Copyright and fair use is a topic that comes up often in my school. Students often want to create something for one of their classes and use any image they find on the internet. They think that because it is in Google Images, it is there for them to use. They struggle with the idea that something so simple and easy can be the wrong thing to do. This, of course, is not the case. I try to have conversations with them that turn the conversation around. I try to put them in the shoes of the content creator and ask if using their work without giving credit would upset them. That is when the light bulb seems to click with them. The problem comes when they still do the easy thing instead of the proper thing. Students really need to be taught from an early age the value of using sources that follow their creator’s guidelines for their work.
This means educators need to be vigilant on the requirements they set for their students. The educator must check all of the things a student could possibly do. We use plagiarism checkers for students writing, so it should be done with all aspects of their work. We need to make sure they are not taking credit for others’ work. Intellectual property will become more important in the future, and it’s important we start today’s students on the correct path to protect the ideas and content they will create tomorrow.