I’ve never really understood Copyright laws (and I still don’t) but here are some useful take-aways from Sept. 20th’s class:

Copyright is applied to all works that are created. 

Copyright Act and Fair Dealing in Canada (Bill C-11)

If a resource can be found on the internet you may use it, but you can’t always copy and distribute it. That’s where Creative Commons comes in…

  • It’s a licence that allows people to reuse content
  • You still need to use citation (it’s commonplace on the web to give credit where credit is due) 
  • There are different attributions that determine how you may use the content

Why is OpenEd important?

  • The cost of education leaves people in large amounts of debt
  • OpenEd resources:
    • Allows for updated information rather than creating outdated texts by introducing new editions
    • Allows teachers to use OpenEd resources freely without violating copyright
    • OpenEd Journals means everyone has access to them rather than needing to buy a subscription

Questions to explore about OpenEd: who is creating these resources? How are people getting financially compensated for their creation?

Some examples of Creative Commons resources:

    • YouTube
    • Wikipedia
    • Flickr

Tip for finding resources that won’t get you in trouble: You can filter Google searches so only openly licensed resources are included in your search

    • Tools > advanced search > usage rights > free to use or share/free to use and modify/free to use or share commercially

When citing resources you’ve found online:

  • Link back to the original source
  • Author name if it’s available
  • Source is not the same as the search engine you used to find the source

OpenEd Resources: