Internet, Ethics & Open Content

Copyrights & eBooks
"Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of original works of authorship (US Copyright Office, 2008)." In other words, copyrights are automatically secured once the information has been written or recorded.  As a result, anything written in ebook form automatically becomes copyrighted.  However, ownership of an ebook does not give the possessor the ebook copyright.  For example if you download an ebook, you do not have the ebook copyright.  Only the author of that book or someone who has been given rights by the author has that ebook copyright.

Internet & Ethics
Now doesn't this title sound like an oxymoron?

The Internet is not only a text-based medium made up of communities, newsgroups and email lists.  It is also a medium of publication, and significantly one where users can take control of the means of production, create their own cultural artifacts and intervene in the production of existing ones.  The Internet can thus be perceived as a form of cultural production, in a similar framework to that of the print media, broadcast television and radio.  The difference is that the Internet isn't as censored as other media outlets, although sites like YouTube, have content censorship statements that state the content is monitored 24/7, 365.

It is my opinion, that in recent years, people have no shame about the despicable content they post on the Web.  Respect and courtesy are quaint, outdated notions to these Internet citizens.  The people charged with protecting us from such abhorrent behavior not only fail to prevent it, they tacitly or explicitly encourage these breaches in morality because it means more page views, more customers, and more money.

Open Content & K-12 
A growing movement of K-12 educators is latching on to educational resources that are “open,” or free for others to use, change, and republish on Web sites that promote sharing.  The open-content movement is fueled partly by digital creation tools that make it easy to create “mash-ups,” or digital medleys of content of various types. From a financial standpoint, it saves schools money by spreading the time and expense of developing curricular resources over many contributors.

It also passes on the value that teachers add, when they adapt works originated by others, so other educators can benefit from it.  Many adaptions give schools more ways of differentiating instruction, by adding language translations, shifting grade level, and adjusting for reading ability, a special geographic or cultural focus, and other strategies to promote a standard curriculum.   In addition, open educational resources such as, The Math Open Reference, makes interactive math problems available for extra practice which may not be available to the classroom teacher, especially in these economic times.

The process of content creation and sharing is also a way to build professional relationships between teachers.  Consequently, the more that teachers get their hands into content creation, the better they can teach that material.   Textbooks, however, remain a constant in nearly all schools, and publishers of traditional textbooks do not appear too worried about the open-content movement. However, the 2011 Horizon Report suggests that publishers have at last begun to uncouple print and electronic sales of textbooks, making it easier to choose one or the other as desired.  

In conclusion, the availability of open content materials is growing which means educators will need to set aside time to research these sites, if they are going to make them available to their students.  I think the concept of open content is great and it is important, in my opinion, that school district leaders should take an extensive look in making these sites available which would drastically reduce the amount spent on textbooks and wasteful supplemental materials.  As an administrator, I see firsthand the wasteful spending that happens because textbook publishers entice textbook committees and curriculum directors to purchase "extra" educational stuff, that could be found on open content sites for free.  Furthermore, I believe citizens would be more willing to fund schools and pass levies, as long as districts are able to show taxpayers that they have "tightened" their spending and are utilizing their dollars for things that directly impact instruction and student achievement.   Heck, who knows the salaries of teachers may increase. Lol