Week 12-Copyright and Creative Commons Licenses
We’ve all heard the term Copyright but usually pass over it without thinking much of it. So, what’s the big fuss about following Copyright laws? In essence copyright gives credit to the author of the information and tells the user and viewer where the information originated from. Imagine writing a book and then having someone else copy your work without permission. You’d be very frustrated. Copyright gives protection automatically to the author of any original tangible work. For copyright to be protected it must be a tangible, written item. Nontangible items are not protected by copyright. Mohamed Khafaja (2025), a contributor on edublogs, offers several copyright rules to remember:
1. Finding something online does not mean it is
free to use.
2. There are resources that can be used freely
including items with a Creative Commons license of work in the public domain.
3. As a creator you have the right to have your
work protected.
4. When in doubt ask the creator for permission to
use their work or find a free alternative.
5. Be a responsible and ethical digital citizen
instead of looking for loopholes.
What may be lesser known to many is the term Creative
Commons. This was verbiage I had not heard of before. The author of a work can
use a Creative Commons license which describes how the work can be used,
modified or shared. Using one of six Creative Commons licenses is beneficial
for both the creator and user as it eliminates the need to ask permission to
use the work. Using this type of license saves time for both the author and
user. On the blog Kathleen Morris Primary Tech: helping teachers create
digitally literate global learners, Morris (2020), list the six different types
of Creative Commons Licenses.
By Kathleen Morris, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
https://www.kathleenamorris.com/2020/01/20/copyright-creative-commons/
When using work that has a Creative Common License the work
should show attribution of where and from whom the work originated from. Attribution
should include the following items: Title of material if available, name of the
author or creator and source of material, and the type of Creative Commons
License (Khafaja, 2025). Writing an attribution takes time and can be a hassle.
To avoid the need to use an attribution on an image look for images that have
been released to the public domain and that do not require an attribution or
the attribution has already been included on the image. These images are known
as Creative Commons Zero (CC0) images. Which means anyone can use the image
however they would like without the need to attribute the work. There are
several easily accessed websites with these free images such as Unsplash and
Pixabay. Providing students with websites with these free CC0 images is useful
for teachers as it eliminates time spent teaching about licenses.
Following copyright and creative common license rules protects
both the author/creator and the user. Copyright rules protect the
author/creator’s original work from being used without permission and complying
with these rules protects the user from any legal issues.
Khafaja, M. (2025,
February 26). The educator’s guide to copyright, fair use and creative
commons. Edublogs. https://www.theedublogger.com/copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/
Morris, K. (2020,
January 20). A beginner’s guide to copyright and creative commons (simple
explanation for teachers and students). Kathleen Morris Primary Tech:
Helping teachers create digitally literate global learners. https://www.kathleenamorris.com/2020/01/20/copyright-creative-commons/
Hi Alicia,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post and it gave me such a stronger understanding of copyright and creative common license. I honestly didn't know that so much went into either of them or that there was so much information regarding them. I really liked the image you used in regard to the creative common license overview. It really helped me to understand further of what is needed to make sure that I am not taking someone's work and using it as my own or that the person is getting the correct credit! I really gained a lot of knowledge from your post and found it to be very interesting to read!
I thought you did a really good job explaining copyright and Creative Commons in a way that makes sense. I liked how you pointed out that following these rules protects both the creator and the person using the work. That’s something a lot of people forget. It made me think....have you ever come across an example of what a proper attribution looks like? Seeing one in action really helps it click.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that writing an attribution can be kind of a hassle, and I totally get that. Maybe having a simple template or example ready to go would make things easier. That way, it’s quicker and you don’t have to figure it out from scratch every time. You could also build on what you said by talking about how Creative Commons helps people share work in a respectful and fair way. It’s not just about following rules. It’s about supporting a creative community. You explained it all really clearly, and I picked up some helpful tips. Great job!
Thanks Nicole! In the APA 7th edition Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association pg. 386-387 says that to cite a creative commons license indicate it by using "Creative Commons" or "CC". Cite the author/creator and note the license type. It also states that "copyright is usually indicated on the first page of an article, on the copyright page of a book or report, below an image published online, or in the footer of a website." I used this as a format for my image in this blog post.
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