Who Owns Stuff on the Internet?

One of the biggest issues I come across nearly every day in my work is around copyright and ownership of intellectual property.  For instance, teachers and students search for a subject on the internet, look for images and then because they see a picture that they like, they use it in their presentations or on their sites or in their blogs and so on.

Who owns the stuff on the internet?
There is a lack of understanding about whose property the images are or indeed any written resource or video or voice recording that someone  has created.  As one teacher said to me, "if Google puts the images up on the internet, then they must want us to take them."  No, no, no.

Think about this then - if you see a whole lot of paintings up on the wall in the art gallery, are you allowed to help yourself to them?  Or perhaps this - if little Johnny paints a beautiful artwork in his year one class, can I go in and take it off the wall and put it in my home because I like it?  Of course the answer is no.  If Johnny gives me permission to do that, and gifts the artwork to me then of course I can take it, but it is not mine to take without explicit permission.  You can explain this to your students in this way and I encourage you to do this right from an early age.

The image I am posting here is one that I created myself, on my phone this morning.  It belongs to me.  You do not have permission to use it.  If you want to use it, you could contact me and I might give you explicit permission.  And I might want you to pay for it.

And this is what you must think about every time you want to use something that you see on the internet.  Is the person sharing the resource the owner?  And if they are the owner, do they give you permission to use it?  Have you checked that whoever shared it is the rightful owner?  And do the owners want payment for the use of it?

If they do allow you to use it, you must give them credit for the resource, and sometimes even pay for it, because they make their living from making the resources.   If someone has purchased a resource and then shared it, that does not mean that they have permission to use it.  

Giving credit:  You would not dream of submitting a university paper without citing the source underneath so don't do it with anything else that you use on the internet.
Here is what to do if you go looking for images on the internet that you can use.

To search for images which are free to use on Google, select Google Images then Search Tools (see above), Usage Rights,  and and then one of the filters that will suit your purposes (see below).  Note that the default search is not filtered by licence - in other words, all images are put up, free to use and otherwise.

Don't forget to cite the source of the material.  Better still, make your own images and use them instead.  Some google searches (for example in the Slides App) do provide images labelled for reuse, so use these whenever possible.

There are a number of other sources of free-to-use images - like Free to Use Flickr Photos or Free for Commercial Reuse.  Google them.  There are thousands of possibilities to avoid breaking intellectual property laws.

But there is another layer to this slippery marsh.  What if you create  a resource while you are employed by a school?  The answer is that it belongs to the school Board of Trustees, even if you created it at midnight on Sunday morning.  So you are not free to share it unless the BOT has a creative commons licence that allows you to share it.

I am no expert on the subject of copyright law, but there are people who are, and they are found at the Creative Commons site http://creativecommons.org.nz/  They will tell you how you can ask your BOT to grant a Creative Commons licence if you want to share.  But it is not your right.

It would be a reasonable thing for BOTs to do in this age of sharing and collaboration, but some boards specifically do retain the right to own the resources.  And remember, they did pay you to do this.  So you do not have the right to just take the resources that you created while you were in their employ.  When you move schools, make sure you have permission from your old school to use the resources you created in the new school

If you are sharing resources on Facebook or in the Pond, make sure that you have the rights to the resources.  Only share if you know you are allowed to.  You will notice when you post in the Pond, that it specifically asks you if you have permission to post it.  Don't just ignore this - check whether you do and avoid a nasty battle in the future.

One last thing: - feel free to share this blog I created!

Transferring your google site into your private account.

If you have made an eportfolio in your school domain using google sites, you might need to consider transferring it into your private gmail account so if you leave the school, it won't be accidentally deleted by the school, and you can keep the eportfolio no matter what school you are at.

I recommend that you make your eportfolio in your private address to begin with, but if you haven't, then this video will explain how you can transfer it
.

Put simply, the first step is to make your "private self" a co-owner of your school site.  This will allow you to make a copy of it in your "private" account, making you the owner of the copy and that is the site that you should use from then on.  You should delete the original eportfolio in your school account.  If you stay in the same school you should make your school email address a co- owner of your private site account.  That way you can edit the site when signed into your school domain account.

If you transfer to a new GAFE (google apps for education) school,  you can add your new school email address as a co-owner.

Even if the school deletes the site when you leave, you will be able to restore it within 31 days from your private account.

Don't forget to delete the orginal eportfolio so that you don't get confused about which one you should be updating.

13 Extensions on My Chrome Browser

Extensions on my Chrome browser are invaluable time saving programmes that can be added to increase functionality.  Let me share some of my favourites with you.

Extensions can be found to the right of your URL bar.  If you don't have any there, oit is because you haven't added any.  You can find them in the settings part of your Chrome browser, the part I call the three sausages.

Click on the three sausages, go to More tools and click on Extensions to search the Chrome store for any of these extensions.  There are thousands, but here are thirteen of my favourites.  I do have a few more hidden favourites but I will tell you about those on another day.

1. Feedly - this is my reader.  I "follow" a number of websites and blogs using this reader.  I can quickly scan the articles in the headlines that Feedly gives me, whenever I have a moment,  to decide whether I want to read them or not.  It saves filling up my inbox, too.
2. Techsmith Snagit - this allows me to take screenshots which can be saved automatically to my Drive.  It also allows me to make videos or screencasts of what is on my screen including rolling videos (scrolling down the page).  All saved to Drive.
3. Diigo bookmarker - collates (saves, labels and sorts) articles that I find interesting and want to share with others maybe at a later date.  Excellent search function withing the library to find articles and you can also join groups of other bookmarkers who are interested in the same things as you are.  Teachers get free accounts.
4. Save to Google Drive - Quickly saves what is showing in the browser - a webpage or pdf, for example, to a destination folder of my choice in my Drive, great when doing research.
5. Appear In - a one-click web based video connection - very easy to use for people who do not have gmail accounts for Hangouts, or Skype software installed, just share the URL of the Appear.in with them.  And you get to chose the name of the Appear.in.
6. One click Google Hangout - all settings for my hangouts are saved and one click will start a hangout straight away without me having to enter all the details of my gmail account each time.
7. Google Tone - sharing a URL quickly with someone on the same WiFi as me. 
   
8. SideNotes - allows you to write notes on the side of any webpage.  When you go back to the webpage, the notes are still there.
9. Alice Keeler Gradebook Split - allows you to have two windows displaying on your screen at the same time so you dont have to toggle between them or minimise either.
10. Goo.gl URL shortener and QR code maker - fabulous for sharing URLs quickly when presenting, and making QR codes which can be on your screen or copied to a document and printed off for easy access in class using mobile devices.
11. Google Art Project - this is sheer entertainment and gives me a new, named artwork each day to look at on my new tab page.
12. Text to speech - this will "speak" highlighted text to me when clicked.  Would be very valuable for challenged readers.
13. One Tab - if I have a lot of tabs open, I can put them all onto one tab and share that page with others - great if I want to share a lot of different resources without having to copy and paste all the URLs onto another document.  Also useful to get rid of the clutter of too may tabs open.

Why aren't you trying any of these "15 Things For All Teachers to Try"?

I love this latest drawing from Sylvia Duckworth, inspired by Austin Gagnier (@Austin_Gagnier8).  If only some would  try even one of these things.  It would be a step in the right direction. A seat on the right bus.  A paddle on the right waka.

They are all such powerful and useful things to do I wonder why some teachers are not.  And maybe it is that they don't get why.  Or maybe their school curriculum has been overcrowded with other things to do.  Or maybe they do not have enough devices in their classroom. Or maybe they are afraid.  Or maybe they do not have the support of the leadership of the school.
What is your reason for not doing any one of these things?  I would love to hear.

Will a facebook "purge" put an end to the problem or is that just turning a blind eye?

This image from Johannes de Ketham's Fasciculus Medicinae (Venice, 1492) reminds me in so many ways of Facebook, and, to a much lesser extent, other social media.
It seems you can post just about anything on there with no forethought as to whether the facts are correct, and the masses will help you villify the perpertrator of your supposed ill fortune (or the reported ill fortunes of others).  They will use every instrument - blunt and sharp- to maim, wound and kill the evil one.  Somewhat like a witch hunt.  Judgement is pronounced, urging the masses to seek out and destroy.Now I do understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but urging and inciting people to do wrong?  THAT is against the law.  Think carefully before you urge someone to hunt down "that bully" and deal to him/her.  


Of course, it works the other way, too.  You can post some trivial, unproven emotionally blackmailing garbage and the masses will oohh and ahhh and like to their hearts content, thus raising the post in your feed.  Thank the facebook gods for allowing me to turn off notifications. It is my facebook version of turning a blind eye.

Which brings me now to professional posts.  As a professional eduator, I am privvy to a number of professional groups on facebook as well.  The number of times that I cringe when reading posts in some of these groups is increasing, I am sad to say.  If you are a professional teacher, you must be one of the 100,000+ registered teachers in New Zealand.  There is a code of ethics and also practicing teacher criteria  which you must show evidence that you meet every three years.  One of those criteria is number 6. conceptualise, plan and implement an appropriate learning programme and the key indicators of this are

i. articulate clearly the aims of their teaching, give sound professional reasons for adopting these aims, and implement them in their practice

ii. through their planning and teaching, demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of relevant content, disciplines and curriculum documents

So this means, you should be following the relevant school curriculum.  You don't just fill a space with stuff that you like doing.  You find out what the school has decided are the important things for the students to learn and you design a programme so that they will learn those things.  For instance, if a school has decided that the students should be exposed to a variety of art styles because they want students to learn to be creative in art, and be able to employ, describe and critique 5 different styles, then it is quite appropriate that you incorporate making a variety of art styles into your programme.  With your curriculum committee, you will decide when and how this happens. 

There should be no posts saying "I need a unit to fill in a week before the end of term - can someone help?"  I am sorry if this hurts your feelings but YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL!  You are paid as a professional, now use the facebook page to share professional resources and experiences, but be a 21st century educator who sifts and sorts and uses what is relevant to your school curriculum the learning outcomes that your school desires for their students.

Your students need you to be a critical thinker, too!  If you think your school curriculum is not cutting the mustard, then it is up to you to show leadership and make some changes.

Forms - fit for purpose.

One of the most under-utilised apps of the google suite is the google form.  I blogged earlier this year on how I used a form, embedded in my appraisal site, to collect my professional development.  But the form doesn't have to be embedded in a site.
If you or your students have ipads or even phones in your class, download a QR code reader like Quickmark or QR Reader so that when you produce a QR code then the students can go straight to a form using the reader,
If your students have emails, it is easy to send a form out.  Otherwise share via a link or QR code.
A really good way to get a link or QR code is to get the Chrome extension goo.gl URL shortener.    When you have made the form live, you just click on the extension and you will get a short URL or a QR code to copy and paste, then print if you need to.
Like this:

Some ways that you could use a form include:

• Collect information from your parents, students or teachers using a form (emails, addresses, phone numbers etc) .  
• Take orders for a fundraiser (multiple collectors can get all of the orders in one place, easily)
• Organise your EOTC trip (eliminate the need for those long letters that get sent home)
• Write about an image (insert the image into the form)
• Fill in feedback for student voice on a unit of work
• Hand in work by inserting a link into the form
• Do teacher observations which a specific purpose in mind (or walk throughs)
• Flip your class (add a video)

These are just a few of the myriad of ways that teachers can use forms in their daily work.

The nicest thing about forms is the way that the responses are organised into a spreadsheet.  It is an awesome way to save time and organise.  There are also a number of add ons that you can put into the response spreadsheet to help you even more.  Like the Flubaroo add on which will self-mark short answer or multichoice questions for you.

Go on, give it a go!  You will love forms.

Backlash or Implementation Dip?

Are you seeing and hearing a bit of a backlash against the use of digital technologies in our society?

More robust discussions around learning with digital technologies have also been happening in the education sector in recent times.  People are questioning the role of digital technologies because around them they see less face-to-face interactions and more face-to-digital which is disturbing them. It is making them feel uncomfortable.   I have heard people say, we just are losing the ability to communicate with each other.  And yet we are communicating with each other more that ever before. It is just in a digital way.
In the beginning, digital technologies were increasingly seen as some kind of black magic, whizz bang tools for learning.  Some of the comments I heard were

• Wow, isn't that so cool?
• It is so amazing.
• My students will love this.
• I can't wait to try it out in class.
• This will really impress the parents  

People did not focus on the "why" then - they were more interested in trying out the whizz bang tools, and excited by the "showmanship" of different fonts, making links, using different apps, making QR codes, altering images, making their own videos, making comic books and ebooks. The list goes on. Confidence grew quickly at the beginning of their journey and now......... new discussion is emerging.

• Why are we expected to do this?  
• Why am I spending so many hours learning? 
• This is taking me away from my regular work.
• What is the point of connecting and collaborating anyway?
• I don't have time for this - is it worth it?
• What evidence is there to show this improves outcomes for my students?
• I have no connection in my classroom so why should I try?
• Dont you think there are too many barriers for me?

These are all really good questions and actually, although it has come as a bit of a surprise after all this time, I am glad that educators are actually asking.  Because that is what they should have asked in the beginning.

It feels like a kind of backlash against using digital technologies. Some are actively slagging the use of digital technologies.    I think there are those who are looking for excuses not to use digital technologies.   They are putting barriers in the way rather than trying to remove them.

But actually I think they have struck the implemetation dip. They are in the trough of disillusionment.

It is well documented why we need to change the way we teach.  Our students will be entering the knowledge society instead of the old style industrial model.    We live in an unsettled world. We are entering a future with wicked problems.   Our learners will be expected to work in teams, use connectivity to communicate, collaborate, be critical thinkers, and to be creators.  How are you empowering your student to be ready for these uncertain times ahead?

Can educators really imagine a world without digital technologies now?  Look at the journey you have travelled.  Now that you can see the potential, how can you turn away from empowering your students to be the best digital citizens they can be?

When people tell me that they don't like the effects that digital technologies are having on society, I tell them to get used to it.  I strongly believe that people will do what they need to.  If you have a problem about the way digital technologies are being used in society, work out ways that you can deal with it.  If you need to take control, do it.  But don't expect that digital technologies are going to go away any time soon.