Review/learn the basics of copyright laws and Creative Commons licences when using different resources.
Copyright law can be overwhelming, sure, but the basics are actually pretty straightforward. In essence, you’re not allowed to use, reproduce or distribute anything you haven’t created yourself, unless specifically stated otherwise. Does that mean you cannot use material other people have created? Of course not. It means you should develop a “I probably can’t, but let’s see if I can” approach to using material other people have created.
These few videos can help you grasp the basics of copyriight and Creative Commons.
Copyright Basics – by Copyright Clearance Center, 6:19
A Copyright Education – by YavapaiCollege, 32:21
Copyright: Forever Less One Day – by C.G.P. Grey, 6:27
Creative Commons
A Shared Culture – by Creative Commons, 3:20
Creative Commons & Copyright Info – by Video Magazine, 5:19
At the same time, Canada has certain exceptions to Copyright law which includes ‘Fair Dealings’ for Education.
“In Canada, consumers have certain rights to use copyrighted material without permission or license from the owner of the copyright. These rights are defined in the Copyright Act as Fair Dealing exemptions and were redefined in the 2012 changes to the Act. A good knowledge of Fair Dealing can be extremely helpful in understanding what you and your students can do with media in class. It’s important to note that the Copyright Act provides very little definition for many of these terms; instead, most of the specifics of Fair Dealing have come from court rulings, and the new exemptions and other changes done in 2012 will likely also be further defined in the same way. ”
from Media Smarts – Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy. Visit the site for a good overview of ‘Fair Dealing’ and what it means for teachers: Media Smarts – Fair Dealing