Tag: creative commons

Creative Commons with Pixelfed

I recently generated a post expressing my frustration with Creative Commons photos. It wasn’t that there weren’t powerful ways to find CCd photos, it was that I could not recommend a way to share my photos under Creative Commons licenses. Actually, I have a great way to do this. A large number of Creative Commons licenses are shared through Flickr which I use (my collection of African wildlife is an example). The problem is that I pay $60 or so a year and many may find this cost-prohibitive. There seems no way to offer CC photos via Google photos. One might think so because Google does a good job of help folks find CC photos, but the company does not seem to see their photo tool as a way to share publically using CC licenses.

As things often seem to go, I have found a great way for those wanting to share their photos on a budget. I have used Pixelfed.social for quite a while and this service has just added a way to label photos as CC. Pixelfed is a federated service that is very similar to Instagram. Actually, the similarity to Instagram was what first attracted me to the service. I was looking for something to diversify my social media interests and get away from Facebook (Instagram is owned by Facebook and feeds into the same data-collection system). A federated site means that the software is open source and can be installed by multiple parties. Mastodon is another example if you want to try a Twitter alternative. As a user of a federated service you belong to the group using a specific server, but have access to the other federated content as well. It does help in getting started if you can convince a few friends to join the same instance so you have a way of sharing content within a small group and getting started.

Here is a way to get started with Pixelfed. You create an account and access from phone, tablet, or computer. I am interested in the public approach so to add a public image (not limited to my friends), you select the public option for a given photo.

Once you have uploaded a photo, you have the opportunity to describe it, add a location, tag people AND now add a license.

The image should now be available with the CC licenses you have assigned. The designation appears below the image in the way Pixelfed displays the photo (see below).

My account is public and you can use it to see what an account looks like.

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Finding CC images identified by Google

Google Image Search has made some changes to how an educator might go about searching for images available for use in classrooms. Google image search brings up all kinds of images, but educators should be looking for images available under a Creative Commons license. Search identifies images only some of what have any kind of identifiable license and only some of the licensed images are available with a CC license.

Here is a process educators might use. Start with image search and identify the image you want.

This search would reveal everything Google has located. You want to modify the search to identify those with a CC license. Under the Settings header find advanced search in the drop down menu.

From the usage rights designation select Creative Commons.

This should now identify the images Google believes has a CC license of some type. To get additional information select the tab (red box) associated with an image you think looks useful and this will reveal more information about that image. I found a mix of sources for images and many offering ambiguous information about CC. For example, the method for clearly describing expectations might be no longer available. To be meticulous about image selection it makes sense to search the information provided for what seems a useful image and read more about the details of the CC designation (see red box within the information associated with the selected image.)

You are looking for a clear description of the CC designation.

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Chrome extension to locate CC images

Richard Byrne recently described a chrome extension allowing users to locate images available with creative commons (CC) licenses. I have authored several posts over the years on using CC licensed photos so I thought I would give the extension a try. Here is the download site for the extension.

The extension works in a strange way. Typically, an extension is applied to what you happen to have active in your Browser, but this extension operates independently of your existing activity and is very much like opening a new site.

Opening the extension (see red box around item in menubar) opens a display that contains a text box allowing a search.

Your search can be filtered to designate the sources you want to investigate. I was curious to see if the search would locate elephant images from Flickr I had assigned a CC designation so this example is based on a search of Flickr.

Even searching a single source, I located many images in response to my request. I got tired of searching and did not find any of my images. I realized that many great images were taken in zoo settings so I guess this was to be expected.

Double-clicking an image brings more information about the image, a way to embed the image, and download buttons for the image and an attribution statement.

Quickly, here is a contrasting approach from Flickr. Visiting the site allows a search (see search box) and a drop-down menu specifies the various CC licenses you can use to filter your search.

Here is the upload side of CC designation within Flickr. Once the image has been uploaded a dropdown menu will appear associated with that image (use the Some rights reserve link). As a content provider, you then select the license combinations you want to apply.

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Photo collection

We recently returned from a trip to southern Africa during which we had the opportunity to view and photograph the amazing wildlife of this area. I took hundreds and hundreds of photos and kept probably half. One task I took on as a project was to select from these images some I thought students might find useful. Yes, you could create a similar collection by going to the zoo and such a visit by students would be superior to looking at my pictures. However, what I have done is create a collection I am making available under creative common licenses. If you have a use for these photos, download them. I also linked the images to online content offering additional information.

For me, bird identification is not easy. I am not a birder and I easily forgot the identifications provided by our guides. I used several online tools to try to attach accurate labels to the photos I have. There are several African birding guides available online. I found one of the best tools was Google lens. This service required I download images I had taken with my camera to my phone, but once this was accomplished Google provided a best guess, images to compare, and links to additional information.

The photos are available through Flickr and you can take a look if interested.

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Photos for class

Photos for Class (Clever Prototypes) is a free, browser-based search engine for creative commons licensed images. The search service identifies images from several services (e.g., Flickr, Library of Congress). A nice feature of the service is that images downloaded are marked to include the photographer, license agreement and a direct link (see bottom of second image).

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Quibbling About Copyright and Fair Use Is Off Target

The recent release of a “best practices” guide to copyright and fair use has generated the typical echo effect among educational bloggers. It is pretty obvious from my previous comments that there is something about more and more liberal interpretation of “fair use” that annoys me. The exact source of this annoyance is difficult to pin down. I think it has something to do with my typical reaction when I interpret behavior as based in assumptions of entitlement.

  • That is good stuff.
  • I deserve that good stuff whether I feel like compensating those responsible or not.

I really think a different approach should be promoted within the educational community. This approach would be based in principles of learning by doing/authoring and sharing. Creative commons, inexpensive online social applications and tools, and wider acceptance of authentic projects encourage the type of personal commitment I would like to support.

Why assume you have a right to the good stuff someone else expects to be compensated for creating? Have you made the effort to search for resources others offer you the rights to use? Have you made the effort to contribute to such a sharing community yourself? When are choices based in convenience and self-indulgence?

Why isn’t the online discussion focusing on questions such as these and promoting the work of those who take the sharing option?

Yes, I know projects like this exist. There are big and small efforts to share lessons and learning objects (e.g., Merlot).

My favorite “test case” for this approach might be the effort of Bernie Dodge to establish a repository and organizational system for web quests (Quest Garden). I wonder how this project is going. The site still exists. I tried “One Trick Pony” , Dr. Dodge’s blog, but he hasn’t posted since July of 2007. One issue is this. The “sharing” site requires a minimal fee to support the cost of server space, maintenance, etc. I wonder if use has grown. I wonder if the fee was too much and folks only respond to free. A second issue is simply the willingness of individuals to contribute webquests they have developed.

BTW – I do think it is important to back up your own position with actions. I do expect people to pay for some resources I create (our books). I also make the effort to share (my free book). I hope you take a look and I also hope you offer resources you create.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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Flickr Frustration – Attribution

I am working on the appropriate solution for a hypothetical problem. Let’s say you are searching for images for your own use and you locate an appropriate image within Flickr. The page claims the image is available under Creative Commons and the license says “attribution”.

What is the appropriate attribution? The owner of the image is Grabe (yes, that’s me), but one does not necessarily have to use a real name and Grabe is vague anyway.

The image came from the page – http://flickr.com/photos/grabe/1397669571/ – and providing this information allows me to demonstrate I am not claiming the image is mine. Still – I have not identified the provider.

If I have a Flickr account myself, there is a way to send a flickr email to another flickr person. Perhaps, the appropriate solution is to send an email and ask grabe just what type of attribution he/she would like.

Beats me.

flcikrattribute

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