Proper Attribution of Sources

 

Citing sources is always an issue when using the Internet. How do you use the proper citations for materials you, or your students, find online?

Using Creative Commons materials is a good way to go as long as you follow the licensing conditions. And that includes proper attribution. The CC website includes some examples that are good, pretty good, all the way to not acceptable. You can see the examples here:
https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Best_practices_for_attribution.

When should students (and instructors) in online courses be citing their sources?

Most online courses include some kind of discussion. There are ground rules, sometimes called netiquette, for participating in the online discussion. One of the ground rules, besides be polite, kind, patient, participate, respect for others ideas, no flaming, no yelling... , is cite your sources. If you use material that is not "yours" or includes intellectual property from others from books, magazines, newspapers, in-print or online, photos, etc., then you MUST cite your sources. Proper attribution is a must.

The instructor is the model for the students. Students will follow the lead of the instructor. Making proper attribution of sources a requirement is one way to get the students in the habit of always citing their sources.

What about Fair Use? Fair Use is an option if you meet the criteria.

"The Center for Social Media and Washington School of Law at American University are sponsoring development of a growing number of Fair Use Best Practices statements that inform a fresh approach to the subject and make it easier than ever to know what's fair. The Best Practices statements follow recent trends in court decisions in collapsing the Fair Use Statute's four factors into two questions: Is the use you want to make of another's work transformative -- that is, does it add value to and repurpose the work for a new audience -- and is the amount of material you want to use appropriate to achieve your transformative purpose? Transformative uses that repurpose no more of a work than is needed to make the point, or achieve the purpose, are generally fair use."

 from Copyright Crash Course, retrieved from https://copyright.lib.utexas.edu/copypol2.html on November 18, 2015.

Some resources that will help you understand the difference between content curation and content-scraping can be found here: http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/are-you-a-content-thief-and-dont-know-it/

Other Resources:

• Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices

• Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video

• Citing Electronic Sources

 

 

Peggy Steinbronn, Ed.D.

Finding Educational Resources

 

Finding content for your online course can be a daunting task, especially content that you can use without fear of copyright infringement. I am talking about images, lesson plans, and other types of teaching materials that is posted on the web. Sometimes it appears as though there is not a copyright associated with a particular piece of content, but never, ever assume. If you don't know, then don't use it. Find something else--and I know that is sometimes difficult, especially when you have found "the perfect thing" for what you are teaching.

The following infographic provides some steps for finding openly licensed educational resources. It also provides directions for how you can share content you have created, remixed, etc. with others.

Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

It is our responsibility, as educators, to model the ethical use of content and resources for our students. Besides only using learning objects that we have permission to use, we must also give proper attribution to the resources we are "borrowing". That is a topic for another Friday Feature.

 

Peggy Steinbronn, Ed.D.

Making Connections

 Who do you connect/identify with as an educator? There is a lot of interest on being a connected educator, but how do you make those connections? Do you regularly read blogs, tweets, Facebook pages (besides your own), Pinterest, or use other social media tools to get and stay connected? Is your connection just "lurking" or do you really interact with others on a more personal level? What is your level of participation?

"Participation in online communities of practice is a legitimate way of improving professional practice--and it should be recognized as such", according to the February 2013 report, Learning with Connected and Inspired Educators.

What does connected education look like in practice? Check out these ideas from practicing educators: What ‘Connected Education’ Looks Like: 28 Examples From Teachers All Over

Resources to Explore:

• The OLLIE Community
• PLN on Pinterest
• Connected Educators
• A Host of Interesting Resources for the Connected Educator
• The Best Guides for Helping Teachers Develop Personal Learning Networks
• 5 Things You Can Do to Begin Developing Your Personal Learning Networks

Books to Explore

• The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
• The Relevant Educator, Tom Whitby
• Connected Leadership: It's Just a Click Away, Spike Cook
• All Hands on Deck, Brad Curri

Book Club Ideas and Resources

• Book Club It - Create an Online Book Club
• Book Clubs for Teachers on Pinterest
• Face-to-Face and Virtual Book Clubs & Reading Groups 
• From a Classroom to a Community of Readers: The Power of Book Clubs
• Virtual Book Clubs for Teachers

Hope you are making good connections that allow you to continue to develop your own personal learning networks.


Peggy Steinbronn, Ed.D.