Thing 6 - Copyright in the Digital Age

I was always told, and was under the assumption, that it was illegal to reproduce any part of something that had a copyright. And I know that many of my colleagues are under that same impression. This lesson has taught me to be less apprehensive when wanting to use a copyrighted resource for educational purposes.

It was very interesting to read what types of uses have been found to be fair and why. It is truly a broad topic and does allow for a lot of flexibility. Learning about fair use has really opened the door for using materials and resources in a creative way that were previously thought of as "off limits".

Thing 5 - Photo Mashup Fun

Just kidding! Thought I'd add a little humor to my blog :) Thing 5 was really fun! I could spend hours looking through all of the mashup's and experimenting! So many intrigued me that it's hard to pick just one. The cool thing is that even if you don't think your creative, the mashup's make it look like you are! They seem to capture your attention and might even be used as discussion starters. Blogs and web sites can come alive! I think mashup's can make learning and sharing fun!

Thing 4 - Photo Sharing

I can definitely see the benefit of photo sharing sites for our photography, journalism and yearbook classes just to name a few. From a technology standpoint, I'm wondering if this would free up space on our network by having students save their photos out on the web to use for school projects?? Seems like it would also be easier for them to save and organize the photos this way as well if they're not doing so already.

Overall, photo sharing seems like a great way to add a visual component to teaching and learning through slideshows and images. Teachers can have students comment on what they are seeing and use it as a tool for creative writing. Photo sharing can be used to tell a story or to add to a story and engage students in the learning process. I've seen photo sharing used on social networking sites such as Facebook, so many of our students are probably already familiar with it. Finding ways to use it educationally could truly motivate students and get them excited to learn!