Understanding Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons, as they apply to Education

As we studied this topic in an online course I’m taking, I realized how little I understood it, and figured I wasn’t alone in that regard.

After studying this topic in the “Implementing Instructional Technology Innovations” course I am taking online at UW-Stout with instructor Ann Bell, I wanted to understand it even better, since I struggled with it in the fast paced course as we covered it. I have to imagine that I am not alone in my confusion over how I can or can’t use copyrighted materials, especially in education, where there are some special allowances.

I assume that when instructors want to know what they can or cannot do with copyrighted materials, they may often have a hard time figuring it out. I really wanted to understand the topic and provide resources to help others do the same. Similarly, understanding how to leverage Creative Commons licensing was also not terribly straightforward, and I wanted to understand that better too. So I started reading further and learning more.

Using Copyrighted Materials - “Fair Use”

To better understand the topic of Copyright and Fair Use, and the special provisions that have been made for educational uses ...

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