Since I joined this site, more than a year ago, I learned a lot. I always liked drawing and designing but it was here that my ´artistic ´ inner emerged. I did that by working a lot, surpassing my limits, being constantly encouraged by your comments. I spent thousand of hours in front of my PC and I loved every minute of it mostly because it resulted in a workbook series I published (Fun-tastic English 1 & 2).

I am now publishing some colouring & activity books for preschoolers and the most important aspect for the series is the layout. They won ´t sell if they aren ´t attractive.

To make a Ws I sometimes spend hours arranging the textboxes and the graphic on the page. And when I take that Ws to the classroom it is so rewarding to here my Ss say "Wow!" or  "This is cool!". It is also rewarding to see the number of downloads I get for that Ws.

Even if the content is basic, the layout is indeed what ´sells ´ a Ws. I wasn ´t good at using Word (not to mention Powerpoint!!!) when I first started here. But I wanted to learn, try new thing, click everything clickable - I am still learning. Now I am proud of myself, I did quite a good job over the last year. I have developed my own style - for I which I want to be recognized (someone left a comment on one of my games and said my work is a ´brand ´ - without modesty - I am being sincere). There is a lot of work behind the result I upload on the site and to tell you truth, it really hurts me when I see people using my graphic / layout to create their own Ws. It is OK to use it and present it to the Ss, but it is not OK to upload it / publish it on the net as ´copyrighed - some-body-else ´.

 

Sorry for being so long. I believe that other people on this site work a lot to upload those wonderful Ws - which not only teachers here, but students too - really appreciate!

 

Have a great day!

 

I haven ´t answered your Qs.

 

My layout/graphic are not published anywhere else on the net. I don ´t make money by people paying for them. It ´s not like other clipart on the net - where the graphich is free for personal use - but the owner(s) of the site gets money according to the numbers of visitors on the site. I understand the ´fair ´ use in that case. But on ESL printables?

 

I think if we want to use somebody else ´s layout, we should then make a special section: ´LAYOUTS ´ and those willing to share their layouts could upload them there.

 

Gabitza

I am not a computer wizard but I also defend people ´s designed layouts! I think, as I ´ve said before that we should respect this. Some people spend hours designing their layouts to make the worksheet attractive. I do agree in that content is what matters most but I also love to see students faces when you give them lovely desinged worksheets. Which doens ´t mean they have to be shinny and with loads of cliparts and colours. I ofren turn them into B&W worksheets as I can ´t afford priting colourful worksheets. But I think that people have to create their own layouts. Of course word tools are the same to everyone. But some people use basic things and other spend, as Gabitza said, hours in front of the pc trying to make something original and attractive.. for us and for students! So why should we allow people ´stealing ´ and using other people ´s hard work like this? to get more downloads? I don ´t think so..

To be honest, I never read the FAQ or the rules before strating to upload - as was in a rush for points as I wanted a ´Phrasal look ´ Ws urgently - I am sure many of the newcomers don ´t read the rules. Sometimes, using ´forbidden ´ pictures/layout is done unknowingly and those authors don ´t want to hurt anyone ´s feelings. They just don ´t know. But then, there are a few who are aware and still don ´t care.

 

So, yes, a TEMPLATE / LAYOUT section would be a good tool for newcomers.

 

Hugs to everybody,

Gabitza

 

I love this site, and love the friendship that we have here.  I think basic decency says to ask permission to use layouts/clipart whatever.