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ESL forum >
Concerning worksheets > A couple of reminders for the ´moderators ´ & other members
A couple of reminders for the ´moderators ´ & other members
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alien boy
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A couple of reminders for the ´moderators ´ & other members
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victor
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Hello Isabel,
I �m glad that you bring up this issue, because the new system requires clear rules.
The rules of the website say that printables which include
pictures and nothing else are not allowed. I �m not saying that they
are not useful, but this is not a clipart website.
The contributions should involve a task in which students have to listen, speak, read or write in English language.
Cliparts, frames, decorations, etc. are not allowed (even if other users find them useful).
Greetings,
Victor |
7 Apr 2009
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I�ve
been teaching 3 year-old students for years, and sometimes I gave them
pictures to colour, but always with a purpose. It used to be a picture
dictation: "Colour the table blue, colour the bed yellow..."
I totally agree with Alien Boy: they should include and
additional page with instructions. That could make the difference
between a colouring picture (Which is not allowed in this website) and
an ESL task.
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7 Jan 2009
Hello,
Fair use allows us to use small parts of copyrighted material taking into account these factors:
- The purpose should be different from the original. For example,
if we take a cooking recipe (copyrighted) and use it to make an ESL
worksheet, it would be fair, because the purpose is quite different. If
we use the images from an "actions verbs ESL worksheet" to make a new
"actions verbs ESL worksheet" it wouldn�t be fair.
- The publication of the "copy" should not harm the copyright
owner�s market. In the previous example, a cooking website would not
lose visitors because we had published a worksheet with their recipe.
On the other hand, an ESL website might lose visitors if similar
resources (copied from them) are published in other websites.
- The amount of the work that has been copied should not be too
high. If we take some pictures from here and there and then we add some
exercises, it is fair. If we take all the pictures from another
worksheet and paste them in a word document, just adding some lines to
write the names, it is not fair, because we have added nothing new.
All this is what I understand from the link. I�m going to study it deeply, because I�m very interested on this.
As for the right to ask for a worksheet to be reinstalled, this
website has got rules, and users have accepted them when they
registered.
21 Oct 2008
If I find something that clearly defines plagiarism related issues (i.e. whether you can use another member�s upload as a template to work from) I�ll add it to the discussion. �Fair Use� does, however, imply that we can use another member�s work as the basis of our own.
Cheers,
AB
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3 May 2009
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eng789
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Alien boy saves the day. Thanks for the reminder. It should hopefully have a calming effect on the natives.
Happy to Sunday to everyone.
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3 May 2009
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Damielle
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very useful AB, but does it apply to any country apart from the USA? I think we have to develop our own fair use written code.
Please, Victor, we can do it together as we did with the FAQ, remember? To calm down the forum we need clearly stated rules!!! Why not re-writing the existing rules and adding all these issues???? |
3 May 2009
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alien boy
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�Fair use � applies to almost every country around the world. The only notable exception is Japan - but even here it is under review & will (eventually) come into alignment with the international community.
Cheers,
AB
p.s. My understanding of �fair use� as it applies to using other member�s work is:
- if the layout/design is the same but the content & purpose are different, then it probably does not impact upon the number of downloads that the style originators worksheets will attract, so there should be no �conflict of interest� involved.
- the rules of the site are stated several times, in plain, clear English. There appears, however, to be no set rules or standards that are clear & concise about using & referencing other members� works (& most members don �t reference everything that should be referenced in their uploads, anyway). This is why I included the quote re �fair use �.
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3 May 2009
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Damielle
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I see point quite well AB but we can not ignore that there are certain issues that have be latent for some time on the forum but "exploded" lately because of the reports and removals. Some of these issues are not stated in the rules, so they must be agreed and added to that set. Don �t forget the discussion arisen on the forum about clipart and frames: the rules had already been stated but Victor added this item because he believed that no frames and clipart without activities should be uploaded!!!
I think that it �s high time to make explicit some issues that until now are implicit. This would help moderators to vote and uploaders to contribute and share their own work.
Regarding fair use: not only the exercises should be considered but also the designs, colours, etc. What makes a ws a success is everything included in it!!! And it takes a lot of time to choose, select and design everything. Even searching for an approppirate frame takes so long!!! So, using another worksheet as a template shouldn �t be considered acceptable unless the author gives permission to do it and the uploader gives credits to the original author. |
3 May 2009
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alien boy
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The aim of this site is to share.
The printables included in this website can be downloaded for
personal use only. You are not allowed to use them for commercial
purposes, nor to publish them by any means.
However, if there is no infringement upon income, then �fair use� conditions would apply if you took someone to court. There is no income involved, so if someone copies your �style� & is not making an income from it (while not interfering with you from gaining an income) then your legal proceedings would be pointless.
I agree that it would be polite to ask for permission before using another�s layout, but strictly speaking, there is no reason why someone cannot do so.
Also, I sincerely doubt that everyone is original in their ideas - after all, don�t we all gain inspiration from our life�s experiences? Haven�t we seen other pictures/worksheets/artworks/etc and thought �how good is this?� & then used that same basic idea again later without acknowledging it? This happens all the time - even with the great artists (Da Vinci had to start somewhere...) and authors. Are people �truly� original in their pursuits & designs? I�m sure that given enough time & reference material I could find something that has influenced each & every member here that has not been credited...
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3 May 2009
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Doroteia (F)
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To Victor:
By this time, and after...
 reading some of the most rude comments I �ve ever seen in a web forum;
seeing professionals insulting each other;
reading about threats of revenge;
watching some worksheets being removed unfarirly just because this person is punishing the other;
...I believe it is time to STOP and think that the only purpose of this site is to share our work, and that we are all adults.
So, Victor I strongly believe that those who are engaging in this most dispicable attitudes should be banned from the ESL PRINTABLES at once!
This kind of behaviour is not allowed in other sites; why should it be here? Moreover, have you ever thought about the image you are giving about us teachers?
Forgive me for feeling so strongly disgusted about it, but I do believe that those who don �t have good things to teach just do not deserve to be teachers!!!
Please take this into consideration, Victor, because it is becoming a major issue in the forum and it is destroying the spirit of it.
Hugs and many thanks to all of my dear collegues who work so hardly to build wonderful resourses which have been greatly useful and educational for me.
Hugs and Kisses from
Doroteia
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3 May 2009
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