CopyLeft

This week, we read and watched some resources about copyleft and the Creative Commons. This is not my first experience with creative commons. In fact, I use several images from flickr in my online classroom that I found with a Creative Commons license. Flickr actually allows you to search for images searching content with a Creative Commons license.

I was first introduced to Creative Commons thanks to a copyright expert that GTCC hired to talk to our faculty about four years ago. He scared us to death which is his job, but one of the solutions that he suggested was looking for resources with a Creative Commons license.

I think this concept of "right to distribute copies", make changes and allow those changes to be protected by the same license agreement as the original is overdue. The Internet is full of data and "stuff". Find the owner to ask permission can hinder the creative process. Plus, many of us, myself included do not create things with the intent of making money on them. Information is dynamic. I find it excited, for example, that someone can download a tutorial that I created and make it better.

My way of thinking is not commonplace at community colleges. Some instructors get nervous about this concept since they also write textbook or create resources for sale. The old model of one person creating, altering and controlling the text has made them money. If it becomes more dynamic and anyone can add and alter it, their abilities to make money change. And we all know how much people love change.

I do agree with Lawrence Lessig that the ability to read-write using the content on the Internet is the literacy skill of the 21st century. My students want to turn in their projects as a webpage instead of a Word document. They need to learn how to collaborate with others online to be effective workers of tomorrow.