, I no longer use Creative Commons with my students.
Emojis
Emojis are a great resource when looking for free images to use. Emojis are typically intended for universal use and permission is usually not needed. I had my students do a whole speaking project last year that they illustrated with emojis. Just have students call up the emoji library on their device and pick whatever they want! Click here to learn more about the emoji project.
Student Generated Content
Don’t forget that if students can’t find content to use free and legally, they can always create their own. They can draw their own pictures, take their own photos, and make their own videos. And they have a greater sense of ownership over the content when they do! I have my students create an ABC book every year where they draw their own photos. Click here to learn more about the project.
What steps do you take to ensure students are respecting copyright in your classroom?
Liked this post? Sign up below to receive future posts by email!
