07.09.07
Imagine All The People
I was participating in a Skype chat with another blogger, and perhaps an up-and-coming Ed-Tech leader, and we began this furious exchange of information… Wendy (an Advertising Arts & Design) teacher was saying that she was blown away by the information that other tech integrators have on their websites. And it occurred to me as we looked at all of the websites that the teachers/integrators all gave freely of themselves – they were putting this information out there for the greater good. Creative Commons.
Creative Commons is not just a way of identifying work, but a philosophy that many people are starting to believe in – the geek in me thinks about Star Trek: The Next Generation-style life: where you work towards something because it is personally fulfilling, and material needs are not important because everyone has realized that you are defined by what you do, not what you own. Few teachers went into this trade to become rich. Many (myself included) actually make less than they did before they left their career to inspire young minds. Part of teaching is sharing – whether it is with students, or with other teachers in your school and beyond.
So this is what hits me during the discussion with my colleagues – we all have so much knowledge – Wendy could teach most of us more than a thing or two about graphic design and layout, Kristin knows more about “connectedness” than I think I ever will. So as the three of us talk, I realize that without being paid, without some contract obligating us to do so, we share and share and share… I even quoted U2’s “With Or Without You” – “and you give, and you give, and you give yourself away” (in a good way, mind you).
It is so important that as we create information we do so in a way that can benefit not just our district, but all students and teachers across the world. We can do that by ensuring that we indicate the Creative Commons License that we wish to use. My favorite is “BY-NC-SA”:
Also known as “Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike”. What that means is that this work may be used for noncommercial use, that you can modify it and re-use it, that you must share YOUR modifications, and that when you do, give credit where credit is due.
I would think that if John Lennon were still alive he’d be fighting to share information that would benefit all. Thank you, Lawrence Lessig for founding Creative Commons and allowing “CopyLEFT” rules that permit teachers and others to use information and create information knowing it is for the greater good.
Permalink Comments off
