Ethical Use of Information Resources

This short video goes over the basics of copyright and the four points of fair use. After viewing the video, students should understand that most information they find on the internet is copyrighted and that they may use copyrighted material for a school project as long as it is cited, used in a new way, used for non-profit, and only use a small portion of the material. This source should be used as an introduction to how to use information ethically for school projects. Other, more in-depth sources on ethical use of information are located below.

This infographic provides students with an easy to follow flowchart that answers the question "can I use that picture". After clicking on the link, students will see the infographic as well as a more detailed answers to each scenario. It is important to know whether or not one can ethically use a resource and avoid the consequences for copyright infringement and plagiarism. Infograpics such as this can be used as a quick reference when selecting media to use for academic or personal projects.

This article from KidsHealth offers a easy to understand explanation of plagiarism, what could happen if one plagiarizes, and how to write a simple bibliography. Students may use this resource as a quick reference to make sure they citied information correctly and to remind them of the dangers to ones reputation and academic standing if they commit plagiarism.

At just under five minutes, this podcast gives younger students a advice on how to avoid unintentionally plagiarize another persons work and possible consequences for plagiarism. For students that enjoy podcasts and prefer to be explicitly how to perform an action, this podcast will help them avoid plagiarism.

This video created by BrainPop covers copyright law for young children and gives the viewer tools on how to avoid copying another persons original work. BrainPop is an engaging way to get students interested in a topic and start a discussion or conversation on ethical use of information.

This short video goes over the importance of paraphrasing in a engaging way. In the video, the narrator explains that when one is able to paraphrase, it proves that he or she understands the material and is able to repurpose it in a new and meaningful way. When paraphrasing, it is important to not only give the original author credit, but also use the original idea in the same spirit the author intended. Students should use this resource to reaffirm the importance of paraphrasing and citing their sources.

This infographic explains to students the various ways to cite images. Concise explanations include if a student receives written consent to use an image, an image from creative commons, public domain, and fair use. Students will be able to use the infographic as a quick reference on how to cite a variety of images under each particular scenario. Giving credit where credit is due is important regardless if you know the original creator or if you created something on your own!

This two minute and forty-one second video provides a simple explanation copyright, public domain, and fair use. While copyright and fair use have been covered in other resources that I have provided, public domain has not. In the video, public domain is explained as a creation that does not have an active copyright and can be used for all purposes by anybody that wishes to do so. This particular resource will help students understand that creative commons and public domain resources are great to use for not only their projects, but possible business ventures!

The infographic gives students tools to avoid plagiarism. If a student is using another persons work to add to their own project, it is important to avoid plagiarism by summarizing, quoting, and paraphrasing small portions of the original work. This resource provides easy to understand guidelines of how to use resources in a acceptable way in one concise infographic.

This lesson plan is designed for 4th graders, but in my experience 6th graders also struggle with ethically using photos and images in their projects. In the lesson, students learn about copyright in a easy to understand approach and learn the importance of receiving approval to use images. Students will work through scenarios in the lesson to determine if someone plagiarized or used an image under fair use. It is important for students to understand that anyone can be a creator and it is important to give credit where credit is due.

This video is a fun review of copyright and fair use. The video itself was created by Youtube for people that have violated copyright laws in their own videos that they created on Youtube and how to identify their errors. It informs students of real-life consequences if they violate copyright and fair use protocols in a humorous manner. Students can use this resource to differentiate between fair use and outright plagiarism in their videos or other student created content.

This article is a brief summary of the most common forms of plagiarism students engage in and the definitions of each type. After reading the article, students should be able to identify the various types of plagiarism and recognize if they any of their work falls into one of the eight categories. It is important for students to identify what is plagiarism on their own before submitting any academic work.

After learning about ethical use of information, students can take this quiz on plagiarism and citations. This ten question quiz assesses student understanding of plagiarism and proper citations. After each question, the application either will inform the student that their answer is correct and provide rational on why the answer is correct or explain why the answer is incorrect. After completing the quiz, students are informed of their score and given additional resources to review in order to better understand the importance of properly using information in school project.

This article briefly covers some of the issues students face during research. Just because you find information that confirms your belief or agenda, does it mean that it is a credible source? The article informs students about what questions they should ask themselves before committing to a source to use for school projects. After reading the article, students should understand the importance of who wrote the source, when it was created, why it was written, what sources were used to create it, and where it is from to determine its credibility.