This Friday I’ll be chatting with students about how, and why, they ought to use images responsibly.  I know my perspective differs from many who would like to push the lines of fair use, but I’m not personally ready to ask students to be a part of determining what I understand to be largely case law.  

I’ve recently refined a presentation that I’ve used the last few months, and I thought I’d include it here.  I maintain a written explanation of this presentation (plus my take on using Google Image search) on the wiki I use with students.  The one element that I included in the presentation below and did not mention in my written explanation is one example of the “why” behind ethical use.

I recognize that I don’t have moral pull when I talk with students whom I do not teach.  So, though I am motivated by a deep sense of responsibility when I use something that I feel another person owns, communicating that to students can be a challenge.  I start the conversation with these tenets, but add one last element — a comparison from CNN between a “digitally enhanced” picture of Osama Bin Laden and Gaspar Llamares, a Spanish politician.  These photos represent one unfortunate result of habitual and unreflective use of an image search.  One shortcut created some embarrassing, and unintentional, consequences.  My message: if it can happen to the FBI, it can happen to you.  

So, included in the presentation are my 3 favorite copyright-friendly websites, and step-by-step directions on how they might be used by students who are looking to create a multimedia creation with a clear conscience.  If you find this helpful, please let me know.  If you disagree, I’d like to hear about that, too.