Use of Externally Created Course Materials

When creating an online course, using externally created materials is always the fastest and easiest way to get started.  I think it’s important to use outside sources for several reasons.  The main reason is time!  When creating an online course on my particular topic, I am noticing that it is a much more difficult task than I originally thought.  The amount of research, searching the internet, and finding sources specific to creating blended learning environments in the K-12 classroom is an on-going process for me.  In my search, I came across some great articles, sources, and YouTube videos (marked Creative Commons) that I will be using in my course.  Why reinvent the wheel? 

Ensuring ethical, legal, and responsible Use

However, when using outside materials, it is imperative to follow specific ethical and legal guidelines.  It is important to distinguish whether the material is being used to create something new or merely copied verbatim (Stanford University Libraries, n.d).  To that end, since I am using the outside sources to walk teachers through the process of deciding on a particular blended learning model and how to begin deployment of blended learning, I make the argument that the materials are being made to create something new, and provide new insight. 

For the YouTube videos, I used the creativecommons.org website to search YouTube for videos on Blended Learning.  Through this search, I was able to find a few videos that I will be incorporating into my course.  I have also used the link to search for various articles and resources and have found it to be very helpful.  The Creative Commons website is a great resource for finding information quickly that is already filtered for reuse.  I have also found some great videos and resources at oercommons.org that I will be incorporating into my course as well.  I think the important thing to remember when using outside sources is to start with sites like the ones mentioned above, and then work out from there.  When I initially began this process, I started backwards.  In a simple google search, I actually stumbled upon creativecommons.org when I googled “how to find YouTube Videos marked Creative Commons.”  Once you know where to begin, the process is not so intimidating. 

Policies and Procedures

Currently, I work for the K-12 sector of a large corporation.  Interestingly enough, today I watched an online training video that used an outside video and I did not notice any attribution.  My division is small, and the corporation is very large, and I really would not know where to go to find out how the company is addressing such use.  I will have to do some research to that end.  I would like to mention here that I am currently on the cusp of a career transition and will be starting my own business in the very near future so it is imperative that I am mindful of using outside materials responsibly.

Looking back at my teaching years, there were so many times in the early days of the internet when we really assumed that we could use pretty much anything on the internet as long as it was for educational purposes.  Following the evolution of copyright, fair use, and the internet, I think it has become so much more involved that it can potentially confuse teachers even more so it is important that we build a database of resources, such as OERs and sites like Creative Commons. 

Roadblocks and Challenges

The biggest roadblocks and challenges I face are directly tied to the topic of my online course—Blending learning in your K-12 Classroom.  I have noticed that some of the information I have found is conflicting, and the best information will require me to go through all of the steps of contacting for permission to use.  While this is definitely something I can and will be doing, it is time consuming.  Because of some of the conflicting information, my task will be to sift through it all and then design and create my own informational videos on the different blended learning models and help teachers tie them to specific classroom design, practices, and available technology. 

References

Stanford University Libraries. (n.d.). http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/four-factors/