Images & copyright Diving Deeper

Let’s talk IMAGES:

A really great photo can catch the reader’s attention and draw them into your composition or post. But unless you are a really great photographer, that perfect shot may be hard to find. Luckily, we have the web and modern technology that does most of the hard work for us.

 

There are literally thousands of free pictures available on the web that are OK to use…and just as many ( maybe more) that are NOT!

We all know Google is a great tool that can search the web and return exactly what you  are looking for. Just type the right keywords and all the data, news, video , images , books ,maps, you name it and it will appear!

BUT, if you plan to re-post or publish even a small part of this creation, you must give the original writer or artist credit for their work.   In research, this is accomplished by citing our sources (more on this later) . With other artistic compositions, this is called attribution. We attribute ( or give credit to) the artist, musician or photographer of the original work.

It is for this reason that Google is not the best source for images. A large percentage of Google Images are NOT free to reuse. Most , as a matter of fact, are copyright protected and cannot be used without the risk of copyright infringement.

Recently we have learned that there are some great alternatives. In a previous post we explored Pexels, and Pixabay as two of these great free picture sites.


Just so that you are aware, there are a few other options:

  • Get permission – which is difficult to obtain, or you can Pay for photos- a luxury most can’t or don’t want to  afford. So this one is not really a practical option.
  • Use Creative Commons to help obtain acceptable images and provide the appropriate attribution required for the varying degrees of licensing.  This requires some research. But can be a learning opportunity.
  • Use your own – this could be fun, but may be a bit time consuming, and a challenge to get exactly what you are looking for. And there are some of us that just can’t take  a good picture!

    Image: ‘Morning glow’ Found on flickrcc.net

  • Use web resources that provide assistance to correctlyattribute the images. Pexels and Pixaby provide attribution.  A couple more services as listed below:

 


On your blog…..you can

  • Use the Pixabay plugin. As a plugin, this tool can be found in Plugins >All. Once activated  will be visible in your post editor, just to the right of your ‘Add media’ button.

Note: 2021 Update: On the class blog and in my classic editor for posts, this feature is a plugin. An affiliate link button may now be available as a standard feature when using the Block editor on your newer blog posts. Luckily to avoid confusion, it is in the same spot, just to the right of the ‘Add Media’ Button.

kordi_vahle / Pixabay

More detailed instruction on creative commons and correct attribution can be found at Edublogs help.


All the options listed above are good.  But not necessarily easy or efficient or optimal. The bottom line and the best option for great media, is of course  the option that is legal, and Free!

Image by Gerd Altmann @ Pixabay

geralt / Pixabay

Reusing Images on your blog or any other published composition is a sure fire way to capture the attention of your audience and draw them into your site. Capturing your audience’s attention with media is exactly what marketing professionals do when they hook you , draw you into to read a review and then possibly convince you to purchase a product. 

 

This week,  lets consiously think about the use of images with our blog posts  and include at least one great attention getter! And of coure, be sure to attribute the artist! Even if it is you!

Commenting: the good & the bad

Did your mom ever say to you,“If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”? Well, mine did…ALL the time!

There are definitely good & not-so-good ways to comment on a blog post. Following are 5 quick tips to keep in mind when commenting:

  1. Keep it positive and compliment the author. Do it in a specific way by referring back to the one or two thoughts that really had an impact on you.
  2. Be sure to keep it short and make a point. No rants or rambling!
  3. Make your comment meaningful by adding your thoughts on the subject. Just saying ” I agree” or “good job” adds no value to the conversation. You will make a more meaningful contribution if you explain WHY you agree or disagree with the post.
  4. Know what you’re talking about. There is no better way to turn off your audience and undermine your authority then by admitting you don’t know what you are talking about. Do your homework, use other sources to find out more, if necessary, and add ‘content’ with your comment.
  5. Proofread! A lot of typos and misspellings is just another way to undermine your authority, and then – well, nobody’s gonna care what you have to say.

A great look at commenting from  Nicolas Weiss’s Leaving High Quality Blog comments video , with specific examples:

Below is the video mentioned  by Nicolas from Mrs. Yollis’ Class.

Thanks Mrs. Yollis’ class  for sharing How to Compose a Quality Comment! from yourwonderfulteacher on Vimeo.

 Your Task:

Using the quick tips above, Post at least 3 positive comments on your classmate’s blogs. Each of these comments should add or contribute something meaningful to the post.

Happy Commenting!

Mrs. C

A special thanks to Edublogs for sharing information on Good Quality Commenting Skills!

Images for blogs posts – Doin’ it the ‘right’ way

Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Ask.com. are common search engines used every day. Whether you are posting materials on the web or distributing flyers for an upcoming event, when you create and share to an authentic audience, you really need to consider copyright laws.  Creative Commons is a licensing body that has attempted to bridge the gap between free Public Domain  works and copyright protected artistry.

According to many resources “A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. A CC license is used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created.”

But it’s hard to understand complex licenses. It can also be time consuming and costly to gain reuse permission from an artist. And we all now know that using Google Images is really not an option. To avoid confusion and possible legality issues, I strongly suggest the use of any or all of the free photos sites listed below.

Unsplash
Pexels
Pixabay
Photos For Class
Openclipart
Pics4Learning
https://www.wpclipart.com
http://www.clipartlord.com

My personal favorite is Pexels. All photos on Pexels are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. This means the pictures are completely free to be used for any legal purpose. So, attribution is not required. Also they have a huge selection of great quality pics!

On occasion when you download one, it is suggested that you include attribution to the artist, which is a courtesy and a good habit to get into regardless of the legal license issues.

Use images as background and/or to enhance your message!


Make your own Compositions with free images!

Try one of the following Graphic Design websites  to “modify, reuse and distribute a unique work” all your own.  

Snappa
Canva
Vengage

This process can be lots of fun and a great way to get creative. Templates are available to help you create anything from a snapchat post to business cards to promotional brochure!

 


To learn more about Creative Commons, try:
https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/224969988-What-is-Creative-Commons
Or  https://sarafhawkins.com/creative-commons-licenses-explained-plain-english/
From Kathleen Morris http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au/2013/06/02/creative-commons-infographic/
And Ronnie Burt https://www.theedublogger.com/2017/01/20/copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/

Note: Creative commons licenses cover more than just Images. Video, audio, educational resources, and music are all also protected.

Welcome to blogging!

Many of you are probably New to blogging, so I will share a quick video that explains what this web activity is all about. What is a blog?

As well as two additional resources on the history of blogging and it’s definition that may offer more explanation of the topic.

So even if you are not so new at this and know how ( & why) to blog, as part of this class we are going to learn some of the ins & outs of blogging; the hows, the whys and the what fors.

It will be a learning process that I hope will strengthen your tech skills, your writing skills and your overall communication skills both in and outside of the classroom. We will start out slow and simple.

For your first task, simply view the video and read at least one of the articles on the definition/history of blogging.

Then be prepared to answer my questions in class or ask a few of your own.  Nothing online yet, but it’s coming…. 🙂 Mrs. C

Get Curious!

Time to set up your own blog and start blogging!

Once you login to Edublogs- using the username and password given in class- you will automatically be brought to our class page “Mrs. C’s Class Connection.”

blogsiteBe sure to go the dashboard of YOUR blog for set up and posting.

 

Poke around the dashboard , explore themes and browse some instruction on getting started.

Steps #1&2 

To Begin the Set up for your blog – start by choosing a theme

And then add an About page and tell us ( your class) a little bit about you!

 

Who are you? Share your hobbies, interests, family background, whatever else you want others to know about the you. Your post could be descriptive like Penelope’s About Me or creative like Kimberley’s A-Z description.

Just share what you are comfortable with sharing and/or  talking about.

Step #3

For your first official blog post you can add a new post or edit the “hello world” post already on your blog.

Wondering what to say? Here are a couple of suggestions:

  • Your post can be just a brief reflection of what you have learned in class so far.
  • Or how about sharing some goals that you have set for yourself for the semester. An example might be: one goal for this class, one goal for this month, and one goal for this school year. How do you plan to accomplish your goals? Here are some examples others have written.
    Alexis has written a reflection on her term goals, and Kayleigh created a bucket list on her blog.
  • You could write about someone that inspires you. What is it about this person that makes them so special? Terapat (Tony) shares why soccer player, Chanathip, is his favorite person, or it could be someone that is just special to you as in these 2 examples.
  • Answer one of the following questions:
    • If the internet were to crash forever, what would the benefits be for you? The drawbacks?
    • Should we fear failure? Why or why not? Explain.
    • If a wizard could tell you anything about your future, what would you most like to know?

After you’ve complete steps 1,2 and 3 above……

Feel free to Visit other classmates pages– say hello in a comment or comment on the blog articles or topics others have shared. Just get to know one another a bit!

Don’t worry too much … just remember to stay positive, be respectful  and be kind.