Delicious copyrights
Posted by vanessat on May 22, 2007
If you think copyright has been quiet lately? No it hasn’t, there just hasn’t been much in the way of education and copyright, but industry wise lots is happening all over the world. As part of my WebCT course I used to maintain a links page, showing learners just how much is happening with copyright everyday, you know, who is suing who, who thinks copyright is dead, who thinks copyright should be extended in time and scope, I particularly like this recent one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo it’s about USA fair use, but there are parallels for us. Copyright is so emotional; well we are dealing with people’s creativity, but at the same time copyright is created by the government for the people, so you can get it changed if you lobby the government. So it is in the best interest of the lobbyist to create publicity for their cause in copyright.
Anyway there was so much I gave up on a links page and created: http://del.icio.us/CopyrightNews (slow – I know) which is current news about copyright, you can choose your industry area to see if anything has happened recently like music, or graphic design, or if you are just interested in current month choose that. My class like the new format, and if they want they continue to access it, they can.
For those interested in more static official online resources of copyright there is always: http://del.icio.us/citllccopyright , in fact if you are interested in your own subject areas have you looked at http://del.icio.us/citllcsubjectguides which provides access to online resources for many subjects taught at the CIT.
Any copyright has not gone the way of the dodo, yet, in fact, it’s quite delicious at the moment.
Vanessa
May 24th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Great post Vanessa, thanks!
Great to see Delicious used in this way too, it really helps bring the ranging discussion to a focus point.
Interestingly, I recently listened to (and read) a keynote (at last week’s Webheads in Action Online Conference 2007) by Leigh Blackall who talks about an emerging strategy his institution is implementing around IP and open educational resources, including copyright – very interesting in our increasingly connected and socially networked world (of education especially). It’s a good presentation and Leigh used the WikiEducator site to house his article.
I’d be interested in your or others’ feedback about this presentation if you have a chance to look at it.
May 24th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Have you got a link to the presentation? Always like to add to the lists and keep abreast goings on..
May 24th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Comments seem to be playing up (maybe like your post?) – I can’t paste the link in!! I’ll post the link somehow, otherwise will send it to your Delicious account.
Take 2: http://streamarchives.net/node/42 - for leigh’s audio presentation.
May 24th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Phew, looks like links are working now… Nope! something to do with the “http”!!!
Here’s Leigh’s slides and his extended article.
Slides: flickr.com/photos/leighblackall/sets/72157600223371021/
Presentation: wikieducator.org/index.php?title=User:Leighblackall/Open_educational_resources_and_practices&printable=yes
May 24th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
I always like following what Leigh is saying.
I agree with his proposal:
1) The educational development unit starts to run workshops in open source software and open standard formats. Teachers learn how to use Open Office, experience compatibility issues with old PowerPoints and begin to appreciate the need develop presentations that are less reliant on one particular software. Presentation edit files are saved in open standard formats and published to PDF.
2) Workshops in copyright are also run and teachers learn where to source images and other open educational resources. The presentation file now has images that permit copying and appropriate attribution for the images is made in the presentation file.
particularly 2, we have been advocating exactly the same here, the legal frameworks are different between jurisdictions, but using open educational resources would also reduce our copyright bill. Most teachers don’t realise that we do pay when they copy websites, articles, images and either print and handout or put into webCT, so using open materials would reduce our copyright bill.
It is never as simple as people would like it and I think Leigh alludes to it in his discussion, that there are different circumstances depending on what you are teaching to what tools and copyright licences are appropriate. I believe the choice may scare some people, but without them it would be a lot harder to operate.
May 25th, 2007 at 9:48 am
I like the points you draw out from Leigh’s prestn Vanessa.
You’re right there are different tools and copyright licences and you need to know which are the most appropriate in various teaching contexts. While there is choice, a simple approach from the outset supported at an institute level (eg. that of Otago going to a “blanket” Attribution licence 1st off), sounds workable to me and perhaps less scary.