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Social, Ethical and Legal

7 : Responsibilities in the Use of
Technology Tools and Resources

Lesson 1: Digital Citizenship vs. Global Citizenship

Technology has become an integral part of our lives. It has created a great impact that
whether we like it or not, we have become prone to safety issues. Our privacy can be intruded;
our social relationships can be affected. But it is not just enough that we keep ourselves safe,
we should also possess the skills on how we can act responsibly so as not pose harm to others.
Thus, this module will walk you through this issue.

Lesson outcomes:

1. Recognize the five tenets of global digital citizenship and the 9 elements of digital
citizenship.

2. Compare and contrast one’s role as a citizen of a community and that of a digital world.

3. Share ways on how one can observe social, ethical, and legal responsibilities in the use
of technology tools and resources.

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Are you a Filipino citizen? As a member of a smaller Filipino community such as a

barangay or a subdivision, what are your rights and responsibilities?
Do you use the internet? Are you a member of a cyberspace community? What are your
rights and responsibilities as a user of the internet?
Fill out the Venn diagram below for your answers.

My rights and responsibilities

As Filipino Citizen as Internet User

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Look at your answers. Did you have similar answers in both figures? If yes, write them in the
center of the Venn diagram. Explain your answer.
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Digital Citizenship vs. Global Citizenship

Since we are considered citizens of the community we live in, then as users of the
internet we can also call ourselves as citizens of the digital world where we live, learn, and work
in an interconnected manner. Digital citizenship is an idea that all persons using the internet
have civic rights and responsibilities. It centers on safe, savvy and ethical use of technology.

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What is Global Citizenship ?

It is a way of living that recognises our
world is an increasingly complex web of
connections and interdependencies. One in which
our choices and actions may have repercussions
for people and communities locally, nationally or
internationally.
Global Citizenship nurtures personal
respect and respect for others, wherever they live.
It encourages individuals to think deeply and
critically about what is equitable and just, and
what will minimise harm to our planet. Exploring
Global Citizenship themes help learners grow
more confident in standing up for their beliefs, and
more skilled in evaluating the ethics and impact of
their decisions.

Defining Global Citizenship

A foray into the literature or a look at the many ways colleges and universities talk about
global citizenship reveals how broad a concept it is and how different the emphasis can be
depending on who uses the term. This essay can only outline a few important elements of
global citizenship, but a brief overview of the many meanings should help institutions formulate
or clarify their own definition of it, identify those elements that are central to their educational
vision, and add other dimensions. The following are among the most salient features of global
citizenship (this section draws from a variety of sources but primarily relies on Schattle (2007)).

Global citizenship as a choice and a way of thinking. National citizenship is an accident of

birth; global citizenship is different. It is a voluntary association with a concept that signifies
"ways of thinking and living within multiple cross-cutting communities—cities, regions, states,
nations, and international collectives…" (Schattle 2007, 9). People come to consider themselves
as global citizens through different formative life experiences and have different interpretations
of what it means to them. The practice of global citizenship is, for many, exercised primarily at
home, through engagement in global issues or with different cultures in a local setting. For
others, global citizenship means firsthand experience with different countries, peoples, and
cultures. For most, there exists a connection between the global and the local. Whatever an
individual's particular "take" on global citizenship may be, that person makes a choice in
whether or how to practice it.

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Global citizenship as self-awareness and awareness of others. As one international

educator put it, it is difficult to teach intercultural understanding to students who are unaware
they, too, live in a culture that colors their perceptions. Thus, awareness of the world around
each student begins with self-awareness. Self-awareness also enables students to identify with
the universalities of the human experience, thus increasing their identification with fellow human
beings and their sense of responsibility toward them.

Global citizenship as they practice cultural empathy. Cultural empathy or intercultural

competence is commonly articulated as a goal of global education, and there is significant
literature on these topics. Intercultural competence occupies a central position in higher
education's thinking about global citizenship and is seen as an important skill in the workplace.
There are more than 30 instruments or inventories to assess intercultural competence. Cultural
empathy helps people see questions from multiple perspectives and move deftly among
cultures—sometimes navigating their own multiple cultural identities, sometimes moving out to
experience unfamiliar cultures.

Global citizenship as the cultivation of principled decisionmaking. Global citizenship

entails an awareness of the interdependence of individuals and systems and a sense of
responsibility that follows from it. Navigating "the treacherous waters of our epic
interdependence (Altinay 2010, 4) require a set of guiding principles that will shape ethical and
fair responses. Although the goal of undergraduate education should not be to impose a
"correct" set of answers, critical thinking, cultural empathy, and ethical systems and choices are
an essential foundation to principled decision making.

Global citizenship as participation in the social and political life of one's

community. There are many different types of communities, from the local to the global, from
religious to political groups. Global citizens feel a connection to their communities (however they
define them) and translate that sense of connection into participation. Participation can take the
form of making responsible personal choices (such as limiting fossil fuel consumption), voting,
volunteering, advocacy, and political activism. The issues may include the environment, poverty,
trade, health, and human rights. Participation is the action dimension of global citizenship.

Why Does Global Citizenship Matter?

The preceding list could be much longer and more detailed; global citizenship covers a
lot of ground. Thus, it is useful to consider the term global citizenship as shorthand for the habits
of mind and complex learning associated with global education. The concept is useful and
important in several respects.

First, a focus on global citizenship puts the spotlight on why internationalization is central
to a quality education and emphasizes that internationalization is a means, not an end. Serious
consideration of the goals of internationalization makes student learning the key concern rather
than counting inputs.

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Second, the benefits of encouraging students to consider their responsibilities to their

communities and to the world redound to them, institutions, and society. As Altinay (2010, 1) put
it, "a university education which does not provide effective tools and forums for students to think
through their responsibilities and rights as one of the several billions on planet Earth, and along
the way develop their moral compass, would be a failure." Strengthening institutional
commitment to serving society enriches the institution, affirms its relevance and contributions to
society, and benefits communities (however expansive the definition) and the lives of their
members.

Third, the concept of global citizenship creates conceptual and practical connections
rather than cleavages. The commonalities between what happens at home and "over there"
become visible. The characteristics that human beings share are balanced against the
differences that are so conspicuous. On a practical level, global citizenship provides a concept
that can create bridges between the work of internationalization and multicultural education.
Although these efforts have different histories and trajectories, they also share important goals
of cultural empathy and intercultural competence (Olson et al. 2007).

No concept or term is trouble-free; no idea goes uncontested by some faculty member or

group. For better or for worse, global citizenship will undoubtedly provoke disagreements that
reflect larger academic and philosophical debates. There is plenty of skepticism about global
citizenship. Some object to any concept that suggests a diminished role for the nation and
allegiance to it or the ascendancy of global governance systems. The idea of developing
students' moral compasses can raise questions about whose values and morals and how
institutions undertake this delicate task. Some students will choose not to accept responsibility
for the fate of others far away, or may see inequality as an irremediable fact of life. Some faculty
will stand by the efficacy and wisdom of the market; others will see redressing inequality as the
key issue for the future of humankind. And so on.

Such debates, sometimes civil or acrimonious, are, for better or worse, the stuff of
academe. Implementing new ideas—even if they have been around for a very long time as in
the case of global citizenship—can be slow and painful. However, if colleges and universities
can produce graduates with the knowledge and the disposition to be global citizens, the world
would certainly be a better place.

Box 1 - Conceptual Divides

What was once simply called “international education” is now a field awash with varied
terminology, different conceptual frameworks, goals, and underlying assumptions.*
Although "internationalization" is widely used, many use globalization—with all its different
definitions and connotations— in its stead. Rather than take on the job of sorting out the
terminology, let me point out two significant conceptual divides in the conversation. Both center
on the purpose of internationalization.

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In the first divide, we see one face of internationalization as referring to a series of

activities closely associated with institutional prestige, profile, and revenue. These activities are
generally quantifiable, lend themselves to institutional comparisons and benchmarking, and
provide metrics for internationalization performance that resonate with trustees and presidents.
Examples include hosting international students, sending students abroad, developing
international agreements, and delivering programs abroad.

The other face of internationalization—student learning— is much more difficult to

capture and assess, but it provides an important answer to the “so what?” question. Why does
internationalization matter? What impact do internationalization activities have on student
learning? How do they contribute to preparing students to live and work in a globalized and
culturally diverse world?

Different terms with overlapping meanings are used to describe the student learning
dimension of internationalization. Global learning, global education, and global competence are
familiar terms; they, too, are often used synonymously. The global in all three terms often
includes the concepts of international (between and among nations), global (transcending
national borders), and intercultural (referring often to cultural differences at home and around
the world).

Also prevalent in the student learning discussion is another cluster of terms that focus
specifically on deepening students’ understanding of global issues and interdependence, and
encouraging them to engage socially and politically to address societal issues. These terms
include global citizenship, world citizenship (Nussbaum 1997), civic learning, civic engagement,
and global civics (Altinay 2010). These terms, too, share several key concepts, and are often
used interchangeably.

The second divide focuses on the divergent, but not incompatible goals of workforce
development (developing workers to compete in the global marketplace) or as a means of social
development (developing globally competent citizens.) Global competitiveness is primarily
associated with mastery of math, science, technology, and occasionally language competence,
whereas “global competence” (a broad term, to be sure), puts greater emphasis on intercultural
understanding and knowledge of global systems and issues, culture, and language.
As the field grows increasingly complex and the instrumental goals of internationalization
become more prominent, it is important that campus discussions and planning efforts sort out
their language, underlying concepts, and implied or explicit values. Otherwise, people run the
risk of talking past each other and developing strategies that may not match their goals.

What is a Global Citizen?

"An ethic of care for the world." Hannah Arendt

There is a great deal of debate and discussion around this question, as there is around
the whole concept of globalization. A useful working definition, however, is offered by Oxfam:

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A Global Citizen is someone who:

 is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen
 respects and values diversity
 has an understanding of how the world works
 is outraged by social injustice
 participates in the community at a range of levels, from the local to the global
 is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place
 takes responsibility for their actions.
To be effective Global Citizens, young people need to be flexible, creative and proactive.
They need to be able to solve problems, make decisions, think critically, communicate ideas
effectively and work well within teams and groups. These skills and attributes are increasingly
recognized as being essential to succeed in other areas of 21st century life too, including many
workplaces. These skills and qualities cannot be developed without the use of active learning
methods through which pupils learn by doing and by collaborating with others.

Why is Global Citizenship education needed?

"Education must be not only a transmission of culture but also a provider of alternative views of
the world and a strengthener of skills to explore them" Jerome S Bruner
With the interconnected and interdependent nature of our world, the global is not ‘out there’; it is
part of our everyday lives, as we are linked to others on every continent:
 socially and culturally through the media and telecommunications, and through travel
and migration
 economically through trade
 environmentally through sharing one planet
 Politically through international relations and systems of regulation.
The opportunities our fast-changing ‘globalised’ world offers young people are
enormous. But so too are the challenges. Young people are entitled to an education that equips
them with the knowledge, skills and values they need in order to embrace the opportunities and
challenges they encounter, and to create the kind of world that they want to live in. An education
that supports their development as Global Citizens.
The active, participatory methods of Education for Global Citizenship and Sustainable
Development help young people to learn how decisions made by people in other parts of the
world affect our lives, just as our decisions affect the lives of others. Education for Global
Citizenship and Sustainable Development also promotes pupil participation in the learning
process and in decision-making for the following reasons:
 Everything done in school sends out messages, so we need to exemplify the values
we wish to promote. If we wish to affirm beliefs about the equality of all human

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beings and the importance of treating everyone fairly and with respect, we need to
ensure that learning processes, and relationships between pupils and teachers,
reflect and reinforce these values.
 Research shows that in more democratic schools pupils feel more in control of their
learning, and the quality of teaching, learning and behaviour is better.
 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms the right of children to have
their opinions taken into account on matters that affect them.

What does it look like in the classroom?

"Education is not a preparation for life, it is life itself." John Dewey

Education for Global Citizenship deals with issues of global interdependence, diversity of
identities and cultures, sustainable development, peace & conflict and inequities of power,
resources & respect.
These issues are addressed in the classroom through a wide and evolving variety of
participatory teaching and learning methodologies, including structured discussion and debate,
role-play, ranking exercises, and communities of enquiry. Such active methods are now
established as good practice in education, and are not unique to global citizenship.
Curriculum for Excellence has at its core a commitment to improved student participation
in order to develop the four capacities: successful learners, confident individuals, responsible
citizens and effective contributors.
It is crucial to be aware that, far from promoting one set of answers or values or
attitudes, education for global citizenship encourages children and young people to explore,
develop and express their own values and opinions. (Always requiring too that they listen to and
respect other people's points of view.) This is an important step towards children and young
people making informed choices as to how they exercise their own rights and their
responsibilities to others.
It is also vital that teachers at all levels do not approach education for global citizenship
with the feeling that they must have all the answers – impossible anyway in such a fast
changing world. The role of the teacher is to enable pupils to find out about their world for
themselves and to support them as they learn to assess evidence, negotiate and work with
others, solve problems and make informed decisions.

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What is it?
A digital citizen refers to a person
who has the knowledge and skills to
effectively use digital technologies to
communicate with others, participate in
society and create and consume digital
content.

Digital citizenship is about confident

and positive engagement with digital
technologies. By educating students
about digital citizenship, they will have
the opportunity to develop an
Digital citizenship understanding about the following
An acceptance and upholding of the norms of concepts:

appropriate, responsible behaviour with regard to  digital and information literacy

the use of digital technologies. This involves using  internet safety
digital technologies effectively and not misusing  privacy and security
them to disadvantage others. Digital  cyberbullying, relationships,
citizenship includes appropriate online etiquette and communication
etiquette,literacy in how digital technologies work  creative credit and copyright
and how to use them, an understanding of ethics  digital footprint.
and related law, knowing how to stay safe online,
and advice on related health and safety issues
such as predators and the permanence of data.

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This citizen is conscientious, respectful,

and compassionate - and individual who strives
to establish a sense of global community in all
their online and offline relationships, duties,
and endeavors. The Global Digital Citizen is
defined by 5 unique tenets.

We define the best assets of the Global

Digital Citizen using 5 tenets: Personal
Responsibility, Global Citizenship, Altruistic
Service, Environmental Stewardship, and
Digital Citizenship (Ribble 2017)

Five tenets of Global Digital Citizenship

Personal Responsibility inclu

des demonstrating how we manage
ourselves in matters such as personal
finance, ethical and moral boundaries,
personal health and wellness, and
relationships of every kind, both online or
offline.

For the student, this kind of responsibility means taking ownership of his/her
learning.Developing a sense of accountability for lifelong learning in our students prepares them
for the workplace.These are places where they must often think and act independently and take
initiatives on their own. Encouraging this in the classroom as early as possible can help
students develop high - level critical thinking and problem solving abilities to assist them in
every aspect of their lives.

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Global Digital Citizenunderstands that

technology has dissolved boundaries between the

entire world's people.We now communicate,
collaborate, and celebrate across all levels of
society. We are now all global citizens. Our
students must realize, among other things, that we
aren't isolated from each other anymore.A deep
understanding of this new global
disconnectedness can encourage them to be
aware of the issues, traditions, values and cultures
of other citizens. This leads to cultivating
understanding, acceptance, compassion, and
humility.

We teach them how to govern this behavior, act in just and moral ways, and lead by good
example in all online associations. In doing so, they foster independence within themselves and
hopefully light the way for others to do the same.

Digital Citizenshipcovers
appropriate and exemplary behavior in our
online environments. It's about working
towards making our transparent digital
world safe for ourselves and others. Just
like personal responsibility, this involves
moving accountability for appropriate
behavior to our students.

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Altruistic ServiceAltruism is
defined as "having a selfless concern for the
well - being of others." The Global Digital
Citizens acknowledge that they share this
world with many different people. These
ideals apply to the people we know, but also
to those we don't know.These include
embracing the opportunity to exercise charity
and goodwill for the benefit of others.The
practice of altruistic service provides
opportunities for our students to create
meaningful connections to the real world.

It gives them the chance to reach out to others and do things that can make a person's
experiences better or easier in everyday life. This produces a sense of community and well -
being for all.

Environmental StewardshipThis
practice is all about common - sense values and an
appreciation for the beauty and majesty that surround us
every day. This facet of Global Digital Citizenship
encourages exploring how we can practice the
conscientious use of Earth's resources.Environmental
stewardship encourages every student to take a positive
stand on personal, local, regional, national, and
international actions regarding the preservation of what is
essentially our "environmental community".This facet of
Global Digital Citizenship reinforces the idea that we have
one world we all live on. It's vital that we respect it and
take steps to ensure its beauty and longevity for all future
generations (Watanabe - Crockett, 2017).

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Elements of Digital Citizenship

With the rise of the Internet, we have become more and more present in the online
world. This has come with its own sets regulations which we have to abide by. So, existing in
this environment, working, learning, doing business, communicating just like we do in real life
make us citizens of this digital world.

As digital citizens, we have both rights and obligations and that is why learning more
about the concept of digital citizenship is crucial.

Digital citizenship is the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and

empowered technology use.

Thus, we need to contribute to the online world with appropriate content that can create
positive experiences for others and acknowledge the fact that our actions as digital citizens
have consequences.

As far as any online environment is concerned, it should be a safe one in which

everyone feels protected and not vulnerable. Moreover, it should promote a better
understanding of all its implications and contribute to the process of educating users for long
term positive outcomes. In addition, as digital citizens we have to create cooperative and
interdependent relationships promoting understanding of one another.

In their book, Digital Citizenship in Schools, Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey talk about
how technology influences the way people interact and the concept of digital citizenship in the
classroom. The authors define nine elements of digital citizenship.

The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship

Since education is at the heart of any society, students are the ones that should be
educated in using technology in a responsible manner, ensuring the safety of the online
environment for generations to come. Consequently, the aspects of digital citizenship revolve
around their usage of technology for educational purposes.

Some of these elements are related to students’ lives outside the walls of school, while
others are directly related to how they use technology in school.

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1. Digital access

Although we live in a digital era, not

everyone has access to technology. As
teachers, we should be aware of the needs
students have and try to ensure they can
equally make use of online resources.Due to
improvements in schools worldwide, teachers
can provide engaging lessons and motivate
their students by including technology in class.
More and more educators require from their students assignments which should be done
online, but there is a downside to it: not all students can afford a computer/smartphone and
access to the Internet. That is why educators need to provide alternatives suitable for every
student’s needs.

2. Digital commerce

Digital Commerce refers to selling and

buying things online and the necessity to tackle
safety issues while using money in the digital
world. Technology is also used in class to
showcase students the possible paths to take in
their prospect careers opening their way to a future
job. Understanding how e-commerce works is a
must, both as possible customers and as potential
entrepreneurs.

3. Digital communication

Communicating online has become so

common and so frequent that students forget
they are doing so in a virtual space. The need
to know how and what to say is undeniable
since miscommunication happens all the time
even online. Nowadays though, the online has
given a voice to anyone who needed it. They
can express themselves freely and be
themselves. This in turn requires a person to
be empathetic and react appropriately online
and offline.
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4. Digital literacy

Education is the key to everything. Being aware of

others while online or offline is important for our personal
growth contributing also to spreading awareness of the
way we treat each other in either space.

Digital literacy also includes reaching the ability to

differentiate between real and fake content which
otherwise can have great negative impact over the lives of
students and adults altogether. Students need to learn
how to use their free will and decide what content is good
for them and what they should avoid in order to lead a
balanced life.

Focusing on implementing an online etiquette will have great results for the future generations
who will have the adequate attitude in the online world that avoids conflict rather than entice it
hidden behind their virtual profiles.

5. Digital Etiquette

Technology comes with basic

instructions of usage, but in the long run we
should educate students to understand it better
and become “digitally fluent”. This will shape
their online behavior and they will respond
positively rather than negatively to any content
or comment. In this way, the online attitude is
transposed into the real world and vice versa.

6. Digital law

The online environment has room for both

positive and negative interactions. And just
like in real life, there are laws everyone
should abide by.The online environment has
room for both positive and negative
interactions. And just like in real life, there are
laws everyone should abide by.
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Digital law deals with the legal rights and restrictions governing technology use. Many online
users are actually breaking the law, either knowing or not knowing, from identity theft to hacking
into someone else’s email to cyberbullying to downloading copyrighted music to using. To
prevent any kind of online crime, no matter how serious, students as digital citizens need to
know the law.

7. Digital Rights and Responsibilities

Like in any real society, the online world

has its regulations. That means that as a user
one has rights, but also responsibilities. There
are rules and policies to follow that imply the
possibility of being held accountable for your
actions and deeds in the online world.The
Internet can also be used for harming purposes
and anyone using it needs protection structures
against cyberbullying, for instance.
Schools should approach this subject in class making the students take responsibility for
their actions and also recognize and report any misconduct in the virtual environment.

8. Digital health and wellness

We live equally as much in the

online world as in the real one, so the
requirements and freedoms of the
individual in real life have to be extended
to the digital world.Everyone present in
the online world has to contribute to the
well-being of a person online helping
others in need.

Students should be taught to protect themselves and others from possible harm and
alert an adult if it’s the case. Making use of online resources is a plus, but one should be aware
of the dangers that reside with this benefit.

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9. Digital security

Security in the online world is important since

viruses and worms can go from system to
system and affect the electronic devices we
use. Precautions need to be taken to
guarantee their safety.Moreover, when using
devices in school or at home, students have to
understand the implications of it and be aware
of possible attacks.

Teachers should also explain how to prevent them from happening and how to protect
their devices. This is a necessary skill in today’s digital world.

Why Does the World Need the Global Digital Citizen?

This is the fundamental question, and it’s a fair one. Why is developing Global Digital
Citizens in our schools so important, to the present and the future? How can knowing and
practicing all this help?
If you could sum it all up in one phrase, you could perhaps call it a quest
for mindful leadership. We can address this using the essence of the 5 Tenets above.
Personally, we face the daily possibility of online fraud, identity theft, and online bullying. We
place our entire lives and their contents in the digital stratosphere willingly, and often without
considering the consequences. The dangers of this are real. What is needed is people who will
advocate and demonstrate the kind of self-governance that will keep us safe from harm both
online and offline.
Globally, even as technologically intertwined as we are, there is also a level of disconnection in
our lives. We are more connected than ever and yet often less tuned into others than ever.
Global Digital Citizens see the need all diversity has to be recognized, honoured, and cherished
for present and future generations. They also see the need for harmony and connection in a
world transforming as rapidly as ours.
Digitally, our Internet is unchecked and growing wild, which is a good thing. Online information
is expanding at a staggering rate. Whilst I do not subscribe to the belief that the Web is a haven
for cyber-criminals who can act in complete anonymity, just as in the real-world, online perils do
exist, and the Global Digital Citizen sets an example to others on how to navigate them safely
and securely. A good helping of common sense goes a long way in this regard.
Altruistically we have more means to help others thanks to
technology. Crowdfunding and crowdsourcing help us give back to local and global
communities. Social media can become a support network for those of us who are in physical,
mental, and emotional need. The Global Digital Citizen can lead the way.

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Environmentally we continue to face growing threats such as climate change, resource

depletion, industrial pollution, digital pollution, and more. Global Digital Citizens seek to combat
the biggest challenges to our environmental health. They foster solutions that work to the benefit
of the entire planet.

All in all

Digital Citizenship is the status that all online users should own including students. With
this citizenship comes freedoms and responsibilities which should be understood in their
entirety.

Similar to the real world citizens, online users have to follow the rules and try to make
use of all its benefits safely. As digital citizens, students need to be aware of their behavior and
how it may affect others, but also they should show empathy towards others avoiding conflict
and calling out the ones that don’t.

Direction: Encircle the correct answer.

1. Digital Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or protocol. During school hours the
correct cell phone ringer setting is:

A. Low or Off
B. Vibrate or Off
C. Specialized Ringtone
D. High

2. Digital Access: full electronic participation in society regardless of gender, race, age,
ethnicity, and physical or mental challenges. Technology-based assignments should be:

A. Avoided because some students may not have access to technology at home
B. Integrated into the classroom
C. Approached cautiously for fear of offending someone
D. Assigned for out of class work only

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3. Digital Responsibility: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds which is either
ethical or unethical. Information on the Internet is:

A. copyrighted and should be treated as other's property

B. Available for anyone to use as they want
C. Easy to copy and paste so it looks original
D. Unreliable and should be held suspect

4. Digital Communication: electronic exchange of information. E-mail messages should be:

A. Long and full of details

B. Made up of many ideas
C. Short and to the point
D. Sent without a subject line

5. Digital Education: process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of
technology. The most appropriate use of technology in schools is to:

A. Electrify what we have done in the past

B. Help teachers align their curriculum with the standards
C. Only write papers
D. Play games during class

6. Digital Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods. Searching for information
about products online before buying is:

A. A good idea and often allows for finding the best price
B. Too time consuming
C. A lot of work and not very informative
D. Not helpful, because it is difficult to find products online

7. Digital Rights: those freedoms extended to every student, administrator, teacher, parent
or community member. If someone puts copyrighted material on the internet and another
person wants to use it, that person should:

A. Use it, if it is for educational use

B. Take it, and use it as they want
C. Not use the information because it is too much trouble
D. Ask permission from the author or at least cite the source

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8. Digital Safety: free from digital danger and guaranteed digital physical well being.
Furniture and chairs for technology should be:

A. The right height and size for using that technology

B. Any size because it doesn’t matter to students
C. Bigger than the students to allow them to stretch
D. Soft and flexible so the students can be comfortable

9. Digital Security (self-protection): taking necessary precautions to guarantee electronic

digital safety. When dealing with strangers, online users should:

A. Give personal information freely

B. Be cautious about giving information
C. Provide passwords and credit information if asked
D. Not tell anyone about people they meet online
10. Following the rules and policies established by the school discrict for appropriate
technology use is an example of:

A. Access
B. Etiquette
C. Inappropriate behaviour
D. Safety

Direction: Encircle the correct answer.

1. Cyberbullying generally doesn't involve physical violence. What does physical mean in
this case?

A. Severe
B. Body-related
C. Having to do with emotions
D. Mild

2. Which of the following text messages would most likely be an example of cyberbullying?

A. Party at Tim's house tonight. 8 pm!

B. I disagree, I like math.
C. Don't tell Rita about Tim's party
D. Wear the red sweater - it looks best.

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3. Which of the following is a factual statement about cyberbullying?

A. Cyberbullying is the biggest problem young people face

B. Cyberbullying should be outlawed
C. Cyberbullies are mean people
D. Cyberbullying can make people feel bad

4. Over a few days, you receive a series of insulting IMs from someone at school. Which
sequence of actions is the best response?

A. Save the IMs; send an email to the IM host; confront the bully in school;meet with a
school counselor;
B. Tell a parent or otheer adult; delete all IMs from the bully; complain to the IM host
C. Ignore/delete the first IM: save/print any further IMs; tell a parent or other adult you
trust.
D. Ignore all the IMs.

5. What can you infer from the fact that people are more likely to say mean things online
then in person?

A. The internet doesn't have the same rules of behavior as real life
B. Using chat rooms and message boards makes some people angry
C. The internet is much more dangerous than real life
D. Being anonymous can make some people forget their manner

6. Why should you never send emails, texts, or IMs when you are angry or upset

A. You may not have the best judgement when your emotions are running high
B. The person you're communicating with won't respect you if you're not calm
C. It isn't easy for people to tell your emotional state online
D. Nobody really cares about how you feel

7. What's the best way to prove that you've been a victim of cyberbullying?

A. Talking about it with an adult that you trust

B. Telling a good friend about what has been happening
C. Saving screenshots of instances of instances where you've been harassed
D. Replying to harassing texts and emails

8. Why is ignoring a mean email usually the first best response?

A. In most cases, cyberbullies stop after one email message

B. It frustrates cyberbullies' desire for an emotional response
C. If you respond, your could get in trouble for cyberbullying too.

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D. Emails from cyberbullies often contain viruses

9. What do cyberbullies have in common with regular bullies?

A. They both tend to be bigger than their peers

B. Both types usually don't have a lot of friends
C. They're usually the most popular kids in school
D. They both end up hurting people

10. On its own, which of the following is most likely an example of plagiarism ?

A. Consulting an online resource when you write a research paper

B. Putting a quote from a magazine article in an essay
C. Forgetting to include a bibliography at the end of your paper
D. Paraphrasing the author of a published book

11. How might you classify copying and pasting a paragraph from a website into a school
assignment? Choose the best answer,

A. Borrowing
B. Giving
C. Paraphrasing
D. Stealing

12. It's often said that plagiarizing is like cheating yourself. Why is this?

A. You'll probably get kicked out of school if you plagiarize

B. Plagiarism is always caught and always results in bad grades
C. "Plagiarism" is basically another word for "cheating"
D. You lose the opportunity to practice critical thinking and writing skills

13. Why is paraphrasing a good way to avoid plagiarizing a source?

A. It doesn't give any credit to an original source

B. It shows your readers you have a firm grasp of the subject
C. It suggests that you personally know a source that you quote
D. It shows your teacher that you're able to use correct grammar

14. What's the best way to quote online resources without plagiarizing?

A. Paraphrasing every paragraph that you read

B. Using only print versions of online documents
C. Explaining to your teacher that you did your research on the Internet
D. Citing all your online resources with proper attribution

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15. Keeping your personal information a secret online is a wise policy. In the preceding
sentence, what does "policy" mean?

A. Method
B. Type of software
C. Trick or Trap
D. General plan

16. If you're confronted by a difficult situation online, and you don't know exactly how to
handle it, what should you do?

A. Ask an online friend for help

B. Turn off the computer
C. Make an educated guess
D. Tell an adult you trust

17. You receive the following text from a number you don't recognize Meet me near the
library water fountain What's the best response ?

A. Send a text back asking who it is

B. Spy on the water fountain and see who shows up
C. Don't respond and tell your parents
D. Send a text back saying "no"

17. Why do you need to be more cautious with friends you meet online than with the friends
you meet at school?

A. Most people on the internet aren't as trustworthy as people in the real world
B. Friendships that begin online aren't real
C. Online, it's more difficult to tell if a person is who he says he is
D. Websites have very strict rules aboout online friends.

18. Which word best describes how you should proceed with a new online friend?

A. Erratically
B. Cautiously
C. Deceitfully
D. Candidly

19. What kind of personal information is it okay to reveal online?

A. Your phone number

B. The name of your school

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C. Your home address

D. Your favorite actor

20. If you're friendly to people you meet online, chances are that your behavior will be
reciprocated. In other words:

A. If you're friendly, your internet service might be suspended

B. If you're friendly, crooks online will take advantage of you
C. If your nice to people, they'll probably be nice to you as well
D. Making an effort to be nice online is usually a waste of time

21. When is it okay to submit your personal information to a website?

A. When one of your friends tells you that the site is safe
B. When your parents say it's okay
C. When you receive an email requesting personal information
D. When all of your friends hae already done it

22. Olive is a 12-year-old girl living in Orlando, Florida. Which of the following screen names
is the safest for her?

A. OliveBet55
B. Florida_Gurl
C. AstroCat
D. TweenChick98

23. Which would make the best password?

A. 1492
B. Hello
C. Moby
D. C4liforn14

24. Which of the following would be a creative work protected by copyright?

A. A list of all the U.S. zip codes

B. A portrait of your family
C. An idea for a new gadget
D. The name of your pet dog

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Lesson 2: Netizenship and Netiquette in Online Communities

The internet can be a dangerous place for students, where mistakes can have grave
consequences. Alternatively, the internet can be a great place for students to learn, get a
jumpstart on the future, and connect each other.
With proper education on the issues covered this guide, students can learn about
internet safety and may be better prepared to reap its benefits, while steering clear of the
potential pitfalls.
As a teacher or parent (or both), you know that an interactive dialogue with students is
essential to education. Students learn when they are engaged and thinking critically about the
material. To teach kids about digital citizenship, you must spark their interest and engage them
in a dialogue. Fortunately, kids are usually intrigued by the internet. Educating a child on digital
citizenship is a matter of relating the interest they already have with your knowledge on this
important subject.

Lesson outcomes:

1. Define Netizenship and netiquette

2. Formulate a set of netiquette guidelines
3. Create a campaign video to promote netiquette

The case involved two minor students from certain schoolwhose photos were posted on
Facebook. The photos, which were uploaded by one of their friends, showed the students
drinking and smoking in the bar, and wearing just undergarments on a street. The photos were
shown by the one of the Facebook friends of the girls to the school officials prompting them to
ban the students from marching in their graduation rites. According to the school, the students
violated the school code of conduct.
The parents of the students in defense filed a petition for the issuance of a writ of
habeas data and asked the court to order the school to surrender and deposit all soft and
printed copies of the photographs and to declare they have been illegally obtained in violations
of the children’s right to privacy.
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1. After weighing all the information, with whom will you side- to the parents or to the
school?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. What are your reasons for siding with the parents? The school?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

The court dismissed the parents petition and ruled that “The school did not violate the minors
privacy rights, “According to the court, the school cannot be faulted for being “steadfast in its duty of
teaching its students to be responsible in their dealings and activity in cyberspace, particularly in
[social networks], when it enforced the disciplinary actions specified in the Student Handbook,
absent a showing that, in the process, it violated the student’s rights.”
The decision of the court stated that the students cannot invoke the protection attached to the
right to informational privacy because the photos were seen by other student of the school, who in
turn showed them to the computer teacher who reported the incident to the school authorities. In the
language court.” The photos, having been uploaded on the Facebook without restriction as to who
may view them, lost their post privacy to ‘Friends Only Is not an assurance that it can no longer be
viewed by another user who is not Facebook Friends with the source of the content. The decision
read that,” Without proof that they placed the photographs subject of this case within the ambit of
their protected zone privacy, they cannot now insist that they have an expectation of privacy with
respect to the photograph in questions.
The decision of the court puts the burden of ensuring safeguarding privacy online user and
expects them to exercise due diligence in their online dealings and activities. According to the court,
not discounting the role of schools and parents in disciplining and educating their children to be good
digital citizens, self-regulation is the “best means of avoiding privacy rights violations.” It further
issued a ruling saying that nothing is ever private on Facebook, even those tagged as private never
really escape public viewing, including unintended audiences.

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The Philippines, being considered as a social media capital of the world, has a need to
stress a social media education and etiquette among online users. The interview conducted with
parents and teacher of high school students in the above example underscored the need to use
social media responsibly. All agreed for the inclusion of social media etiquette in education
curriculum either as a separate subject or integrated in good manners and right conduct. Social
media can attain many things in terms of social good (Brutas,2015). How can social media be
used to affect positive change?

Netizenship is the term netizen is a portmanteau of the words internet and citizen , as in
a “citizen of the net” or “net citizen”. It describes person actively involved in online communities
or the internet in general.
Netiquette is a short for “internet etiquette”. Just like etiquette is a code of polite behavior
in the internet. This includes several aspects of the internet, such as email, social media, online
chat, web forums, website comments, multiplayer gaming, and other types of online
communication.
We can have understood our roles and responsibilities as global digital citizens. Our
membership in the virtual community requires that we have appropriate and act responsibility.
Scrutinizing the term again, a netizen, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (26 April
2018) is an active participant in the online community of the internet. The medical dictionary
refers to it as an internet citizen who use uses networked resources, which connotes civic
responsibility and participation. Thus, Netizenship means citizenship in the internet or in the
virtual world.
As responsible netizens, we are all expected support a healthy interaction on the
internet. A netiquette or the rules of socially accepted behavior online have to be observed in
writing an email, in texting, and other communication on the web.
"Netiquette" is a term describing how to interact clearly and respectfully with others in an
online environment.

As more and more classes include online discussions, it becomes more and more
important for instructors to understand the rules of etiquette that, when followed, help make the
individual postings easy to follow, keep conversation threads focused, and the overall
discussion on-track. Unregulated, an online discussion can quickly disintegrate into a tangled
web of extraneous verbiage, rude language, and inconsiderate behavior guaranteed to derail
the conversation. The basic premise is that the etiquette expected of your students in online
discussions is the same as that which you expect in a classroom. There is a problem, though:
the absence of visual and auditory clues. In face-to-face discussions, these clues contribute a
lot of nonverbal nuances of meaning. It's impossible to replicate these nonverbal cues in an
online environment.

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To counteract that shift, to raise general awareness, and to help you enhance the
learning experience of your students, here are some online discussion rules to include in your
syllabus. Notice that most of them are just as applicable in face-to-face discussions.
 Participate: This is a shared learning environment. No lurking in the cyberspace background. It
is not enough to log in and read the discussion thread of others. For the maximum benefit to all,
everyone must contribute.

 Avoid Repetition: Read everything in the discussion thread before replying. This will help you
avoid repeating something someone else has already contributed. Acknowledge the points
made with which you agree and suggest alternatives for those with which you don’t.

 Use Proper Writing Style: The academic environment expects a higher-order language. Write
as if you were writing a term paper. Correct spelling, grammatical construction, and sentence
structure are expected in every other writing activity associated with scholarship and academic
engagement. Online discussions are no different. Avoid profanity.

 Cite Your Sources: Another big must! If your contribution to the conversation includes the
intellectual property (authored material) of others, e.g., books, newspaper, magazine, or journal
articles—online or in print—they must be given proper attribution.

 Respect Diversity: It’s an ethnically rich and diverse, multi-cultural world in which we live. Use
no language that is—or that could be construed to be—offensive toward others. Racists, sexist,
and heterosexist comments and jokes are unacceptable, as are derogatory and/or sarcastic
comments and jokes directed at religious beliefs, disabilities, and age. We all come with
different perspectives, so please are respectful and resist the urge to tell anyone they are
wrong. Understand they have had different life experiences and all of our world views are simply
different.

 No YELLING! Using bold upper-case letters is bad form, like stomping around and yelling at
somebody (NOT TO MENTION BEING HARD ON THE EYE).

 Remember, You Can't Un-Ring the Bell: Language is your only tool in an online environment.
Be mindful. How others perceive you will be large—as always—up to you. Once you've hit the
send button, you've rung the bell. Review your written posts and responses to ensure that
you’ve conveyed exactly what you intended. This is an excellent opportunity to practice your
proofreading, revision, and rewriting skills—valuable assets in the professional world for which
you are now preparing. Read your post out loud before hitting the send button. This will tell you
a lot about whether your grammar and sentence structure are correct, your tone is appropriate,
and your contribution clear or not.

Why Netiquette is Important

Netiquette is important as online communication is non-verbal. You have to follow
Internet etiquette because there are other people such as your friends, relatives, elders who are
using the Internet for all online communications. Hence it is correct to behave properly and write
politely to everyone. Following proper Netiquette practices helps represent yourself correctly to

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a larger audience. Your attitude and character can be ascertained by the way you communicate
with others. The kind of information you post online helps others to know about your character.
Corporate are evaluating candidates by reviewing their social networking identity. Besides
corporate, educators too are evaluating our presence on the social networking sites and also
through the information we post.
Every field requires a discipline and the person who follows the discipline will be
appreciated. The Internet has become a part of our life. It is helping us in so many ways. It has
made things easier in comparison to all other traditional methods of communication. We are
able to stay connected anytime and anywhere. When we benefit so much from it, it becomes
our duty to respect the privileges given by following standard practices that will not only help you
but also others online.
There are some teenagers who have not heeded Netiquettes and have caused ill-repute
to the rest of us. We have a responsibility to ensure that not only we but also others enjoy the
service that the Internet provides. We need to discuss with our friends and make a commitment
to follow Netiquettes. Cyber bullying can be stopped if each one of us start respecting each
other and stop spreading wrong information about others online. Plagiarism can be stopped if
everyone respects the work done by someone and seeks their permission before using their
content. Identity theft can be stopped if we respect others personal information and treat it as if
it were our own information. Internet addiction can be stopped if we maintain timelines to use
the Internet and prefer physical games and meeting friends rather than talking online and
playing online games. Internet etiquette teach us the objective for using the Internet.
The objective is to know and learn information, spread good messages, play online
games along with parents and friends, address each other with respect, follow a standard
template for writing emails to educators and friends and become a responsible online user. Use
the social networking sites to promote positive messages, encourage and talk about good
things, also chat with known people to build healthy relationships. If there is someone who is
sharing negative information and hurtful messages, advise him / her to stop behaving like that. If
they don’t listen, block the person.
Netiquettes teaches us to be good and advise others to be good and consider everyone
online. Some ill-informed teenagers have misused the Internet for wrong things. Let’s bring in a
change by using the Internet effectively and promoting the importance of Netiquettes to
everyone.

NETIQUETTE GUIDELINES

1. Protect your Reputation.

Weather in a real or in virtual world,
you are the same person. Do only what
appropriate and share information that does
harm you as a person.

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2. Respect others.
Treat everyone with respect even if
you have not seen him/her in the person. Be
judicious about what you say on your own
and other’s pages.

3. Express yourself clearly and use

emoticons.
Communication online is difficult because
emotion are not evident during communication.
Miscommunication usually takes place because
your facial expression and your body language
cannot be seen and the tone of your voice cannot
be heard. Thus, emoticons are readily available to
show your emotions.

4. Remember the Intellectual Property

Ideas online are products of
intelligence of others. If you need to cite
them, acknowledge the authors. You
definitely do not want to steal the property of
others.

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5. Check spelling, grammar and

punctuation
Since your face cannot see online,
you will be judged according to your post.
Good writing means good manners. We do
not want to waste others people’s time
reading our post which is incomprehensible.

6. Pause before you post.

Take note that whatever you post
become permanent therefore think twice or thrice
before you click send

7. Do not share your personal information.

Sharing your personal information online is like
going around the streets wearing a shirt printed with
your name, birthday, address, name of parents, etc.
you definitely do not want to reveal all these to many
people. Besides, providing all these publicly will make
you prone to identity theft.

9. Think about who or what you are

representing.
As a son/ daughter you represent your family.
As a student you represent your school. You do not
want your family or to put to shame by what you do.

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Direction. Check the circle that corresponds your answer.

1. In this type, an individual creates a document by copying from various sources and prepare as a
single document with the citation. But if the citation is inaccurate or it will lead to non-existing
resources. → "404 Error" plagiarism

True False
2. Is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other
enterprises. Trademarks date back to ancient times when artisans used to put their signature or
"mark" on their products. → trademark

True False
3. Happens when the written article is copied from more than one source and all are mixed
together without any proper citation. → mashup plagiarism

True False
4. (IPOPHIL) which administers and implements state policies in relation to intellectual property. It
was created through Republic Act 8293. This act defines intellectual property to include
copyrights and related rights; trademarks and service marks; geographic indications, industrial
designs; patents, layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits; and protection of
undisclosed information → Netiquette

True False
5. Are the rights given to persons over the creations of their minds. They usually give the creator
an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time.
Source:https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/intel1_e.htm → World Trade Organization,
Intellectual property rights

True False

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A. Direction. Match column A to column B. Write your answer on the box provided.

A. It is also called identical copying. Individual duplicates

1. hybrid plagiarism
another work (word-for-word) without any alteration and claim
as his own work.
2. Re-Tweet plagiarism
B. This happens if the entire article seems perfect with properly
cited mark but still the document resembles somewhere the
3. recycle plagiarism
original text's structure or wordings.

C. In this kind of plagiarism, perfectly cited source documents

4. clone plagiarism are copied and arranged as a new document without citation.

D. It is also called self-plagiarism. The act of borrowing from

5. ctrl c plagiarism one's own previous work without an appropriate citation.

E. This happens when a significant portion of text copied from

any single source without any alteration in the written
document.
B. Direction. Check the number that corresponds your answer.
1. (net + etiquette) is the code of proper conduct applied to virtual online spaces. This code is
dictated by common sense rules (manners) and social conventions. Teaching students about
netiquette is just as important as teaching them to use technology in their learning

1. the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines

2. Netiquette

3. copyright

4. Netizen,

2. Which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By
striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP
system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.

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1. copyright

2. copyright infringement

3. patents, copyright, and trademarks

4. patents

3. Means citizenship in the internet or in the virtual world.

1. trademark

2. netizenship

3. Netizen,

4. patents

4. According to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) refers to creations of the mind,
such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in
commerce.

1. Netizen,

2. "404 Error" plagiarism

3. Intellectual property

4. World Trade Organization, Intellectual property rights

5. Is an exclusive right granted for an invention. Generally speaking, a patent provides the patent
owner with the right to decide how - or whether - the invention can be used by others.

1. copyright infringement

2. trademark

3. patents

4. copyright

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Lesson 3: Intellectual Property Rights on the Development and

Use of Digital Materials

The issue of Intellectual Property Rights is one of the growing importance and
increasingly permeate discussions among eLearning experts (Duncan,C., & Ekmekcioglu,C.,
2003). The rise of eLearning courses and materials with the capabilities of mobile technologies
small enough to carry one’s pocket, and the increasing power and functionality of these devices,
is causing both a shift, and an opportunity for eLearning experts and practitioners.
Knowledge about Intellectual Property Rights have until recently been relatively obscure
parts of the eLearning and the mobile learning world but are now rapidly becoming essential.
Therefore, knowledge about intellectual property rights information is vital for practitioners,
individuals, students, digital libraries and repositories as it records who owns the eLearning
resources, who can access it and use it, and under what conditions the resources is made
available.

Lesson outcomes:

1. Identified examples of Intellectual Property Right in Educational Setting

2. Defined the copyright laws
3. Cited consequences when copyright laws were violated

The Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics surveyed 43,000 high school students
in public and private schools and found that:
One out of three high school students admitted that they used the Internet to plagiarize
an assignment
What do you survey data imply?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Look at your answers. Did you have similar answers in both figures? If yes, write them in the
center of the Venn diagram. Explain your answer.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Intellectual Property Right

Intellectual property protection is important in fostering innovation. Without protection of
ideas, individuals will not be able to enjoy the full benefit of their inventions and they would not
be compensated for their creations. This encourages innovation without the fear that a
competitor will steal the idea and/or take the credit for it.

Intellectual property, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),

refers to creations of the mind such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and
symbols, names and images used in commerce. An intellectual property right is a right held by a
person or by a company to have exclusive rights over these. Internationally, these intellectual
properties are protected by the World Intellectual Property Organization to which the Philippines

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is one of the 191 member states. In our country, we have the Intellectual Property Office of the
Philippines (IPOPHIL) which administers and implements states policies in relation to
intellectual property. This office was created through Republic Act 8293. This act defines
intellectual property to include copyright and related rights; trademarks and service marks;
geographic indications; industrial designs; patents; layout designs (topographies) of integrated
circuits; and protection of undisclosed information. In the education setting, copyright and
related rights are the ones applicable.

Copyright

Copyright refers to the legal right given to the owner of the original work or
intellectual property. These "works" are original intellectual creations in the literary and artistic
domain protected from the moment of their creations which include the following:
1. Books, pamphlets, articles and other writings;
2. Periodicals and newspapers;
3. Lectures, sermons, addresses, dissertations prepared for oral delivery, whether or not
reduced in writing or other material forms;
4. Letters;
5. Dramatic or dramatico-musical compositions; choreographic works or entertainment in
dumb shows;
6. Musical compositions, with or without words;
7. Works of drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving, lithography or other
works of art; models or designs for works of art;
8. Original ornamental designs or models for articles of manufacture, whether or not
register able as an industrial design, and other works of applied art;
9. Illustrations, maps, plans, sketches, charts and three-dimensional works relative to
geography, topography, architecture or science;
10. Drawings or plastic works of a scientific or technical character;
11. Photographic works, including works produced by a process analogous to
photography; lantern slides;
12. Audiovisual works and cinematographic works and works produced by a process
analogous to cinematography or any process for making audiovisual recordings;
13. Pictorial illustrations and advertisements;
14. Computer programs; and
15. Other literary, scholarly, scientific and artistic works.

The internet is a very rich source of these materials and we should be careful in using
them. These works are protected by the sole fact of their creation, irrespective of their form or
mode of creation as well as of their content, quality and purpose. Now that copy and paste are
very accessible commands in our computer toolbars, we should try not to violate the copyright
laws otherwise we could be accused of copyright infringement. Copyright infringement is the
use of works without permission where the copyright holder has the exclusive right to
reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works. Proper
citations should be used when including them in our output.

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Below are the guidelines on online use of copyrighted materials by Smaldino Lowther
and Russel (2012):
1. Contrary to popular opinion, all material on the internet is copyrighted unless stated
otherwise. It is copyrighted even if it does not display the copyright symbol.
2. An email is an original work, fixed in a tangible medium of expression, that is covered by
copyright. Hence it is recommended that you should not forward any email without
permission, in consideration of both copyright and Privacy Act.
3. Downloading an article from a newspaper's website, making copies, and distributing
them to your students prior to class discussion on the topic is permissible following the
current photocopying guidelines which permits making multiple copies for classroom
use. The exception would be individually bylined, copyrighted articles, or articles from a
source specifically designed for the educational market where such articles cannot be
copied legally for class distribution (adapted from Becker, 2003).
4. You cannot post students' essays, poems, or other works on the school website unless
you have permission of the students and their parents or guardians.
5. Educators should treat copyrighted materials from the internet the same way they do to
print formats. The best guideline is to always obtain permission. When in doubt, ask!

Copyright Infringement vs. Plagiarism

Another violation on intellectual property is plagiarism. Although plagiarism and copyright

infringement are related ideas, these two are different. Plagiarism, according to plagiarism.org,
is an act of fraud; it involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.
Plagiarism.org further elaborates the following as plagiarism:
1. turning in someone else's work as your own
2. copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
3. failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
4. giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
5. changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
6. copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your
work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)

For images, videos and music, the following are counted as plagiarism:
1. Copying media (especially images) from other websites to paste them into your own
papers or websites.
2. Making a video using footage from others' videos or using copyrighted music as part of
the soundtrack.
3. Performing another person's copyrighted music (i.e., playing a cover).
4. Composing a piece of music that borrows heavily from another composition.

In other words, plagiarism refers to copying the work of another and claiming it as one's
ideas without proper attribution while copyright infringement is copying one's work without
obtaining permission. In this sense, copyright infringement is a violation of the right of the

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copyright holder while plagiarism is a violation of the right of the author. We have to note that
not all authors are copyright holders; there are cases when the publisher owns the copyright. In
addition, copyright infringement is a legal violation while plagiarism is an ethical violation.

The Intellectual Property Rights In eLearning

Good management of intellectual property (IP) rights is critical for the successful
implementation of eLearning, courses and materials. The effective application of intellectual
property rights in the creation, development and implementation of eLearning courses is a
critical component in the field of education, as it plays it part in a knowledge-based economy.
Not long ago, the terms eLearning and learning implied laptop computers and mobile carts that
were wheeled from classroom to classroom. However, technological advancement has enabled
the rapid development of new types of digital publishing and tools which in many instances have
overtaken the current provisions of the law. In spite of this however, there has been significant
legal advances and discourse regarding intellectual property rights of eLearning courses and
materials. The history of intellectual property rights is one of adaptation to educational, technical
and commercial change. It is therefore vital that developers, practitioners, and consumers of
eLearning content have a clear idea and understanding of what is permissible with the product
of their labours and what is impermissible.

As a growing number of digitized and eLearning courses increase and are offered on a
global scale, eLearning practitioners have expressed legitimate discussions and concerns about
the legal ramifications of their work and products. For eLearning practitioners for example, the
legal lines of what is private content material and what is public content that can be transferrable
from one organization or institution to another have become blurry and sometimes
misunderstood. Questions of ownership of copyrighted or digitized products also abound as well
as issues pertaining the legal download of copyrighted materials and resources, patents and
trademarks. eLearning practitioners often find themselves involved in situations that are less
than desirable and that may likely pose legal ramifications. This article promotes awareness
about basic intellectual property rights, especially as it relates eLearning content creation and
development. It describes the relevant aspects of Intellectual Property (IP) Rights as it relates to
the field of eLearning. The article sums up by providing guidelines or best practices about
intellectual property rights in the development and creation of eLearning materials and on the
use of third party materials. The article concludes with a persuasive note to developers of
eLearning courses about the potential benefits of including IPR management in their project
planning and management activities.

Intellectual Property Rights and the eLearning Landscap e

The issue of intellectual property rights is one of growing importance and increasingly
permeate discussions among eLearning experts (Duncan, C., & Ekmekcioglu, C., 2003). The
rise of eLearning courses and materials with the capabilities of mobile technologies small

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enough to carry in one’s pocket, and the increasing power and functionality of these devices, is
causing both a shift, and an opportunity for eLearning experts and practitioners. Legal questions
and concerns become more crucial as practitioners forge ahead and make significant
milestones in the area of content management, content delivery and eLearning implementation.
Inherent in this technological advance, are real challenges of intellectual property rights.
Knowledge about intellectual property rights have until recently been relatively obscure parts
of the eLearning and the mobile learning world but are now rapidly becoming essential.
ELearning practitioners crave access and use to vital legal information that will assist them in
their content development, delivery and management. Therefore knowledge about intellectual
property rights information is vital for practitioners, individuals, students, digital libraries and
repositories as it records who owns the eLearning resources, which can access it and use it,
and under what conditions the resources is made available.

What are Intellectual Property Rights?

Intellectual property is the area of law that deals with protecting the rights of those who
create original works and in this instance, in the field of eLearning. It covers everything from
original plays and novels to inventions and company identification marks. The purpose of
intellectual property laws is to encourage new technologies, artistic expressions and inventions
while promoting economic growth. When individuals know that their creative work will be
protected and that they can benefit from their labor, they are more likely to continue to produce
works that create jobs, develop new technology and make processes more efficient. There are
three main mechanisms for protecting intellectual property in the United States namely:
copyrights, patents and trademarks.

1. Copyrights in eLearning

A copyright provides protection for original works of authorship, fixed in a tangible

medium of expression including literary, musical, and dramatic works, as well as photographs,
audio and visual recordings, software, and other intellectual works. (Hinson, 2015). Copyright
protection begins as soon as the work is fixed in a tangible medium. An eLearning practitioner
should begin using the copyright symbol immediately development of original works
commences, as a method of informing others that he intends to exercise control over the
production, distribution, display, and or performance of his or her work. While it is not necessary
to file for copyright protection, doing so for work of significant value will make it easier to seek
court enforcement of your copyright if there happens to be a material breach. (Hinson, 2015).
Copyright protection give owners exclusive rights to reproduce their work, publicly
display or perform their work, and create derivative works. Additionally, copyright owners are
given economic rights to financially benefit from their work and prohibit others from doing so
without their permission. As an eLearning content developer or practitioner, it is important to
realize that copyrights do not protect ideas. Copyright protects how ideas are
expressed. Copyright protected works for eLearning practitioners includes literary, musical, and
dramatic works, as well as photographs and graphics, audio and visual recordings, software,

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and other intellectual works. A copyright provides protection for original works of authorship,
fixed in any tangible medium of expression. (Title 17, United States Code, § 102.) The protected
work should be fixed in a tangible medium of expression. (Title 17, United States Code, § 102 §
102.). In order for the work to be "fixed in a tangible medium of expression", it means that it has
been set in a form in which it can be perceived either directly or with the aid of a device.
The owner of a copyright has the exclusive right to control the reproduction, distribution,
performance, and display of the work, and the preparation of derivative works. Original
ownership of the copyright is granted to the author of the work. (Title 17, United States Code, §
106.) But if the author creates the work in the scope and course of employment, then the
employer is considered to be the author under the "work for hire" doctrine. A party may also be
considered the author of certain works, if the work is commissioned and the contract specifically
states that the "work for hire" doctrine applies. (Title 17, United States Code, § 106.) Ownership
of a copyright can be transferred. A transfer of the owner's exclusive rights must be made in
writing. A transfer of less than the owner's exclusive rights does not need to be in writing.

2. Patents in eLearning

Patents unlike copyright are unique inventions that are crucial to the success of many
organizations, institutions or businesses. eLearning practitioners or content developers who
have developed new and better products or processes that are unique, useful, and non-
obvious, need to protect the competitive advantage this gives them by obtaining a patent. The
implications of obtaining a patent for a unique invention is that the holder of a patent can stop
third parties from making, using or selling his or her invention for a period of years depending on
the type of invention. Obtaining a patent for an invention as an eLearning practitioner requires a
clear understanding of who owns the inventions. The most critical question is does your
institution, organization or business own the inventions or do the employees who create the
inventions own them? Legally, this may depend on principally on the type of work arrangement
you have with your organization, institution or business. An agreement between you and your
institution will specify and allocate ownership rights well ahead of your invention. Ensure that
you pay attention to the “devil in the details.” In sum, patents protect an invention from being
made, sold or used by others for a certain period of time.

3. Trademarks in eLearning

Trademark law seeks to protect others from using the same or a confusingly similar
name for their products, as yours. Currently, a majority of eLearning content and materials are
no doubt increasingly differentiated and varied and may include digital audio, video, text on a
website, animated images, and virtual reality environments. The ability to create content in a
variety of ways by utilizing a variety of authoring tools poses critical issues related with trade
mark protection. Trademark protection under the law, protects the names and identifying marks
of products and companies. The purpose of trademarks is to make it easy for clients and
consumers to easily distinguish competitors from each other. A trademark protects the name of
your product by preventing other business from selling a product under the same name. Having

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a unique and identifiable name for your product is an advantage for your institution organization
and business.

Implications and Best Practices Of Intellectual Property Rights In

eLearning

Protecting your intellectual property rights is crucial to the success of any institution or
organization. In order to do so, institutions need sensible policies and practices for managing
the intellectual property rights represented in the field of eLearning. As a general rule and
legally, intellectual property produced in the course of employment belongs to the employer, but,
traditionally, for example, individual members of academic staff in higher education have
controlled the IP in their publications. It is therefore vital that developers, practitioners, and
consumers of eLearning content have a clear idea and understanding of what is permissible
with the product of their labors and what is impermissible. It is also crucial for participating
institutions and organizations to including IPR management in their project planning and
management activities.

A few best practices tips for eLearning professionals regarding patent, and trademarks
are:

1. Do a thorough research.
Make sure your idea is not infringing on someone else's patent. To do so, you must
conduct an initial or a preliminary patent search. This step will help ensure that your idea
hasn't already been patented by someone else.

2. Prototype.
It is beneficial to develop a basic prototype to determine your product's functionality. This
ensures you have a close-to-final design when you do file for a patent. Trademarks: As a
practitioner, it is important to be involved in a thorough clearance strategy by analyzing
the mark for registrability and protect ability, to avoid using famous well know marks, to
conduct preliminary screening and order comprehensive searches.

Intellectual Property in Instructional Design

In today’s world, access to just about any kind of information imaginable is available at
the click of a button. Type in a search term, and you’re pretty much assured of finding
something that relates to your topic. In Learning and Development, and Instructional and
Graphics Design, it can be tempting to use such resources to demonstrate a procedure
(YouTube video), illustrate a point (funny photo/meme), or simply improve the auditory and/or
visual presentation of your content (sound effects/cool graphics). You may even think that you
will only use it internally, or just once. If you’ve been in the learning industry for any length of

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time, however, you are probably aware that you can’t simply go on a fishing expedition on the
internet and plop in whatever you might come across. Copyright and intellectual property laws
remain in effect, and your company and/or clients could face liability issues if the deliverables
you present contain music, images, videos, etc., for which you have not obtained all the proper
legal permissions. Not respecting these procedures can lead to steep penalties, and your
company’s reputation can be at stake.

This is not an insurmountable issue. You’d be surprised at the number of people that
generate content simply because they have a passion for a particular subject. They’re often
willing to share that content in exchange for a simple acknowledgment. Let’s take a look at what
you can and can’t use, and how to go about obtaining permission to use content that supports
your overarching learning objectives and is readily available online.

YouTube Videos

YouTube is teeming with explainer videos that illustrate abstract concepts or provide
step-by-step demonstrations of how to complete a task. If you come across a video that is
suitable for your content, your first step is to figure out what kind of copyright might be in place.
The most common is the Standard YouTube License, which basically allows YouTube to
broadcast the video, with the creator retaining the copyright. If this is the case, you can private
message the creator, requesting to use the content. If the creator grants permission, you’re
good to go, as long as you respect the conditions of use, which should be outlined in your
message exchange. Do not, however, download, insert, or edit videos under the Standard
YouTube License without permission.

If you’re lucky enough to come across a video that is licensed under the Creative
Commons copyright, the terms of use are even simpler. Creative Commons is a type of public
copyright that allows the creator to retain a copyright but permits others to distribute, use, or
build on the original content according to what is specified in the license. Some Creative
Commons licenses require the only attribution, others only authorize non-commercial use, and
others might require that the original content remains unaltered. Be sure you know what type of
CC license is in place before slicing and dicing video content.

Photos/Graphics

The visual aspect of your deliverable is crucial, particularly if the content is somewhat
dry. Again, usage rights are at issue here. You can’t simply plug a concept or term into a search
engine and use the image that best suits your needs. There are 2 possible solutions. You can
either ensure that your search results are filtered by license type, a functionality available in the
settings of most search engines, or you can source your images directly from dedicated sites
such as Pixabay and Unsplash. Contributors to these sites allow their images to be freely used,

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and while they don’t legally require any type of acknowledgment, it’s wise to include that
information somewhere so that you can confidently provide source information to your clients.
As an added bonus, it's also a means of providing recognition to some truly talented artists.

Many organizations are not fully aware of the risks involved with using copyrighted
material and might have previously used vendors that rationalized the use of easily accessible
content, irrespective of copyright issues. That’s not the way to go. When clients realize that part
of what you offer is protecting the integrity of their content by scrupulously respecting the
intellectual property rights of others, the likelihood of building a long-term relationship increases
exponentially.

Copyright Protection In eLearning Design: What You Need To Know To Protect

Your Work
When eLearning content designers create material for their courses, they invest
considerable amount of time, skill, effort, and money into its production. If you are an
independent designer, or running your own eLearning consulting business, you have much
more at stake in your creations. As a result, there is often an implied understanding of
“ownership” for the content. However, oftentimes content created through your toil and labor can
be surreptitiously copied and used by someone else; depriving you not only of
acknowledgement of ownership, but also of potential material and financial benefits that may
have accrued to you. Copyright aims to put an end to such “misappropriation” of content that
lawfully belongs to you. In most cases (though there are limitations and exemptions) such
protection grants the original creator the right to own the content, and decide who can use,
share or disseminate it. In this article we will talk about copyright protection in eLearning. We
will also go over some useful tips to consider when dealing with copyrighted content.

Things You Should Know About Copyright Protection In eLearning

Your eLearning content, when properly copyrighted, enjoys protection under the
Copyright Law of the United States. The Copyright Act of 1976, as subsequently amended since
then, offers lawful owners the rights to safeguard their creations and, where legally permitted,
enjoy the benefits of those creations:

 When you design and create unique eLearning content for a course that you are
working on, you should protect your ownership rights to that content by using
copyright laws to grant you such protection.
 Copyright protection in eLearning allows you to solely own such content, and gives
you the exclusive right to decide on distribution, sharing or 3rd-party use of the
content.
 Be aware though, that not everything you produce for an eLearning course might be
your copyrighted materials. If there is an express understanding that someone else
(for instance, your employer or the institution you are developing the content for) will

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own the content, then you may not have any rights to what you have designed and
created.
 If you are developing a course on your own (i.e. not on behalf of someone else who
will legally own your creations), then you should consider using the copyright symbol
-©- on all of your original works during the development phase of your eLearning
content.
 When using the copyright symbol ©, it is not necessary for you to formally file for
copyright protection. However, having a formal copyright assignment makes it easier
to defend your title/ownership if material breaches of your copyrights do occur.
 Once copyrighted, your eLearning material receives special protections that make
you its exclusive owner, allowing you ultimate control on its distribution, use and
dissemination.
 When copyrighted, your content can also provide you special economic opportunities
as a result of which you can monetize (earn money from) your works
One very important thing to keep in mind about copyrighted content is that the law does
not protect the fundamental ideas that your content deals with – just the original (and unique)
expression of those ideas by you.

A very pertinent aspect of copyright protection in eLearning content is enshrined in

the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998, which took the original copyrights laws
and brought them into the digital age. DMCA is most relevant to you, as e-content designers
and creators, because it offers you additional protection and remedies to safeguard your digital
content from unintended or malicious use.

Can You Use Other People’s e-Content?

When designing your own eLearning courses, you may sometimes have the need to use
content created by your peers, or content you download from the internet (public domain). The
question is: Can you do that without running afoul of the Copyright Act?

The answer is: Yes – with certain limitations.

Most copyrighted content grants original creators “exclusive right” for only a limited
duration (typically 50 to 100 years). Once exclusive right-unencumbered content enters the
public domain, it may still be the originators creation, but is limited by the “Fair use” guidelines.

Under fair use, original content can still be copied (in full or part) and used by others
without the creators permission. However, the use of such content must be done in a way that’s
not unduly “unfair” to the original creator.

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Useful Tools And Tips To Consider

The Title 17 of the Copyrights act comprises of 13 chapters, each of which has multiple
sections and sub-sections. While eLearning content designers are highly encouraged to go
through the entire document (at their leisure!), you may be able to use the following tips, tricks
and tools to start getting the most out of copyright protection instantly:

 If you are using MS Word to develop your content, here are some guidelines on how
you can add the copyright symbol -©- to your content.
 When using Google Docs to produce your e-content, you can insert the copyright
symbol by following these guidelines.
 Follow these guidelines to ensure that you are using the copyright symbol correctly.
 If you are in need of content created by others, which you can use without infringing
on other people’s copyright, then you should start your search at the Creative
Commons (CC) archive. While this resource may offer content that you can use
under the “Fair Use” guidelines, you must always check with the creator about
appropriate use.
 When you do locate content that you believe can be used under “Fair Use”, make
sure you use this proprietary Fair Use Evaluator to ascertain whether your intended
use is indeed “fair’. The tool also produces a useful report that you can maintain as
proof of your endeavors to ascertain fairness of use – should such an eventuality
occur.
 If you come across unlawful use of your digital copyrighted content on the Internet,
you can file a Legal Removal Request at Google (other search engines and website
owners are legally obligated to offer similar services) and seek for such content to be
excluded from its search engine.
 If you are alleged to have infringed upon someone else’s copyrights, then most e-
content hosts offer you the opportunity to file a counter claim under sections
512(g)(2) and (3) of the US Copyright Act
Copyright laws, like any other branch of legality, are rife with challenges with regards to
interpretation, nuances and definitions. As a result, if possible, when facing a copyrights issue
you should always consult with a copyrights lawyer before making any decisions related to your
rights.

If you want to learn about creating successful training courses, obtain a copy of
the Instructional Design For eLearning: Essential Guide To Creating Successful eLearning
Courses book where you will find instructional design and eLearning tips, tricks, suggestions,
and best practices. This book is also available in Spanish. In addition, you may be interested in
the Instructional Design For eLearning course, which also focuses on creating successful,
results-oriented training materials.

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Intellectual Property Vs. Content Marketing In eLearning

Your educational materials are often unique, may have taken years to put together, and
are invaluable to your work and your students. But are you limiting yourself by treating them as
property? Can you compete with the free content revolution taking place online?

Intellectual Property Vs. Content Marketing: What eLearning Professionals Need

To Know

As an educator, it can be tempting to treat your lesson plans, learning materials, and
individual approach to teaching and engaging with students as proprietary. In many respects, it
all is proprietary: You conceived it, field-tested it, refined it, maybe even leveraged it to train
other faculty or peers. Your academic methods and original resources are your intellectual
property (IP), and more than that, they are the bread and butter of your professional value
proposition. No one else brings what you bring to the learning table.

But the internet is disrupting the whole idea of IP, as well as formal learning, much more
than we often give it credit for.

I want to talk briefly about something that is all the rage in corporate, professional, and
technology sectors: Content marketing.

How Content Marketing Is Disrupting Ideas of Ownership

The notion here is really quite simple — despite the troves of opinions and “expert”
suggestions swarming around the subject like a plague of flies straight out of Exodus. The
internet is built around content. Social media, in particular, has pivoted heavily away from
people simply connecting to one another to incorporate more content sharing. Facebook, once
preoccupied with “friends” and groups, now facilitates video sharing and streaming, and has all
sorts of algorithms managing content feeds. Instagram, YouTube, and virtually every other
popular platform have taken a similar course, putting content first and connections second.

The point of all this is that getting maximum visibility and engagement for your content
often means sacrificing your IP claims up front. Putting your content behind paywalls, or
requiring subscriptions, only inhibits its viral potential. People and companies today are worried
more about maximizing exposure, rather than controlling access and ensuring credit is giving
where it is due. In fact, major brands and companies are looking to crowdsource advertising
through the use of user-generated video, amplified by social media, rather than putting their own
resources behind heavily protected and expensively produced media.

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Exclusive rights and authorship is being displaced, in some respects, by an alternative

currency also unique to the internet: links. Since links facilitate the flow of traffic, “creators” are
often just as happy to get this little blip of HTML code pointing at their content and site as they
would be to have their name dropped in reference to whatever they produced — happier, in fact,
because links are easier to click than names are to search.

Content Marketing Challenges For eLearning

What this all means for the education community, and the eLearning community in particular, is
that we are officially competing for attention, links, engagement, and learning outcomes with an
avalanche of free marketing content. In some respects, marketers today have the same goals
as educators:

 Transmit new knowledge and understanding that people want and need.
 Teach something in a new, accessible way.
 Present a new perspective that adds depth to existing knowledge, or fosters
curiosity.
That is the essence of good content marketing; the problem is, content marketers make
their educational content free, and highly visible to boot. Meanwhile, educators often languish
behind the paywall of tuition and enrollment, whether they operate from a university, provide
industry-specific professional training, or even work within a corporate environment. Despite the
mobility and global reach of eLearning in theory, the reality of trying to maintain control over
content and educational IP can mean sacrificing the full potential of the digital medium.

The primary impulse of many people today is to search for answers online before
soliciting a professional’s insight or expertise; that means content marketers have a leg up on
educators, at least in terms of first exposure. And the more inquiring minds online can find free,
albeit branded, answers to their queries, the less inclination they may have to engage with
eLearning technologies and professionals to discover or deepen their understanding and skills.

Where Do eLearning Leaders Go From Here?

If it wasn’t obvious before, let me point out that eLearning instructors can utilize content
marketing for their own educational enterprises. Experts, after all, ought to be able to beat
marketers in terms of depth as well as breadth of knowledge. It follows that expert teachers
taking advantage of eLearning technologies can provide introductory materials for free while
continuing to invite visitors to their classrooms or formal courses.

At the same time, other industries have proven that turning visitors and customers into
subscribers can be both effective in terms of engagement, as well as sustainable as an income

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stream. eLearning students are a natural fit for the subscription model and can help you balance
the need to keep your educational IP exclusive, while making your educational brand public and
highly visible.

Finally, just because something is free and easily shared, doesn’t mean it easily
translates into a lesson plan or scales up to a curriculum. The materials, videos, and other
educational content you’ve developed in support of your eLearning programs may still be
valuable as formal teaching tools, rather than self-teaching resources. While content marketing
thrives on quick bites that leave people feeling they have learned something new, eLearning
students often need more formal, thorough, individualized, or robust instruction to really come
away with something of value.

Content marketing and the methods it has adopted can feel like a threat or like
competition, but eLearning can both learn from and compete with this latest trend. Consider how
you leverage the new normal in free informational resources on social media and online, and
turn crowd-pleasing tidbits into a pathway into your own digital classroom.

Copyright In eLearning: Intellectual Property And License Problems

Even though you may envision your course being much better if you could use a certain
piece of media, you need to keep in mind that you can face liability issues if you don’t obtain
proper legal permissions to include them in your eLearning program.

What You Need To Know About Copyright In eLearning

While surfing the internet, you may randomly encounter media that would be perfect for
your next online course. For example, you can stumble upon an interesting video
demonstration, a fascinating image or a cool sound effect that may improve the auditory
presentation of your content. Even though you may envision your course being much better if
you could use these resources, you need to keep in mind that you may face liability issues if you
don’t obtain proper legal permissions to include these media in your eLearning courses.

Despite how tempting it may be to start including cool resources you find online into your
course, know that copyright and intellectual property laws are in effect and you can easily get in
trouble. After all, you’re making a profit using someone else’s work for which you haven’t
obtained the rights to. Not only can this result in high fines, but your reputation as an online tutor
may also be at stake.

How Does Copyright 'Work'?

Copyright is essentially a legal right that was developed to protect any piece of original
work that has been recorded on film, in an audio recording, on paper, or electronically. This idea
was created so that creators of original content can benefit financially from selling the rights to

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their work. If you’ve previously created online courses or plan to do this in the future, then you
have to respect this because you’ll ultimately be making money off original content.

Therefore, it’s imperative that you pay attention to the material that you will include
when putting together an online course. Know that even though copyright laws protect original
content, it doesn’t mean that it’s completely off limits. You can simply write an email and ask the
author if you can have permission to include his or her work in your online course. You’d be
surprised to find out how many people would let you share the content just for acknowledging
them in your course. On the other hand, some people could ask you for money in exchange for
permission to use their work.

Nevertheless, just because you’ve encountered some interesting original content doesn’t
mean that’s your only option. Despite the fact that it may be a perfect fit for your course doesn’t
mean that you should get attached to it immediately. Do some research online and determine if
you could find equally good copyright-free media. This is without a doubt the easiest way to
include original work from other people without having to worry about legal problems.

In the event that you find a YouTube video that would be perfect for your online course,
you’ll first need to check what kind of copyright it’s under. In most cases, the videos will be
under the Standard YouTube License. This means that the creator of the video allows YouTube
to broadcast the content, but retains all the copyright. If you’re interested in content under this
particular license, you can contact the creator and ask for permission to use it in your online
course. On the other hand, if you stumble upon a video under the Creative Commons license,
there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to use and build on the original content. Nevertheless,
keep in mind that there are a few different types of Creative Commons licenses, which is why
you should check the type of copyright before using the content.

It goes without saying that as long as your online course features only your work, you
won’t have any legal issues. Since you’ll be using information that you find on other websites,
you should know how to properly link to sources. Namely, when a student clicks on a link to
material on other websites, the page has to open in a new browser window. This way, the
person who runs the website will get a unique visitor who’ll be able to further research the page
and you won’t be stealing their bandwidth.

How To Keep Copyright On eLearning Content You Create

Several eLearning professionals wonder "what happens with the eLearning content they
create for a company"? Do eLearning developers have the right to maintain copyrights and
reuse their eLearning work or their employer is its sole owner?

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Should You Get To Keep Copyright On eLearning Content You Create For Your
Employer?

The term Intellectual Property basically refers to creations of the mind, whether it’s
industrial property, inventions and trademarks or literary and artistic works, such as novels,
plays, films, paintings, photographs and music. Currently the IP for literary and artistic works is
protected by the Berne Convention, which was completed in 1914 and amended several times,
with the last being on September of 1979.

What happens, however, with eLearning content you create for a company?

Do you have the right to maintain your rights and reuse it or your employer is its sole
owner? What happens in case of work previously created and used under a subsequent
eLearning developer position? Is there a middle ground or is it pointless to even try to negotiate
or claim your rights on it?

Business as usual

The most commonly followed practice for employers is to request from their eLearning
developers to sign a contract saying that everything created under their payroll is the
intellectual property of their company and that the latter is the sole owner of the work’s
copyrights. From an employer’s perspective, this makes absolute sense and it’s undisputed. If
they are paying you to create an eLearning course, they obviously expect to own the final
eLearning product, just like an individual who hires a contractor to build a house obviously
expects to exclusively own and use this house.

Meeting halfway

Nonetheless, it’s worth mentioning that some companies will actually allow their former
eLearning developers to use parts of their eLearning work for their portfolio, as long as
specific names, brands and policies are altered or even better omitted altogether. This kind of
“sanitized” material can only be used this way, however, and not be re-sold, unless wording is
completely different.

How to create your own Intellectual Property

 When you are creating something on your own time and for your own use, you
automatically and undisputedly own its copyrights. Also, when you are creating
something on your own time and use it while working for someone else, you still own
the copyrights. For example, if a teacher has created on his own time any material
or a syllabus and then distributes it in class, the educational institution doesn’t own it

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and has to buy it from the creator in order to share or pass it on to another educator
for use inside the classroom.
 Pro-bono eLearning work is another way to create your very own intellectual
property. If you have a favorite organization, school, religious community etc., you
can develop original eLearning content for them –in various forms- and donate it,
under a Creative Commons License that allows you to retain full rights. This way
you can expand your eLearning portfolio, get the experience you need, help
someone out and, of course, own your eLearning work and use it in any way you
want.
 Finally, if you are working on a royalties basis you can maintain your IP’s ownership.
So basically, if you incorporate in your work eLearning material you have developed
on your own and conclude to an agreement about this specific eLearning material
with your employer, then you can maintain your rights on it.
Last but not least, always consult with a lawyer specialized in Intellectual Property,
Copyrights, limitations and exclusivity before proceeding to any contracts or attempt to re-use
previously created eLearning material for a different company, as legal battles over similar
issues can be nasty and quite expensive. Relevant references

 Works Made for Hire

 FAQs - Intellectual Property for Course Materials
 Subject Matter and Scope of Copyright
 IEEE Intellectual Property Rights
 Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Networked e-Learning
 Writing Copyright Statements for eLearning
 Copyright, Intellectual Property, Digital Rights Management
 Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video
 Fair Use Evaluator
 United States Copyright Office
 European Copyright Code
 Canadian Intellectual Property Office
 Creative Commons

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Complete the simile below.

Copyright infringement and plagiarism are like theft because
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Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. How can you protect yourself from hacking , theft and plagiarism and keep yourself
digitally secure?
a. Set the account on a privacy setting and have a confidential password.
b. Announce online connection and have all posts for public viewing.
c. Have a virus protection and no need of bakups.
d. Lock up and limit online associations.
2. Anton was required of a written report as his project in his class. To impress his teacher,
he copied a blog from the internet without citting the source. What did he violate?
a. Theft
b. Hacking
c. Plagiarism
d. Copy infringement
3. Who shall have the right to own the copyright?
a. Author only
b. Publisher only
c. Both Author and Publisher

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d. Reader
4. Teacher Rona used a downloaded video documentary in her class. Which of the
following is the best thing for her to do when using the material in her lesson?
a. Introduce the video to the class without telling where it came from.
b. Tell the class that she made the video for them to believe that she is an efficient
teacher.
c. Inform the class where she downloaded to make the video.
d. Tell the class that she asked someone to make the video for her.
5. You are using a reference material and there is no copy anymore for the class to use.
What shall you do as a teacher?
a. Photocopy the book and distribute to all members of the class
b. Photocopy the book and sell to the students
c. Photocopy only one for the teacher’s reference
d. Copy the book by hand

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REFERENCES

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Ballado, R. (2012) Basic concepts for educational technology 1, Manila, Philippines

Bilbao, P. P, D Dequilla, M. A. C. V, Rosano D. A., Boholano, H. B. (2019). Technologyfor

Teaching and Learning 1, Lorimar Publishing, Philippines

Eayde, M. Lockyer, M. (2013). Tools FOR Learning.

Heinich, R. (2003). Instructional Media and technologies for learning. (7th edition). Upper
saddle, New York: Merril Prentice Hall.

Lucido,P. &Curpoz B. (2012) Educational Technology 2, Quezon City, Lorimar Publishing

Navarro, R. L., Santos, R. G., Corpuz, B. B (2017), Assessment of Learning 1, Lorimar

Publishing, Philippines

Newby. T.J. (2011). Educational Technology for teaching and learning. (4th edition). Boston:
Pearson Education, Inc.

Smaldino, S. et. al. (2005). Instructional Technology and media for learning, 8th edition. New
Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall pp. 53-65

Tabbada, E.V., Buenida, M. M. (2015). Educational Technology 1, Adriana Publishing Co., Inc.,
Philippines

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