As I’ve mentioned before—it is not only important for educators to encourage students to push the technological envelope, but it’s equally essential that we teach them to navigate the digital world in a responsible manner. But in order to do so, we must first become familiar with copyright rules and fair use guidelines ourselves—a task that can seem very daunting and frustrating at times.

If you’ve ever used online materials for teaching and learning, then I’m sure you have wondered one or more of the following: Do I need permission to use this image? Can I share this video on my classroom web site? Would it be best for my me and/or my students to create my/their own media?

Well, it may not answer all of your burning questions, but the copyright flowchart shown below will surely help with some of the confusion surrounding this very relevant and significant topic.

Thanks to Silvia Tolisano, author of the Langwitches blog, for designing and sharing this useful resource! For more information about this infographic, check out the original blog post here.

Classroom Connection:

Unfortunately, some educators and students (as well as people in general) have the tendency to ignore the fact that media is regulated and requires compliance of copyright rules and fair use guidelines. That said, both teachers and students need to learn that just because media is accessible, downloadable and free that this does not necessarily mean it’s acceptable to use or reuse without possible restrictions.

That said, this very cool flowchart can serve as a great resource for assisting with properly locating and/or using media obtained from the Internet as well as creating your own.