Course Overview
About This Course
This course provides an overview of the often confusing but crucial topics of copyright and fair use, which govern our rights and responsibilities as users and creators of creative works. It is intended to prepare educators to teach those concepts to students using the K–12 Copyright & Creativity lessons available here.
Students may not realize it, but copyright and fair use are relevant to online activities they engage in virtually every day. This course aims to make these concepts clear and accessible to the educators whose responsibility it is to prepare students to be successful in the digital world. Completing this course should give educators the background they need to feel comfortable teaching these concepts to students using Copyright and Creativity for Ethical Digital Citizens, our free suite of K–12 teaching resources. Read more about the value of teaching copyright to students, or watch our video here.
This course was piloted and recorded from the Copyright & Creativity professional development workshop at the Ventura County Office of Education in California.
The course is free, as are all the teaching resources at copyrightandcreativity.org. There are no prerequisites.
Course Outline
There are five video modules. Modules 1–3 cover the basics of copyright and fair use, and what you and your students need to know as you navigate the creative work that surrounds us in our online communities. We’ll also offer guidance on how these concepts apply to common activities, such as acquiring, sharing, and re-using creative works. Module 4 is an activity you can do with your students, and Module 5 covers frequently asked questions.
Time Commitment
Uninterrupted, you should plan to spend approximately 2–3 hours to complete the course. However, you may choose to spread out your learning as long as you’d like.
Course Objectives
- Understand the purpose of copyright and its basic rights.
- Understand the limitations of copyright, including fair use.
- Understand how to acquire and share media in lawful and ethical ways.
- Be prepared to apply copyright and fair use to project-based learning situations, including knowing how to help students find creative work that is free and legal to re-use and share.
Your Instructor: David Sohn
David Sohn is a lawyer with expertise in Internet, communications, and privacy law, public policy, and legislation. He is the former General Counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), where he led CDT’s Digital Copyright Project.
Upon Completion
When you complete all five modules, we will email you a certificate of completion and our “Copyright Ethics Certified” badge.
Student Curriculum
This professional development course is intended for teachers aiming to solidify their own familiarity with copyright. The K–12 curriculum for teaching these concepts to students is available here: https://www.copyrightandcreativity.org
Student Independent Learning Videos (helpful for use in flipped classroom situations) are here: https://www.copyrightandcreativity.org/high-school/independent-learning-videos/