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"The difference between "copyright free" and "royalty free" Given that at least part of the controversy surrounding the painting which was awarded the American Watercolour Society Gold Medal this year concerns copyright I thought it might be helpful to outline the difference between "copyright free" and "royalty free" - as this seems to be something people get confused about. What is copyright? I'm not going to try and define copyright as such - as meaning varies depending on which country's laws prevail over the work in question. You can find out more about copyright and access the different websites providing legal definitions in my information site Copyright and Orphan Artworks - Resources for Artists For the purposes of this post, the wikipedia summary will suffice. Copyright is a form of intellectual property which gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation; after which time the work is said to enter the public domain. Copyright applies to any expressible form of an idea or information that is substantive and discrete. Some jurisdictions also recognise "moral rights" of the creator of a work, such as the right to be credited for the work Wikpedia - copyright"

Contents of this site: This site contains images of influenza, natural disasters, environmental health, bioterrorism, electron micro-graphic imagery, everyday activities, health behaviors, public health in action. The websites recommend that the site is good for those studying in the primary, secondary, or graduate levels. However, there is a "WARNING: This library includes subject matter that may be unsuitable for children. Viewing discretion is advised." This site would be ideal for science, health, social studies, language arts (research and informational writing) with regard to any of the topics listed above. Copyright and Protection: The site states with regard to copyright that most of the pictures are copyright free, but you need to double check. Below is a question answered from the websites FAQ that will help clarify the copyright regulations of the images in this website. "What regulations govern the use of images in the PHIL? Answer: Images are either "Public Domain" (free use) or "Copyright Protected" (restricted, obtain permission before use) Most of the images in the collection are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions. If you look directly beneath the image you will see a fair use statement that tells you if the image is public domain or copyright protected. Permission is not required for public domain images, but we do ask that you credit the original institution and contributor, when known, whenever the image is used in any publicly distributed media. If the image is copyright protected, you will have to contact the content provider to obtain usage permission. PHIL does not have the authority to grant usage for any copyrighted images in the library. If you have difficulty contacting a content provider, we may be able to help, but we cannot act on their behalf."

The William Blake Archive is a digital repository of images of the works and paintings of Romantic poet William Blake. Many people familiar with Blake's works, such as "The Tyger" or "Jerusalem" are unaware that the poet was just as much a painter and artist as he was a writer. Blake's images are meant to go along with his works, as he hand painted and produced his own folios. It's just as important for students studying Blake to become familiar with his watercolors as they are with his verse.  The Archive's copyright policy: "The Archive as a whole, its texts, and its images are protected under the copyright laws of the United States and the Universal Copyright Convention. Publication (print or electronic) or commercial use of any of the copyrighted materials without direct authorization from the copyright holders is prohibited. The copying of materials from the Blake Archive is permitted only under the fair use provisions of copyright law. You do not need to acquire permission to use Archive materials for in-class teaching purposes, school projects, and assignments. Nor do you need to request our permission to link to the Archive, or to individual items within the Archive. We prefer that your links to the Archive be targeted to our home page (http://www.blakearchive.org) and that any links to individual items within the Archive be accompanied by a link to this home page."

It's as simple as joining the team. The Copyright Alliance Foundation has complied a library of free curricula to be used in the classroom that actually teach copyright education and can be incorporated across many subjects and grade levels. This is a wonderful tool for instructors who not only have to be careful with adhering to copyright guideline themselves but should always ensure their students have the same understanding and knowledge to adhere to copyright guidelines in media and literacy. The library of curriculum breaks downs activities by grade levels and is catered for grades K-12. This is a robust tool that gives resources but also gives links where to find more resources from the free curriculum they provide like those suggested at www.isafe.org. . This tool is a must for anyone in the K-12 setting. While the site does request donations they are not mandatory and usage of the curricula do not carry any fees.

Teachers Pay Teachers is an open martketplace for educators who wish to share, sell, and buy resources, images, clipart, fonts, graphics and more created by fellow educators. The majority of this content is created specifically for instructional purposes rather than for student use. Users do not have to join to view content, but do need a free membership to download purchases. There is a huge gallery of free resources for download, accessed via the 'See What's Free' button on the homepage. In terms of copyright, an extensive FAQ page can be found here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Copyright-FAQ. A truncated version of general copyright terms explains that, "A Creative Commons license is a simple legal document attached to the individual works of the Teacher-Authors which let Teacher-Buyers know what they can do with the work. For more on Creative Commons, see http://creativecommons.org/. There is a special Creative Commons area for Education uses: http://creativecommons.org/education/." Thusly, it is best to locate terms of use on a teacher by teacher basis.

This is one of the best as a "copyright free" site for image files I found. The only restriction is that these items can not be contributed to other photo libraries (online or off line). The site is originally from England. There are several topics: animals, buildings, nature, places, technology, etc. All items are clear and appealing. (EX. Nature category has 92 pictures of mountains, rivers, flowers, plants, etc.) The file format is jpg with high resolution. A problem might occur when the image is linked to the URL or embedded because the website owner may delete or change the image at any time without notice. I recommend saving the image before using it. Lesson example: Science for 5th grade: 1. Direction: Examine the photo carefully and state how these stones were formed. What history do you see behind these stones? You need to observe the colors, shapes, and sizes of the stone. A group needs to gather knowledge learned in class and use it as evidence to support a group's decision. Resources are to be cited at the end of your paper. 2. Rubric: Final conclusion (2 points), Explanations and reasons well supporting the conclusion (5 points), Resources (texts or images used as evidence) (3 points) 3. Standard: S5CS6: Students will question scientific claims and arguments effectively. (GPS Scientific habits of the mind for 5th grade) A citation of the image I used for a science lesson is as follows. Stones. (n.d.). Coloured stones on a sandy beach. Retrieved from http://www.copyrightfreephotos.com/gallery/nature/3/104852203/

Discover Yale Digital Content's site contains images from Yale's museum collections. The site describes itself as "a way to search across Yale's collections of art, natural history, books, and maps, as well as photos, audio, and video documenting people, places, and events that form part of Yale's institutional identity and contribution to scholarship." Often literature is intimately connected to history and historical events, art work, geography, etc. Using these images can help students form connections with the time in which a particular work of literature was written, helping to deepen their knowledge.  Discover Yale's copyright policy: "The mission of Yale University is to create, disseminate, and preserve knowledge. Increasingly, this knowledge is in digital form. The Discover Yale Digital Content site is intended to promote discovery of digital content from across the University. Yale's policy on open access to digital representations of works in the public domain from museum, library, and archive collections is a commitment to provide unrestricted access to such content as it becomes available through normal work practices. Yale University will not restrict use of items digitized from its museums, libraries and archives collections which have been made openly available through the University's electronic interfaces, and which are no longer under copyright, except where other rights or restrictions apply."

This site has a large pool of materials in multiple types: image (photos and illustrations), video, audio, etc. The stocked materials range from simple illustrations to more academic items. Teachers can use this site for newsletter handouts to lesson supplements. I chose a photo of a kachina doll for my lesson example. This may be inconvenient if the teacher needs to explain the details of the object of the photo. The site does not provide the details of the object of the photo. If this is the case, teachers may need to search the details in different venues and provide sufficient information. Example of 10th Language Arts lesson Direction: Teachers can show the photo (kachina doll) to class as they read Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon. This resource is to provide assistance and add interests for readers. A group of students searches and finds two materials (either copyright free or copyrighted materials in multiple formats) that would add interests and help readers understand Blue Highways better. Each group shares two items with source information. Standard: ELACCL9-10SL (Speaking and Listening)5: make strategic use of digital media in presentation to enhance understanding of findings, and evidence and to ass interest. Image citation. Kachina doll. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-7810014-kachina-doll.php?st=170aa44

Hiroko - the URL you used initially gave me a warning, which suggests the link you used needs to be "cleaned" - I suggest you correct it with this (by copying and pasting it using the diigo editor you used to create the item): http://www.istockphoto.com/

This is an archive of images that can be used without worrying about copyright. Some images are free and some have to be paid for. In order to use an image you simply click the download button. There are over a thousand different pictures to choose from. This would make this resource wonderful for teachers of any grade level or content area. You simply type in or search for the type of image you are looking for and browse for the one that you like the best. The images are high quality and there is a plethora of images files and types.

This site contains copyright free/royalty free images. The small sizes (267 x 400) are free but if you'd like a larger size you will pay from $3.00 to $10.00. If you use the images, you must have an acknowledgement to FreeDigitalPhotos.net and the image creator. You can search for images by photo, illustration, or ID. You can also sign up to be a member and/or a contributor. Teachers of all content areas could find useful photos to enhance their lessons.

This site has an immense amount of images that are copyright and royalty free and of good quality. Teachers at any level could use them to engage student and enhance learning by incorporating them into their lesson in presentations or as conversation startes for a wide variety of topics. Student can also download and use these images for their own visuals for projects and presentations. For each image used, you must publish a credit to the artist. They only issue I think may come arise with that is if students are using this resource to find images that they could use they may forget to acknowledge the artist. One of the parts of this site that I really loved was it tells you how to recongnize the artist in the media you are using the artwork in. A great teaching moment!

Animated treatment of copyright in a university environment.

The link provided is the hidden search engine provided by Google that will enable the user to search for copyright free images. This search engine can be used with a member from any audience but definitely those in the teaching sector. The wonderful part about this search engine powered by the Google Analytic team is that it searches multiple sites like http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/..., http://www.sxc.hu/, http://gallery.schoolcenter.com/, http://www.pics4learning.com/, and http://www.musicgraphicsgalore at one time. Once visited the search tool can even be added to your Google homepage or a blog or webpage. This feature is highly effected and can be utilized by the Advanced search tools in the regular search engine Google also provides. There is no fee to use or add this resource deeming it very effective and a needed resource. Suggested for K-20 sectors.

Olga's Gallery is a site created "as a project to help children learn the history of painting, religion, and literature" by Olga and Helen Mataev. It has over 10,000 images of historic works of art that literature teachers would find immensely helpful. For instance, if you're teaching W. H. Auden's "Musee des Beaux Arts," having access to Pieter Breugel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus is vital to understanding the message Auden's trying to send.  Olga's Gallery Copyright Policy: Use of all artwork on the website is governed by the terms of the Fair Use doctrine of United States copyright law as being non-profit and educational in nature. Our mission is to promote the understanding and appreciation of art worldwide. Olga's Gallery is operated on a strictly not-for-profit basis, and all proceeds from advertising and affiliate sales is used to maintain and expand the gallery. We purposely use low-resolution images on our website to prevent potential unlawful for-profit use of the artwork. 

This online database contains very high-quality "Public Domain," "Copyright-Free" photographs that are easily accessible from 10 different category divisions on the "Gallery Index" page; Abstract, Architecture & Cityscapes, Food & Drinks, Industrial & Machinery, Miscellaneous, Nature, Sports & Recreation, Technology, Textures & Backgrounds, and Travel. In the "Terms of Use" statements, the creators state that "Picdrome.com is a growing Public Domain digital photography collection, free of copyright and licensed under Creative Commons…all images are free to download for personal, educational and commercial use, without restriction." They also advise users to check the "Disclaimer" statement link regarding any additional licenses; however, in the disclaimer statement there didn't appear to be any other restrictions listed. Students in upper Elementary school through High school would be able to easily navigate and download these photographs that were relevant to project work they were completing. For example, my Middle School students would greatly benefit from the close-up photos of food from all of the food groups in this repository, when they complete "Family & Consumer Science" class projects that present visual examples of nutritionally balanced menus. The only problematic portion of the website is the banner advertisement located directly below the title/search box and right above the category links…it often advertises products and sites that require purchasing but, the banner looks so much like the website heading that it is easily clicked on by "mistake." Educators would need to forewarn students of this obstacle before giving them free reign of the site's valuable images.

Musopen is a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on improving access and exposure to music by creating free resources and educational materials. They provide recordings,sheet music and textbooks to the public for free, without copyright restrictions. Their mission is to "set music free". At Musopen, they obtain recordings of public domain music that have no copyrights so that visitors may listen, re-use, or in any way enjoy music. Most of the music is of classical piano or symphony pieces. Clips can be searched by Composer, Performer, Instrument, Period or Form. Downloading clips requires users to have an account, which is free. The audience for this site is open ended. Anyone from Elementary School students to the oldest of the population can easily discover music which can be used in any project they wish. It is very easy to search and download the .mp3 version of the music for use in project creation. The quality of the offerings it is excellent. Additionally, being Classical in nature, they do not "get in the way" of an overall project. This is extraordinarily beneficial if using the music as a background piece. This blessing is also the limitation; you do not have a wide range of genres from which to choose. If you want something outside the Classical field, you should investigate other free-music sites. To test this resource, I created a test podcast with the free application Audacity in which I spoke into a microphone to record my voice. I was then able to add a piece from this site as background music for the podcast. It worked very well. Teachers and students will find this to be just one of the many uses for music from this site. It is appropriate for similar presentations whether they be Prezi productions or videos published on YouTube-type sites. The only limitation is the range of possible music styles. If a classical piece is your preferred choice, however, Musopen is a wonderful site to visit

Download royalty free music for use in films, YouTube, and other projects, with no copyright restrictions.

Thousands of copyright free and copyright friendly images and photos for teachers and students. This site contains different categories of pictures. The rights belong to the owners of the pictures. Students and teachers are free to use the pictures for projects, teaching, posters, multimedia and educational purpose. This site also contains ideas, trading posts, activities and other resources for teachers and students. Latina

Pcs4 Learning is designed for education and is "copyright friendly" and searchable. It contains five popular categories, animals, food, education, space, and countries. Click on collections, however, and plethora of other categories appear. Click on the lesson plans link and teachers will find ideas for using pictures in lesson plans. A small sample of the lessons that appear includes symmetry, alliteration and ancient cultures. The pictures on this website have been donated by educators, students, and amateur photographers. Images here are suitable for grades k-12, any subject.

OpenPhoto is a free source of stock photos that only require attribution. The photos are searchable and span many organized categories. Some of the photos are high quality, and others aren't quite what I'd call HD, but it's fairly easy to track down what you need. I see no reason why middle school and high school students couldn't use this site. Anytime they needed a picture for a PowerPoint or some other project they were working on, I could direct them to this site to get great photos that are easily attributed to the creators thanks to handy copy and paste instructions on the individual photo's site. I don't see many issues arising with this one. I'm hoping everything here is clean (haven't searched too deeply to ensure it's all school appropriate). Overall, it looks like an easy way to find pictures to add to presentations, projects, and other activities without infringing on copyright.

This site is a public site that allows users to upload their own pictures they want to donate. All pictures are free and are copyright free. Pictures can be used for private or commercial use. Pictures are categorized into groups according to the topic of the photo. This site would be a great site to use with students because the pictures are taken by other amateurs, perhaps students. There is a large variety of pictures to pick from so students could create a power point, digital story, digital poster, or even video to name a few with these pictures. This site could be used for any academic area since there is a wide selection of pictures to choose from. Students and teachers could even add their own photos to the site so that others can use them for their projects. As a SLP, I would benefit from using these photos to help students develop language skills. Students could easily be presented with a picture daily and answer questions/describe the picture. I definitely plan to use this site in the future. One possible problem with this site is that there is no way of monitoring what type of photos may appear under a specific category. I searched the site for several minutes and only came across one photo that may be questionable for younger students. However, this site could easily be used with younger students with teacher assistance. I feel that the advantages of this site definitely outweigh the possible disadvantages.

Please note the following statement on the home page: "...please be aware that some photos do require a model or property release."