Thing 23: Creative Commons

Okay, I'm not going to lie.  I have never even thought about the fact that the picture I download from Google Images into my powerpoint could be copyrighted.  That thought never even crossed my mind until this class.  I guess I thought since it was on the internet, it was fair game.  Looks like I was wrong.  I'm not going to say that this knowledge of copyrights and Creative Commons is going to stop me from using pictures or videos without permission, but I might think twice about it.  I will try to consciously choose to use websites that I know are not copyrighted, like ones specifically for teachers that we talked about in class.  

This 23 Things activity was not created at Austin Peay.  It was actually created for librarians, but since they have a Creative Commons license, anyone can take the idea and modify to fit their curriculum.

I think Creative Commons is a good idea, because if someone wants to share their own work, why shouldn't they be able to?  Restricting what a person can do with their own work is almost as bad as stealing it from them.  I think it is important to teach students the significance of plagiarism and copyrights and make an intervention at a young age.  Plagiarism easily can become a habit, so it is up to us as teachers to take a stand and make a difference.  Plagiarism helps no one, especially not the student.

KBearden:]