15 What resources can I use to create my lesson?

General resources

These resources should be available for you as  a UMN student:

Images

[This material is from the PALM project canvas site]

Openverse

Openverse contains images and sound files, easily filtered by CC license type. All material is CC-licensed or in the public domain.

Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia is full of CC-licensed images. Check the Wikimedia Commons for a wealth of CC-licensed and public domain material. They have audio too!

Flickr

Flickr is a very popular image hosting website, particularly for photographers. Flickr has its own Creative Commons, where you can browse and search images by a specific CC license types.

Google Images

Google Images searches the web for image content. To learn more about usage rights of images in Google Images, do a keyword search at Images.google.com. Then select search tools. Navigate to usage rights. In this screen capture (embedded right) you will see that you are able to narrow to see various categories. Make decisions about what images to modify based on the listed usage rights. “Labeled for reuse” typically means the image will have a license that allows for free use.

Pixabay

Pixabay includes images, vector graphics, and illustrations with a range of attribution requirements. An account is required if you intend to download images. Since the images vary in usage rights, it’s important to be aware of the usage rights of each image.

Unsplash.com

If you download an image, you will be given the opportunity to “copy” the attribution line for the image. Include that attribution at the bottom of your page that contains the image.

Nappy.co

Free, high-resolution images of Black and brown people. To attribute an image used from this site, use this template: Photo by @username from nappy.co (replace @username with the photographer’s username found on the photo page).

The Gender Spectrum Collection

Images of trans and non-binary models.  These images may be used without permission, provided you do not use them for commercial purposes and do not modify them. In your attribution line, include “Image provided by The Gender Spectrum Collection, CC-BY-NC-ND.”

Clipart

Storyblock – images and videos

Make your own video from an image: https://app.runwayml.com/

Ask Malone if she has something 

Alt text

Alt Text Best Practices

  • Keep it short, usually 1-2 sentences. Don’t overthink it.
  • Consider key elements of why you chose this image, instead of describing every little detail.
  • No need to say “image of” or “picture of.”
  • But, do say if it’s a logo, illustration, painting, or cartoon.
  • Don’t duplicate text that’s adjacent in the document or website.
  • End the alt text sentence with a period.

From Simple guide to alt text. This site includes examples and more info!

 

Guidelines for formatting a correct attribution

To complete an ideal attribution for CC-licensed material, you’ll want to include the TASL elements: Title, Author, Source, and License. Consider the following example:

215477132_817aed5738_c.jpg

GopherLinks to an external site.” by Brad Smith, shared with CC-BY-NC 2.0 license..Links to an external site.

In this attribution we have the title (“Gopher”), author (Brad Smith), and license (CC-BY-NC 2.0) in the text; the source is provided with the hyperlink.

For more in-depth best practices for attribution in various scenarios, consult the CC “Best practices for attribution” wiki page.

Can I use copyrighted images to guide the creation of a new openly licensed image?

Yes, to a certain extent. Many images in traditional textbooks are copyrighted, but they convey concepts that are facts that cannot be copyrighted.

When you are creating a new image or figure that represents an important concept or idea, but you want to make it openly licensed, try to keep these points in mind

  1. Try to accurately represent factual, real world objects.  For example, the inner ear, or the central nervous system, or the olfactory system.
  2. Don’t trace other people’s creative work.  This includes photographs.
  3. Try to come up with your own way to convey an idea. It is OK sometimes if figures or images look similar if they convey the same important information.  But usually you should be able to represent that idea in a unique way, even if the differences are subtle.

This can be confusing, but do your best.  We encourage you to attach a Creative Commons license to your new images so others understand they can freely use and modify your work!

It is easy to attach a Creative Commons license to your image. Simply include the license on the image as text or a graphic.  We recommend using either CC BY or CC BY-NC. Links to an external site

More info

Prototype testing

If you need materials to test out your plan or to create an examples, you can use the maker spaces and/or reach out to Malone

Other ideas

Teaching Early and Elementary Stem

Introduction to curriculum for early childhood education

Making science instruction compelling for all students

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Lesson plans for GI physiology topics Copyright © 2023 by Erin Malone is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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