The Collective Brain

Photo Attribution:
http://www.opte.org/maps/
by The Opte Project
 Released by an Attribution-Share Alike License:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/ 

This is one of my favorite images which I have found using the Creative Commons Search. As the creator put it, "This project was created to make a visual representation of a space that is very much one-dimensional, a metaphysical universe" (the internet). I think the specific image at right is accurately depicting the internet on November 23, 2003. 

I would use this image in a similar way in the classroom as Matt Ridley did in his lecture When Ideas Have Sex. I would use it to remind my students that they each have value and are needed by society because we are all interdependent. IQ means absolutely nothing. Whether you are the smartest, fastest, strongest, etc. doesn't matter because you are needed for being you. (This is, of course, besides the fact that being literally the smartest, fastest, strongest, or best at anything is only possible for one person at a time, and thus a ridiculous goal to have for 99% of the population.) This is also supported by one of the Nine Organizaing Themes for Understanding Ethical Practices in the book Behavior Management by Wheeler and Richey: "Each student as an individual human being has worth and dignity, despite the nature or severity of his troubling behavior." So even if you are a cashier at McDonald's, you are needed by everyone.... even those who don't like McDonald's.

Okay, so if you passed over this video the first time, this is me saying you should seriously watch this: When Ideas Have Sex.

Copyright

I found this copyright lab to be enlightening. It increased my awareness and accountability as a user and as a teacher of users about the laws surrounding copyright particularly on the internet. However, I still feel quite a bit fuzzy about what I’m supposed to do when I attempt to actually apply what I have learned. I will probably have to go through the lab at least one or two more times to feel competent teaching about copyright.  I am more than happy to give credit where credit is due and to teach students that they are responsible to do the same. I think what causes me to be hesitant is the formatting. It seems as though the formatting requirements are almost as tedious and confusing as MLA and APA (rules governing the format of essays, citations, etc. according to Modern Language Association and American Psychological Association respectively). Now, I can understand the need for having a standard format. Consider this: 

The two "images" are the same (a box with an x in it), but clearly "cited" differently. If I was only looking at example A, I would not be sure if "Dan Harper" is the author or the title of the image, although I would guess it's the author. There IS a link to the source but it's tiny. Example B has the title but the author's name is not in full and there is no link to the source or any reference to a source at all. Having no conditions about what information is needed and where users can depend to find it can lead to confusion and inaccuracies. So, like I said, I can understand the need to have some dependability.

I can also understand why it gets complicated because there are so many exceptions and different types of information based on whether it’s an image, video, book, article, etc. Perhaps I simply need a resource similar to OWL to show me what information I need to use and where.

I’m also at a loss as to what I should do if I want to use a work that is not licensed by Creative Commons or not notated with some kind of indication of the usage rights. How do I find out this information? When it is annotated with a CC license, what do I do if the work is supposed to be attributed according to how the author wishes except I don’t know what the author wants. CC’s Frequently Asked Questions answered this one: “If the copyright holder has not specified any particular way to attribute them…. you will have to give attribution to the best of your ability with the information you do have.” Perhaps this applies to works on the web that have no specifications concerning how they can be used. On the other hand, lack of information effects the expectations for a standard format. 


Apparently there are even different citation rules depending on if you’re using Flickr verses CC verses who-knows-what-else which is confusing on top of itself because you can have a picture on Flickr and use a CC license at the same time. I also wonder if there are rules about where the license and citations are supposed to be located. Underneath the image? At the bottom of the website or blog? On a specific works cited page of a website or wiki? 

I am hoping, not hoping, planning on becoming more and more experienced and knowledgeable on this as I practice citing everything I can.

(Did I even cite the quote from above correctly?)

Copyright for the image used in this post:
"Image of X" by Katie Murphy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.