I can copy, right ?

This post is in response to Activity #5 in the Edublogs Kick Start Your Blog Teacher Challenge.

Copyright and Creative Commons was something I had heard about, but never really quite understood what it all meant. I had seen those little pictures inside circles, but again, wasn't quite to sure what they were all about. I too have been guilty of jumping onto Google Images, searching for a picture I liked and then simply pasting it into a document, powerpoint or other piece of work I was creating.

This challenge provided me with some clarity about Copyright and the structure of Creative Commons licences. The table featured in the challenge post outlining the different elements of the Creative Commons licences will be something I print out and probably refer to quite frequently as I continue to get my head around what it all means.

Photo by evasee licenced under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic 

If I have been guilty of "Google, cut, paste" I know many of my students are also obtaining images this way (I think I even taught them how to do this !)

Like everything, this is an area that will require explicit instruction for students to develop an awareness of the issue and understand appropriate methods for obtaining images online.

Were you aware of Creative Commons prior to completing this challenge or reading this post?What other sites do you use to access your images?

Do you think this is something the majority of teachers are aware about?
How can we spread the word?

Do you know of any good online activities/lessons/resources that would teach students about copyright and Creative Commons?