Creative Commons

Assignment Title: Week 1 Blog Post 1

7 Things You Should Know About...Creative Commons

What is it?

Creative Commons is defined as "an alternative to traditional copyright". Educause Learning Initiative states that this "allows copyright owners to release some of their rights while retaining others, with the goal of increasing access to and sharing of intellectual property". The article gives a prime example of a photographer using Creative Commons in which they "might choose to allow anyone to reproduce their photos or make derivative works from them, as long as it is done for non-commercial purposes".

Who's doing it?

According to Educause Learning Initiative, there are two high-profile repositories of learning materials that attach Creative Commons licenses to their content. They are MIT's OpenCourseWare and Rice University's project called Connexions.

How Does It Work?

The website of Creative Commons provides an explanation of the license choices and provides a tool that users can utilize in choosing one (Educause, 2007).

Why Is It Significant?

Educause (2007) states, "Creative Commons puts unprecedented power into the hands of content owners and users, creating an environment in which restrictions take a back seat to permissions and the creator talents of individuals benefit the common good".

What are the downsides?

• "Copyright law is extremely complex..." (Educause, 2007)
• "Creative Commons'...simplicity comes at expense of clarity" (Educause, 2007)
• "Share alike" principle...causes difficult questions (Educause, 2007)
•  Creative Commons licensing court rulings remain in dispute (Educause, 2007)

Where is it going?

• Includes nation-specific differences in copyright law
• Copyright owners can now choose a generic license or a specific one
• Celebrating openness rather than restrictiveness

What are the implications for teaching and learning?

• Benefits all education, online and traditional
• "Encourages new thinking" (Educause, 2007)
• "...expands the pool of resources for faculty and student..." (Educause, 2007)

Works Cited:

Educause Learning Initiative. (2007, March). 7 Things You Should Know About...Creative Commons. Retrieved from Educause: http://www.educause.edu/eli