Have you ever found something from the Internet that could be a perfect resource (image, video, quiz, etc.,) for your class worksheet, website, or research and then spent hours trying to figure out the copyright issues with that resource? You couldn’t find any Terms of Use, and there was no author information, so you didn’t know whom to contact to get the permission?

Wouldn’t it have been nice if that resource somehow said, “I’m free to use, no strings attached, you don’t need to ask for my permission because it is already granted”?

Well guess what … Open Educational Resources (OER) are an answer to that need!

There are millions of educational resources out there that are available for others to freely use. There are all kinds: full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and many other tools, materials and techniques used to support access to knowledge. ¹

Worldwide academics, politicians, teachers, scientists and everyday citizens are making and sharing what they’ve researched and created with as part of a worldwide OPEN movement.

Waving the flag high and shouting from the world’s rooftops are Creative Commons, who are passionate about constantly growing the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share.

Creative Commons Licences, Copyright, Open Education Resources

These terms may or may not be new to you, but in an ever-changing world, even if you have a basic grasp of what they mean as a citizen of New Zealand, when you apply an educational lens over them, a whole new layer of meaning emerges.

As digital-by-default becomes assumed rather than stated, all educators have the added responsibility to deliver and demonstrate ethically sourced, cited, and repurposed information in our work.

I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.
Woodrow Wilson

This post is just a heads up, really. Over the coming months we will be delving deeper into the topics of:

•  Creative Commons Licences,
• Copyright
• Open Education Resources (OER)

Our purpose is to support educators with reading and viewing resources curated to deepen thinking and understanding of what these big three mean to us when we create, share, and repurpose content and resources as educators.

In this post we’re shining our spotlight on resources created by Creative Commons NZ that support New Zealand educators, school leaders, and Boards of Trustees as they shift mindset and practice towards Creative Commons (CC) licencing.

Taking the Creative Commons path

“Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand @cc_Aotearoa are the kaitiaki (guardian) of the New Zealand Creative Commons licences that enable the voluntary sharing of copyright material in Aotearoa. They are a Kiwi remix on an international movement toward open access licensing, and are here to support the use of Creative Commons licences in New Zealand.” ¹

If heading down the CC path feels overwhelming, be assured, others have walked this path. There are user stories to inspire and support you and policies to use and adapt. From only four schools in 2013 adopting Creative Commons policies, we’re now close to one hundred schools in 2016 — you’ll not be alone in your journey. Albany Senior High, Warrington School, Wellington High School, Tawa Intermediate are a few that can inspire you, and Matt McGregor from Creative Commons NZ can be contacted to check if schools in your area are early adopters you can learn from.

Stephen Lethbridge (@stephentpk) from Taupaki School, wrote is an inspiring case study on his blog that walks the reader through his school's experience and learnings as they embedded Creative Commons thinking into daily practice.

Start as you mean to go on

it’s one thing to know that you need to do something about these issues, but it’s another to make a meaningful and robust policy and implementation of that policy. Really important questions need to be asked. Following are some starter questions along with resources to assist in answering them.

Important questions you and your school/kura/centre should be asking:

• Do all your teachers understand What is Creative Commons in New Zealand Schools?
• Does your Board of Trustees understand their obligation in the creation of your school's Creative Commons policy?
• Would you like a refresher about the different Creative Commons Licences?
• Have you existing content you’d like to create a  Creative Commons Licence for but are not sure how to go about it ?
• If all these links are old news to you, how about looking through the resources pages for a kete of new treasures?

And here’s something else that may be of use to you as you think about these issues.

Hot off the press

Creative Commons have recently published A Quiet Revolution.

This is fantastic and chatty read about New Zealand’s uniquely number  #8 wire approach to Creative Commons across the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) and Education sectors. The ebook price is sure to delight you!

“The past few years have seen a quiet, relatively well behaved, and entirely legal revolution in Aotearoa: the growth of a thriving Commons of works made available under Creative Commons open copyright licences. A Quiet Revolution tells Kiwi stories as diverse as open source houses, teachers banding together to share resources, government departments making their data available for anyone to use, and artists sharing their work in a spirit of collaboration and community – and shows how something as seemingly dry as copyright licensing can have profound impacts on our society, culture and economy. If you’ve ever wondered how copyright applies to you, how Creative Commons actually works, or why so many people choose to use Creative Commons licensing, then here are the answers.”

The Creative Commons global community helps us all share knowledge and creativity with the world; the power of individuals and groups creating and sharing what they’ve invested energy, ideas and IP creating.

How are you and your school harnessing and contributing to this new era of collaboration and productivity?

In vain have you acquired knowledge
if you have not imparted it to others.
Deuteronomy Rabbah