The legal jargon with respect to digital copyrights can be confusing – especially since different countries have their own laws and regulations.
With this post, we hope to dispel a few myths and pull together a complete list of resources for teachers and students to use when blogging and working with content online.
Rule #1: You Can’t Use Everything You Find On the Web
The trouble is, most of the laws and rules that cover fair use and education were written well before the invention of the web.
But make sure to check specific copyright restrictions before uploading anything you’ve scanned to the web!
For more, check out the Fair Use FAQ for Educators here from the excellent resource site, TeachingCopyright.org.
What Can Be a Violation?
Here are the most common types of content that we have been contacted about and asked to remove on our blogs:
Images – mostly found through google image search
Curriculum docs – especially handouts and student activities
Text and quotes – copy/pasted from other websites (even with a link or attribution it still may not be legal)
Music – usually mp3s that students have uploaded to share on their blogs