Plagiarism
Plagiarism is copying someone else’s information and claiming it as your own. You must give written credit for sources of information you use for your work. Information includes, not only text, but graphics, works of art, compositions, symbols, sayings, cartoons, excerpts, and quotations.
If you don’t give credit for your sources you may not get credit for your assignment. Your teacher(s) and/or the school administration may also decide on other disciplinary action.
Copyright
Here is a guide to copyright in Canada from the Council of Ministers of Education:
Copyright Matters! Some Key Questions and Answers
Creative Commons Images, Sounds etc
Here’s a short guide to citing information shared online with a Creative Commons license. This article and infographic provide a more detailed guide to how (and why) to give credit for images you would like to use. Use the following websites to find copyright free images:
When you use Creative Commons images, sounds, videos or any other content it is important that you give credit to the person who created that content. Include:
- Title of image
- Creator name
- Source of the image (usually in the form of a URL to image source page)
- Any copyright information included with image (such as a watermark)
- CC licence information (including link back to CC documentation page if possible)
View this guide for more detailed guidance on how to give appropriate credit.
Other copyright free image sources:
- ClipArt for teachers and students http://www.pppst.com/clipart.html
- Public Domain Image http://www.public-domain-image.com/
- Free Digital Photos http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
- Classroom Clipart http://classroomclipart.com
- Copyright Free Photos http://www.copyrightfreephotos.com
- Blogging.com https://blogging.im/imageresources – includes links to a variety of sources of free or low-cost photos
- United States Library of Congress – Prints and Photos http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html
- NASA http://www.nasa.gov
- NOAA http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/collections.html
- OpenClipart Library http://www.openclipart.org
- Open Photo http://openphoto.net
- Pics4Learning http://pics.tech4learning.com
Know Your Rights…and Copyrights
The Internet is more than simply a place to find information. It is a place to be creative and express yourself.
When we create, we use things we find around us. On the Internet, you will find words, pictures, music, and videos. Someone or some group of people made each of these. It’s fun to combine what other people have made with our own creations to express new ideas. People do it everyday. It’s how we communicate.
A colleague of mine, Mr. Richey, originally wrote a blog post about this and I have borrowed a lot of his ideas with his permission to put this webpage together. We both use information, pictures, and videos from other websites to help us express our ideas. But not everything on the Internet is there for the taking because not everyone wants to share or understands why they might want to or how to.
Mr. Richey says: “It is as important to respect each other on the Internet as it is in the “real world”. Just as I wouldn’t steal from someone in my neighborhood, I shouldn’t take what’s not mine on the Internet without permission. When I create this blog, I try to use only things others are willing to share. That way I respect the right of others.”
How do you know what you can use without abusing the rights of others? Check out Creative Commons. It is an excellent place to search for information, images, sounds, or videos you are free to use in your own creations. It’s just like searching Google, only everything you find can be shared.