In Praise of Open Content

The creation of content and its distribution have never been easier. Thanks to the advent of blogs, wikis, and other nifty Web-based tools, we've entered a new era of “open content,” in which creative work of any kind—be it articles, photographs, or lesson plans—can be freely shared with others, who may, in turn, copy or modify this content as they please. To me, the possibilities of open content in a school setting are truly exciting. But to embrace this concept requires a whole other mind-set on the part of educators.

Most of us are familiar with traditional publishing, with the decision-making process about what gets published controlled by a few select gatekeepers, and the subsequent use of published material governed by strict copyright rules. Although traditional media companies continue to produce large numbers of books and periodicals each month, there are still significant barriers that prevent many people with ideas from sharing them through publication.

But now, anyone with an Internet-wired computer can publish not only text, but also audio and video content for a global audience—without asking anyone else's permission. Projects like the Internet Archive, a free collection of Web-based material, and the Open Content Alliance, a consortium that promotes free public domain works online, embody a new ethic of open content sharing in which almost all barriers to publication and distribution have been removed. And then there's Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, which can be edited by anyone. At 1.5 million entries, it has become the largest and most frequently accessed encyclopedia in the world. Meanwhile Lulu permits anyone to publish books directly from their word processor and distribute them widely.

An important aspect of the open content movement is Creative Commons (CC). A nonprofit organization, CC has established a system in which content creators can grant certain rights to users. By popularizing the concept of “some rights reserved,” CC has provided an alternative to traditional copyright, making it easier for creators and users alike to share information. Under CC, the most permissive licensing is “attribution only,” in which remixers need only give credit to the original publisher and author. More restrictive publication can prohibit commercial uses (a noncommercial license) or require others to share their remixed content under the same terms (a share-alike license). A “no-derivatives” license is also available, requiring that works be cited in full and not incorporated into new, derivative works. Projects like CCMixter and the Science Commons, open content sites dedicated to music and scientific research, respectively, embrace the Creative Commons licensing model.

Implications for schools and libraries

Open content publishing is a good thing for schools. Using the Flickr Creative Commons image search portal, for example, users can access images that can be legally reproduced in student multimedia projects. In turn, students and teachers can publish their works on the Internet under a CC license.

This is all part of a new paradigm of content publishing that, in my view, dovetails nicely with the ethics of education (think universal literacy). That's why I urge you to learn more about open content. As educators, we need to find ways to promote this emerging concept in order to help us and our students be successful citizens in the 21st century.

The 2006 K-12 Online Conference is a free Web-based event that exemplifies open content publication. To learn more about it, listen to Wesley Fryer's podcast at www.slj.com/podcasts.