TeachersFirst's Copyright and Fair Use Resources
Other TeachersFirst Special Topics Collections
This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers, parents, and students understand concepts of copyright and Fair Use. This collection includes instructional activities about copyright and collections/tools to use images, music, and texts legally, either through Fair Use or Creative Commons licensing. Use these resources to model and teach ethical use of electronic media or to find copyright-safe raw materials for student projects. Be sure to share these resources with students for them to access any time they have a project to do.
75 Results | sort by:
Copyright in a Copy Paste World - New York Online
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): copyright (43), digital citizenship (10), ethics (16), plagiarism (25)
In the Classroom
This site is a must-have in the toolbox for all secondary teachers. Bookmark and save this site to use for discussion questions and factual information on plagiarism. Share the videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard. View a video each week and discuss contents. View specific videos addressing concerns that arise in your classroom. Share this site with parents at meet the teacher (Back to School) night for their use at home. Share a link to the site on a prominent place on your class website or blog for student reference at any time.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Plagtracker - Plagtracker
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): copyright (43), digital citizenship (10), plagiarism (25)
In the Classroom
Teachers can use this program to check student papers for originality, but why not introduce this program to your students and have them take responsibility to check their work themselves? Share the site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. This would work beautifully if the class studied or reviewed copyright and plagiarism before assigning a report. On Plagtracker's blog you can find true stories about people who have plagiarized. It might be a good idea to share the stories with your students. You might even want students to "test" several examples of plagiarized writing in small groups as an exercise for students to check and correct. Ideally this should happen before they copy/paste their way to trouble in a research assignment. Another interesting exercise for researchers is to locate an article on a how-to topic, such as "How to Paint a Room," then see how many sites use the same text. As a class, discuss whether this proliferation is good or bad (is the web spreading misinformation, too?).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Mrs. Meacham's Classroom Snapshots - Jessica Meacham
Grades
K to 4tag(s): alphabet (76), behavior (33), copyright (43), dr seuss (12), graphic organizers (35), guided reading (20), handwriting (13), iwb (27), literature circles (3), organizational skills (51), preK (163), professional development (36)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and use this site throughout the year for downloads and classroom ideas. Explore the site for ideas that can be modified and used in your classroom. This site is ideal for a new teacher, substitute, or seasoned professional.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Royalty Free Music & Songs - Dan-O
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): citations (20), copyright (43), podcasts (36), sound (83), sounds (58)
In the Classroom
This website is great to use when making creative product such as movies, podcasts, websites, commercials, or even slide presentations. Often students are at a loss for sounds or music they can legally use. This is a great resource for music and a way to teach about ethical use, citation, and copyright. Subject specific ideas include: having students in physical education classes create playlists for different types of exercise and have them edit them after exercising, relating the beats per minute to how effective their exercise session was. In music class, have students find the beat, add a new instrument track to an existing song, or maybe even create their own song to share with the site creator. In biology or health class, play songs with varying beats per minute and have students take pulses and compare to the music to see the impact that it has on their heart rate and mood.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Photo Pin - Photo Pin
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): copyright (43), creative commons (12), images (161), photography (113)
In the Classroom
Photo Pin is invaluable for students and teachers needing high quality photos for use on class blogs, wikis, or presentation sites. Be sure to remind students to use the attribution link along with the photo, especially when publishing on the web. Art students can use these images to create collages, design studies, and more, all with attribution of their sources. Use images as blog prompts or illustrations in student projects. Make sure students see you giving attribution, too! Find images of locations you are studying in world cultures or geography class. Find images to use in student online projects such as Bookemon, reviewed here or Voicethread, reviewed here. Keep this site as a reference link on your class web page for any time students are creating wikis, blogs, or electronic projects where they need images. They can find just the right picture with CC licensing, and you should require them to include the citation provided!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Copyright Q and A - Game Classroom
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): copyright (43)
In the Classroom
As you use digital media, be sure to discuss copyright with students. Allow time for students to look at the questions and answers to discuss as a class how to use and reuse digital media in the classroom and in their lives. Be sure to include this link on your class website for quick reference. Share these questions/answers on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Create a set of rules or reminders as a class to post in the classroom or on a class website or blog. If creating a blog, have students use the site Instablogg ( reviewed here). This site allows you to create "quick and easy" blogs to be used one time only. A unique URL is provided and this site is as easy as using a basic Word program!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Digital Citizenship and Creative Content - Microsoft
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): copyright (43)
In the Classroom
Introduce the lesson on one day. Then allow small groups of students to choose the project activity they would like to investigate; or you could choose for them. Give an adequate amount of time for students to complete their research and present their findings to the class. For the presentations, you might consider having students move past PowerPoint and create an online Prezi presentation (reviewed here) or another reviewed presentation tool from the TeachersFirst Edge.As a culminating activity, your students can create their own ring tone using this site's MyBytes.com. You could use one of the social learning networks reviewed by TeachersFirst to have your classes access and complete the projects. Create their small group on one of these networks for students to easily plan, discuss, and complete their project. Some recommendations: Edmodo reviewed here, Collaborize Classroom reviewed here, or Schoology reviewed here .
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log in (NO email)
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
YouTube Copyright School - YouTube
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): copyright (43), multimedia (28), plagiarism (25)
In the Classroom
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of plagiarism on writing projects or copyright in general. Use it in art or music classes when discussing the use of "derivative works" or performance rights on music. Include this site on your class webpage for students and parents to access as a reference. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online graphic about copyright to share using Tabblo reviewed here.The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. You could always view that at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to download the videos from YouTube.
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
morgueFile - Kevin and Michael Connors, Johannes Seemann
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): copyright (43), images (161), photography (113), writing prompts (63)
In the Classroom
Use this site in every subject area where images can convey concepts or students make projects. Find free images easily for use within the classroom. Use images for drag and drop activities on IWB, such as sorting vegetables from fruits, etc. In Art class, have students find images to demonstrate different design concepts such as rhythm, line, etc. Project an intriguing photo on your interactive whiteboard or projector as a writing prompt for a short story (or poem). Use images for practice writing in world languages, by having students describe the scene or tell a story about it. Assign cooperative learning groups to different images and have them create a Voicethread (in English or another language) about what they think the image portrays. Voicethread reviewed here allows users to narrate a picture. Use images from this site to illustrate a literary magazine or poetry blog during Poetry Month. Be sure to follow guidelines in "about" to cite images and model this for your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Plagium - Septet Systems
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): copyright (43), plagiarism (25)
In the Classroom
Use Plagium for free without login unless you need advanced features such as ongoing alerts for plagiarism of your material by others. Use this service to check for student plagiarism in assigned work. Have students demonstrate it on interactive whiteboard or projector as you teach about plagiarism and/or evaluating web sources. This is a powerful way to show how difficult it is to determine original content on the web. Students will also find this tool useful in checking whether their sources are legitimate. Students may find this a useful service to be sure their own work is not plagiarized.Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Creative Commons: What Every Educator Needs To Know - Rod Lucier
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): copyright (43)
In the Classroom
Be sure to link to the resource page for teachers in the district. Place the link on your classroom computer or link to your blog, wiki, or site for access by students to understand the copyright law.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Online Writing Resources - Red River College
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): capitalization (12), copyright (43), grammar (197), homonyms (9), homophones (14), parts of speech (48), plagiarism (25), proofreading (9), punctuation (38), sentences (35), spelling (142)
In the Classroom
Online Writing Resources allows you to introduce a concept with the PowerPoint projected on your whiteboard or projector, then, you can choose to have the students practice online with the interactive exercise(s). As a follow up you can use the Word document as class work, homework, or a quiz. Another idea would be to use the Word document or interactive exercises with the entire class where you can annotate the concept you're explaining with your projector and interactive whiteboard. Assign individual students to complete a specific module for an area of writing where they need extra practice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Art Images for Instruction
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
The images on this site are of amazing quality, and easy to download - making them perfect to use in your classroom. Images would make great supplements to any lecture or presentation, and are of good enough quality that bringing them up on the interactive whiteboard or projector wont pixilate or stretch them out beyond use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Get Creative - Creative Commons
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): copyright (43), creative commons (12)
In the Classroom
Be sure to place this link in a prominent location on a wiki, site, or blog for discussion and review by students. Allow students to remix the video (really, you are allowed!) to show specific examples of copyright and the use of creative commons in your class. As you teach about ethical use of electronic media, compare and contrast what users are permitted to do under Copyright vs. Creative Commons. Conduct a mock debate where students play the roles of writers, artists, publishers, and end users. Even if you are teaching computer literacy skills, the understanding of "rights" is essential in knowing what is possible vs what is ethical (and legal). Start with this video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
B4USurf - Business Software Alliance (BSA)
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): copyright (43), internet safety (74), safety (95)
In the Classroom
Use this site for your own background information and to help students make smart choices and learn the rules and responsibilities of using copyrighted work and technology safely. You will find a wide range of materials that may be shared on your interactive whiteboard or projector or adapted to meet the needs of your class, including quizzes, games, and suggested lessons designed to teach the skills and raise awareness for the risks they face online while searching for information, blogging, or engaging in other internet activities. Have students work with a partner and research various facets of this site and then create a multimedia presentation to share their findings. How about having students create a word cloud of terms about cyber-ethics and/or cyber-safety using a tool such as Wordle reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright - Library of Congress
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): copyright (43), plagiarism (25)
In the Classroom
Students have become "copy and paste" fanatics, but do they know the answer to, "If the material is on the Internet can I use it?" Even though they might not see a copyright notice on a website, that doesn't mean they're free to copy whatever they see or hear. Project these no-nonsense, impressionable videos on your classroom whiteboard or projector to set the tone for expectations when doing research and other projects, or use the printable versions, (these may be more adaptable and appropriate for older students), to emphasize your position on plagerism. Be sure to provide this link on your class website.You may want to take it full circle by having the class compose and submit a song, poem, or other work to the Library of Congress to register a copyright. Be aware that there is a fee to submit the application, so you might want to consider doing a whole class project to send as one registration.
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Troovi - Acomba
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): copyright (43), images (161), photography (113)
In the Classroom
User must be able to locate files on your computer to be uploaded. While not a skill, the user must save the URL in a reliable, easy to access location. If the URL is lost by the user, it can not be retrieved and the user would need to start uploading to a new URL. If the need to delete photos arises, click on "Advanced" at the top page of your photos, and click "photo - delete" or "collection - delete." Also, after uploading new photos to the site, always SAVE. Remember, better save than sorry.Content is private, in that, only the people with which the URL is shared have access to the photos. Keeping this in mind, after sharing the URL with students, please monitor their potential posts as nothing would be prohibited by Troovi itself.
This tool can be useful in so many different areas. Any class that you need photos for.. here is a site for you! In science class when having students do insect collections, instead of having them collect the actual specimens, have them take pictures using their phones or digital cameras. Have the students upload to the URL at home, and then they can create a power point or other multimedia project with the pictures and statistics of the specimen. Perhaps it is obvious, but using this site in photography class would be extremely advantageous because students would not be limited to the pictures that they can take at school. They can snap a picture anywhere and upload to the web without having to drag their home equipment to school. Share this URL with students who are all going on a class trip. Have them upload their own pictures, and share the URL with the yearbook staff to pull pictures. This site would be great for clubs and performance groups as well!
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
ccMixter - Dig - ArtisTech Media
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
A music site that is not just for musicians and music teachers! Students in all classes can use files from this site when preparing multimedia class presentations that require music or background sounds. Use this site when preparing lessons on plagiarism, copyright, and the open source software concept. Musically inclined students who enjoy this site should check out ccMixter reviewed here for more enriching types of musical interaction and collaboration!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Jewelbeat - JewelBeat Corporation
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
Have students read a book and create an Animoto "book report" project (reviewed here). Instead of using the music selections supplied by the Animoto program, students can browse through these free selections to find something that works with their message about the book. Use your projector and whiteboard to have the students show off their creations. Or, use podomatic (reviewed here) and have your students create a podcast for any subject you might be studying. For instance, students research one of the world's unsolved mysteries (Loch Ness Monster, Bermuda Triangle, etc) and create a podcast of information they found out about the mystery and their opinion of the mystery. Of course, they will want to have music or sound effects in the background. Use the audio backgrounds to add atmosphere for conversation podcasts or videos recorded for world language classes. Don't forget to require your students to give credit to the source of their music, sound effects, or videos.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Close comment form