Creative Commons & Open Source

Image via Wikipedia

Copyright for teachers can be a minefield. It doesn't help when it feels like everyone is breaking the rules all over the Internet. Here in Western Australia the Education department scare the bejesus out of its teachers but doesn't offer up any way to get resources that don't infringe on copyrights.

This was all brought on by my girlfriend trying to find clip art and images for her worksheets.

So here is the first of a series of way to get free digital resources without breaking the law...

But first just a few words on creative commons licencing - please be aware that some people do not want you to change the image or music that they have made available please check the licence of the work to make sure you can make derivatives.

Music - Jamendo: it's what is mostly on my iphone. CC licenced music from all genres
Free Music Archive: anaother great source of free CC and Public domain music

Images - Videos and other stuff - the Creative commons search tool will throw up CC licenced content based on your search terms.

Text - Project Gutenberg: Text copies of out of copyright and therefore public domain books.

There is way more than this but it should get you started.

Cheers

Free Photo Resources

Copyright - it is one of those things we really have to teach our students (once we get our heads around it). It's all very well saying you can't but what can you use for free, without restrictions?

US sites - Using flickr
The Smithsonian Institution - Large photos to be used in a number of ways.
The collection: The Smithsonian Institution

George Eastman House - check out the advertising photos from the 40's
The collection: George Eastman House

The Library of Congress
The collection: The Library of Congress

The New York Public Library
The collection: The New York Public Library

NASA - Perfect for the year of astronomy
The collection: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Kids Collection
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/wi/Wikipedia:Public_domain_image_resources




Australia
the Powerhouse Museum
the collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerhouse_museum/

State library of NSW
the collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/

ReImage Australia
http://www.pictureaustralia.org/contest/index.html



That should do you for now.....