Responsible use involves respecting copyright and not plagiarizing others' work. It means respecting rules established at home and school on using hardware and the Internet. What's that really mean to you?
Copyright
Everything that is created by someone--you, an artist, a musician, anyone--is copyrighted from the moment of creation. That's right; you don't need to apply for a copyright from the copyright Office or put that little c in a circle on it to claim copyright. So, that essay you wrote for English class--copyrighted. Your painting/drawing/sculpture--all copyrighted. A Web site you created is copyrighted. Musical scores, movies, songs--all copyrighted. The person who created the work--and everyone in this day and age is pretty much a content creator--owns the copyright and can decide who can use the work and how. Copyright law is international and complicated, but it is important because it does protect our intellectual property from being used without permission. Copyright is enforced by the courts.
You cannot just copy someone else's stuff and call it your own. If you do, it is called
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is to use other's people's words or ideas as your own without credit or citation. By presenting another's ideas/words as your own, you are stealing. Plagiarism is a serious offense in every academic and professional setting. Any college/university you attend will have plagiarism policies with the consequences clearly spelled out. Do a Google search on "plagiarism consequences" and you will get many academic policies on what happens when students plagiarize.
It has never been easier to plagiarize. The Internet makes it supremely easy to just cut and paste "research" into a document and call it your own. Don't do it. Not only are you cheating the originator of the information, you are cheating yourself by not doing doing your own work and therefore actually learning.
You can avoid plagiarism by always crediting sources you use in your research and writing. You can paraphrase the research--put it into your own words--and cite the source of the ideas. Here are some resources for avoiding plagiarism:
So why is this important in the context of MA On a Stick? You will be looking at many Internet sites, using things you find there to create a mashup two, putting your own stuff out there, and more. And even though MA On a Stick is designed to be fun, it is also learning. If you use someone else's stuff, we expect you to give credit.
Activities
- Does MA have an Academic Integrity/plagiarism policy? What does it say?
- Try to find a video that explains copyright or plagiarism that you think would appeal to your fellow students. Post it on your blog.
- Read through the avoiding plagiarism sites above and bookmark any that seem useful to you.
Blog Prompts
These are just to get you started. You don't have to answer any or all of these questions; they are just to help you think about something to say.
- Do you think you understand copyright and plagiarism?
- What have you learned about copyright?
- Why is this an important topic to discuss in this context?
- Share any experiences you have had regarding copyright or plagiarism issues.
1 comment:
Copyright is important and sometimes is difficult to know what is right and what is not okay. Technology is always changing the bounds. My thought is - if in doubt, don't do it, unless you give credit of course!
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