I work with students starting out in Art 1 talking to them about copyright issues. I explain to them, just as in English, plagiarism and cheating is the same. If they take something of someone's who has already been made and remake it, that is plagiarism. As far as ethics go, I talk to my upper level classes about collaboration with classmates, as well as, coworkers. Something I started implementing in my classroom is a lot of cross curricular collaboration. When students see teachers working with other teachers it helps them see that it is important to have good relationships with other people. We talk about the importance of talking about your art and classmates art. Using the words ugly, and beautiful are banned in my classroom. We talk about constructive criticism and showing yourself and fellow classmates respect. If you like something someone did ask them how they did it, do not steal from them, but to take their idea and make it your own. Professionalism is something that everyone should learn, and I believe in incorporating it into my classroom everyday.
I like how you said, "when students see teachers working with other teachers it helps them see that it is important to have good relationships with other people." Modeling proper ethics and copyright usage will help to instill these best practices in students, in addition to teaching it to them.
I tell my students the same thing about English. You can't borrow an idea or a quote from someone and not give them credit. That the same goes for art. You can't take another person's photo or methods and call them yours. That you must give credit where it is due.
I like that you banned the words ugly and beautiful. I did this at the middle school level and it was fun to hear the synonyms they would come up with!! I plan to continue to make students use more descriptive words when critiquing art, as it assists with all areas of their education to do so.
I spend an entire week in my art history class teaching my students about the difference between plagiarism and appropriation. It is a very fine line that often gets blurred. We study different court cases and examples from real life. The most popular example I teach is the Shepard Fairey/Obama Campaign case. It can be so easy for students to see something that they see on the internet and want to make it themselves, but I always tell them that they have to change almost everything about it. I reinforce the point that "Someone has already done it, I've seen it. Show me something new.". I help them to specify what they like about and how they could incorporate that into their own work. I also take plagiarism very seriously whether it is on a test or on a project. Not only will they get a massive grade deduction (which scares them) but I also "threaten" them with suspension. This normally gets their attention. While these are no where near as intense as the consequences in real life, it helps them to understand it on their level.
I like the use of court cases as examples of "what not to do" and may use this in my classroom! I do agree that some students find it easier to copy than to be original. It is difficult & time consuming for students to develop and create an original image. The connection between the written word and the image is important to stress that both have the same ethics and copyright issues.
I think it is also important for students to understand that the decisions they are making now on social media or with technology can have lasting effects on their lives. College acceptance and future careers can be negatively affected if students are not careful with online content – whether using copyrighted imagery, passing off someone else's work as their own, or posting about a classmate. These are all very real situations that students may not mean harm by, yet they can truly set them down an unwanted path. I believe all teachers should be having these conversations about proper digital citizenship with students.
The use of court cases is a very good idea. I feel like sometimes i haven't spent enough time on teaching about plagiarism and appropriation. I am going to extend the amount of time I teach on this subject and use court case examples in my lectures. I want to help my students think more outside the box and i feel that this will help.
This a great, I also touch on Shephard Fairey. I think it is a great discussion that I might start including in Art 1 plagiarism versus appropriation. I do weekly art issues/puzzles and this would fit nicely.
That is a really good idea, i do not spend enough time on this and should really start to stress this in my classes and i like the inclusion of the court cases.
This one is tricky for me because I am not always familiar with images that may have be on the internet or social media. I encourage my students to draw from life whenever possible but that does not always work because some references must come from the internet. It is important the images are the basis for ideas and not used as a subject to be copied. I stress it in my classroom and practice it in my own work.
I agree that it is very hard to stay current especially with the technology available. I have made it a habit to google image or pinterest image ideas BEFORE I assign the project. Students go straight to their phones for ideas and I assure them that my google search is the same as theirs!
Chris, I agree. I too look on the internet and Pinterest. Sometimes the students need a reference picture to draw something, I give them 5 second rule. Look for 5 seconds then the image has to go away. the rest comes from you imagination.
There are some really good apps that help look for images on the internet. Also if you have the image on your computer, and go to google and images you'll see next to the search image button there is an icon of a camera. If you click on that you can actually upload your image and it will search solely for images that look similar or just like the one you put in. I use this a lot for my photography classes and it works very well. I make them sign a form the first day of class about plagiarism and cheating. I explain how it is the same in English as in Art if they plagiarize they will received a 0 and a write up.
Ethics and copyright issues will be an ongoing conversation in my art classroom. Be a graphic designer for many years, I understand the importance of this – especially in today's digital world. I will provide students with positive and negative examples of how to select images, post artwork, and utilize research. There are great websites available with resources for teachers and students that promote good digital citizenship such as commonsensemedia.org. It is important for me to stay current with new technology and copyright issues that could arise. Students will be held accountable for their responsibility with digital citizenship in my classroom.
As a former graphic designer and instructor, I talked with my students about royalty free images and stock photography. We also discuss crowd-sourcing (defined below) and spec work (working for free.) I found out the hard way about these unethical industry practices. Crowd-sourcing is the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet. Often seen as "contests" and the business owns the rights to the imagery created and can use it as they seen fit.
Copyright and ethics are great discussion topics for my students. I introduce copyright infringement with historical context and how it is similar/different from appropriation, sampling, and plagiarism. We also discuss how difficult it is in the digital age to protect our personal information. Early in the semester, I introduce student to ethics in art. We discuss art funding and whether it should be used for controversial artwork. We define what is controversial and what should be appropriate for the viewer.
I think the talk about protecting our personal information in this digital age is so valuable. I think most students are so about sharing that information and not understanding the bigger picture. We have had several major issues this year at school about this. I also have my students put a their name on the digital images in a top right or bottom right to protect their images being use without their permission.
Ok, so this is a big thing even with the elementary school level for me. I let students know that there is a BIG difference between “Fan-Art” and plagiarism. Just like in writing, giving credit in the art world is super important! When it comes to their personal art, it needs to come from them alone; their aesthetic. Being inspired by another artist and plagiarism is also very different as well. Making sure to show students examples of these differences to help them better understand is critical. An example of mine at the elementary school level is a project I do on illustration and character development to incorporate reading and writing into my lessons. When my students come to me wanting to use Batman as one of their characters, I tell them 2 things: 1) Superman is cooler, and 2) Batman is already another artist’s creation, so what we have to do is a bit of research to make sure we come up with an “OC” (original character) of your own.
Having them create their own OC character is a great idea. Elementary students are so influenced by what they watch or see and are so eager to emulate that rather than develop their own style. Using writing to develop a unique character that they will eventually draw is also a great way to encourage cross-curricular learning. Their ELA teachers will love you for it. Thanks for the great idea!
Before I let my students do any research on the internet we always talk about plagiarism. And that is someone else's work and someone else's ideas and they aren't allowed to copy them because they didn't come up with it, that it is the same as in English class. We have also started making student take their own photos and work from them instead of using ones they have found on the internet. Not only does it keep them from taking someone else's photo but it gives them more of a sense of ownership of the work because they are doing the work from each step, beginning to end. We also talk about artists like Shepard Fairey, and appropriation of work and giving proper citation when its needed.
I also encourage my students to work from their own photographs. When we discuss ethics and plagiarism I introduce personal style and I encourage them to develop their own style rather than to simply copy someone else.
This has been interesting to deal with at the middle school level. Middle schoolers are such a different breed. The school I've been at is also particularly special. There are 29 countries, 19 languages, and we were Title 1. So, discussing things like ethics and plagiarism has been a lot of what I call 'Real Talk'. I try to speak to the students in relative ways they can understand very easily, but also hit them in the gut with some emotion. I have found the best way to do this is giving examples. This has allowed me to explain various issues that revolve around ethics and plagiarism. So far, so good, and hopefully this method will prove sufficient and successful with high school.
For some reason, students think that plagiarism only takes place in the English classroom. I spend a good bit of time in my entry level classes on copyright infringement.I teach a Pop Art lesson that addresses this issue. Also, I think that teaching good brainstorming and sketchbooking skills is essential to getting students to develop original ideas. I have a sketchbook assignment that requires students to find an image online, make a copy and glue it into their sketchbook with proper notation. Then students must recreate the image in 10 different ways using different mediums. This activity introduces them to a useable process for visual brainstorming. Technology allows students to have a plethora of images at their fingertips and it has become our job to encourage them to be original. Making assignments personal is another way to insure original work. Artwork is personal and students (especially upper level students) should be creating personal expressions and engaging in personal explorations.
I agree that we have to teach them early. I love this idea about taking an online image and recreating it 10 times in 10 different ways. What a great way to brainstorm new ideas and having them connect the artwork to their personal lives. I am definitely going to "steal" this idea. Thanks!!!
I really like that sketchbook idea! I may start off with that next year with my upper levels to drive home the concept that you cannot just go on google and copy! We do weekly sketchbooks based on a word, and it never fails when I google that word + drawing I find at least 2-3 examples that students have copied!
They really do only think plagiarism happens in English classes! It doesn't register with them that if you take an image offline and copy it that it's still plagiarism! I like to implement the sketchbook idea in my 3D art class, but I like that you incorporate it within your entry level classes. In my 3D class, students need to be able to come up with sketches in the round and they also need to develop more ideas than just one. After sketch 5 they may look back at their first sketch and think "I don't like that one", or "I don't even know why I drew that!". By drawing multiple ideas students begin to create an image completely their own that's as unique as themselves. Students can use the internet as a tool to help improve their drawing skills or help generate an idea but when they are taking someone else's ideas and claiming them as their own, it's just wrong and completely uncreative!
For my college level Art History and Appreciation class, students are required to conduct research and write a formal paper. I was shocked at how many students plagarised their papers because they did not include in line citations and a work cited page. They thought you didn't have to in the art class. I had to explain that plagarism is stealing no matter which class you are in. They were shocked at how serious the consquences were if caught cheating. I agree we need to start teaching proper documentation early and remind students it's no only for the English classroom.
I've used the sketchbook exercise in all classes including ceramics. My ceramics students have to create idea sketches before they begin to build. They also have to make construction notes regarding which handbuilding techniques need to be used to build their sculpture. I have also included other sketchbook exercises to help students make things they see online their own. For instance "add 3 things" or "draw 3 versions" or "what would it look like IF" are sketchbook activities I students work on before beginning the project.
We spend a great deal of time each semester discussing the differences between copying and being inspired by the work of another. I love to team up with our Media Specialist to discuss every form of plagiarism possible. We discuss Google reverse image search and I also take the time to show them how to access the metadata of their photos. This instantly shows them the location, date, and time a file was created. They are shocked by how easy it is to catch plagiarism in photography and by the time the leave they know better than to try to turn in images that they did not take.
I think it is great that you team up with a Media specialist to show the students different ways to detect plagiarism. Some of them tend to just hit the first page of Google and use whatever is there, I love the idea of showing them that we can reverse image search!
This is definitely a huge issue for any art teacher, but especially when teaching AP. I personally hate the quote "good artists borrow, great artists steal", because students always misconstrue the meaning to justify plagiarizing another artist's idea. We always want students to work from real life or their own photos, but sometimes that just isn't possible. In a case where a student is working from a photo or finds an idea from another artist that they want to use, my rule is that they have to change 3 MAJOR things- like color scheme, subject matter, composition/layout, etc. There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other artists, because that is what every artist does. No one works in isolation without viewing the art of others, so it's natural to see and idea you like and want to incorporate it into your own art, so I really try to stress the difference between being inspired by an artist and copying them. My husband is a lawyer, so anytime I have a situation where I'm not sure if a student would be in violation of copyright I can ask him and he can usually find out or point me in the direction of someone who may know.
I like your rule to change three major things when working from a photo or artwork from another artist. I want to use this next year in my classroom. While it is great when students can come up with an idea of their own, work from life, or take their own photograph to work from it is not always possible.
Yes i will also tell them about the three major changes rule. I lkie where your using the concept of being inspired by an artist doesn't mean copying them. Students often try to copy exactly what they see, but i think that if well informed they will be able to notice that they are not creating work in a vacuum.
I feel like students forget that you can get in big trouble from copying others work, along with not giving credit to the work you are inspired by. I do remind students that if you copy someone's artwork and try to say it's your own in the real world setting the artist can sue you for that. I encourage them to make things their own with their style and personality put in it. When they find an image or artwork on google, I ask them how are you going to take that and put your spin on it? I also give them the threat of getting a referral for copying someone's work, which usually will make them think twice before creating an artwork.
Scare tactics! Some of them try to be sneaky about it just to get it done, it helps to occasionally glace at their generation of pop culture and media examples to stay updated on things they may be tempted to plagiarize. Even if it means breaking down and watching a cartoon or two! haha
Before the artwork is even a thought about being created in my classroom, I lecture on plagiarism and copyright issues. I always say, “If I’ve seen it before than its not new. Show me something I haven’t seen.” I also tell them it’s just like your English class, you can’t write the same thing someone else said, you have to make it your own. It was harder for middle schoolers to think this way but I will be moving to a high school and I feel that I won’t have as many issues with this. I plan on having a more in depth lecture with my high school students about ethics and copyright issues compared to my past middle school students. I plan on using more examples from real world experiences on where plagiarism and copyright issues were a factor. I will pull from court cases.
This past year I really started instilling in my students to bring their own Ideas to the table. They are this technology driven group so use that technology to take snapshots of things that you encounter in the real world. at the beginning of each new lesson I start telling them weeks prior , what is coming next. They know that means come to class ready...your phots or sketches already done so that we get to start class. This year I am trying to have several classes that are technology free. The images must come from experience.
Having taught theatre for so many years, I was required by my school to take a seminar on copyright. It was scary. It was amazing to me to hear about so many highly recognized corporations that have no qualms about suing for copyright infringement. They absolutely do not care that it is in an educational setting or that children are involved. One particular corporation that is almost vicious in protecting their property is Disney. They do not hesitate to sue schools, teachers and their districts. In addition to the legal side, plagiarism of art doesn't have students tap into their personal tie to their art. I think it is important to begin teaching them this in the early grades and making sure to continue teaching this throughout their educational career. Encourage students to view other artist's work and use it as a jumping off point to develop their own style. Students are constantly reminded in their core classes about plagiarism and sometimes not aware that you can plagiarize in art as well. Therefore, it is so important that we teach them.
I encourage students to use their own photographs to work from whenever possible. I don't stress not copying someone else's photo of a person in Art I as long as they don't want to enter it in a show. I prefer they get the practice of drawing realistically. I stress with all my classes middle and high, not to draw on someone else's paper. I explain when they ask for my help, I always bring a sheet of paper and draw beside them. Drawing work for someone else is the some as asking for answers on a test in a core class. It is cheating. I stress from day one they get a zero on this assignment or they have to start over on a new sheet of paper. I tell students that I don't mind them sharing how they do something if they are willing, as long as they show someone how to do it instead of doing it for someone.
I think I do a good job in Art 1 by not allowing them to google and copy ideas for their assignments. I explain that it is fine to look up what a tiger looks like to draw but not to trace it. The same thing goes for looking at designs for artworks. Every student has a Dell Venue, when they first got them a couple of years ago they would just google the assignment and see what comes up and try to copy the idea. I explain that if you google it and something comes up then that is someone else's idea and it has already been done. It is sometimes very difficult with so much access to technology. I try to take of the approach it is ok to be inspired from other people's artwork, but they need to make it their own.
Being a media arts teacher copywright protection is a huuuuuge problem I deal on a regular basis. This is apparent for quite a few works when students are actually refine edging images that they find off the internet directly in to a work of art. One thing i do to really reinforce the point is take a compilation video I've made of of my old handy cam footage and put a Beetles song as the soundtrack then post it to Youtube and have students guess how long it will take Youtube to flag the video and take it down. (it usually happens within the first 6 hours) Then i show them that the video has been taken down and note that if , I think technically Michael Jackson, wanted too he could sue me for using a song that he has the copyright to. So my students freak out and are like "But Mr. Dodds Michael Jackson is DEAD!?!?!?!" and then i talk with them about how a copyright has a 25-50 year holding date until it can become public domain. I think this is a really good way for them to see in real time how something harmless like adding a soundtrack to a video they made could technically lead to them being sued.
Student's tend to forget what plagiarism is! I have to remind students all of the time not to pull an image/drawing directly offline, copy it, and claim it as their own! The former AP teacher at my school had an incident in the past where a student was getting ready to enter an artwork into the scholastics art and writing competition. The photo was beautiful. It included perfect examples of depth of field, rule of thirds, etc. The teacher always took extra precaution when entering in an artwork into a competition and dragged the image to the search bar just to make sure. The image came up automatically and was taken by a professional photographer. The teacher wrote a referral and sent it off to the principal. The teacher then called the student's parent's right away and informed them that he had to send in a referral to the principal because she was trying to send in work that was not her own and therefore she plagiarized and it became a copyright issue. The principal handed the situation and the student was expelled from the school soon after. So, I try to use this story to warn students not to take anything from the internet and to work from their own photos or draw from real life. It's okay to seek inspiration from an artist, but you must make the image your own!
What a great story to tell students to really illustrate what a big deal and serious legal problem it is for a student (even an art one) to copy and steal copyrighted material. It's a good way to make the students think about "would I want some artist to directly copy me and claim it as their own?" I may just start using this as an example for my classes. Thanks!
I encourage students do create their own art, it is fine to like another work of art but do not recreate it. I will admit this is one area that i need to grow in and become better at. I love reading what everyone else does and have found some insightful tips from this.
I plan to integrate lessons that provide direct instruction about ethics and copyright issues of an artist. I found a lesson plan that is designed to help students: -Identify common beliefs about copyright law and fair use. - Define and apply permissions granted by copyright law to various scenarios. - Distinguish differences between legitimate creative uses and infringement of copyrighted material. - Explore the relationship between copyright law and innovation, showing how the courts and lawmakers have struggled to build a legal framework to both compensate artists and encourage innovative uses of creative works and new technologies. - Help students understand legal rights and responsibilities with respect to copyright and technology use.
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As I was reading through the comments, I loved the ones mentioning that they formally discuss copyrights and plagiarism with their art students. I am definitely going to do this next year! It really is true: students don't think it's copying or stealing if it isn't directly related to an English assignment (they also don't think they have to use complete sentences, correct grammar or spelling, but that's a completely different problem. Hah.) It seems to me that students don't see copying art as big of a deal as copying an English paper. But it really is the same thing. In my Art Foundations class I really stress not using Google to generate imagery - and that they have to take the picture themselves. That cuts down on a lot of exact copying, although it's still a challenge to prevent them from copying IDEAS. Even in my Honors class a student copied a "paper lantern cloud" sculpture directly from pinterest and tried to submit it for her Non-Objective sculpture project. I plan on discussing this issue more in depth with my students next year, especially the ones taking AP because that's a big no - no for sure!
I work with students starting out in Art 1 talking to them about copyright issues. I explain to them, just as in English, plagiarism and cheating is the same. If they take something of someone's who has already been made and remake it, that is plagiarism. As far as ethics go, I talk to my upper level classes about collaboration with classmates, as well as, coworkers. Something I started implementing in my classroom is a lot of cross curricular collaboration. When students see teachers working with other teachers it helps them see that it is important to have good relationships with other people. We talk about the importance of talking about your art and classmates art. Using the words ugly, and beautiful are banned in my classroom. We talk about constructive criticism and showing yourself and fellow classmates respect. If you like something someone did ask them how they did it, do not steal from them, but to take their idea and make it your own. Professionalism is something that everyone should learn, and I believe in incorporating it into my classroom everyday.
ReplyDeleteI like how you said, "when students see teachers working with other teachers it helps them see that it is important to have good relationships with other people." Modeling proper ethics and copyright usage will help to instill these best practices in students, in addition to teaching it to them.
DeleteI tell my students the same thing about English. You can't borrow an idea or a quote from someone and not give them credit. That the same goes for art. You can't take another person's photo or methods and call them yours. That you must give credit where it is due.
DeleteI like that you banned the words ugly and beautiful. I did this at the middle school level and it was fun to hear the synonyms they would come up with!! I plan to continue to make students use more descriptive words when critiquing art, as it assists with all areas of their education to do so.
DeleteI spend an entire week in my art history class teaching my students about the difference between plagiarism and appropriation. It is a very fine line that often gets blurred. We study different court cases and examples from real life. The most popular example I teach is the Shepard Fairey/Obama Campaign case. It can be so easy for students to see something that they see on the internet and want to make it themselves, but I always tell them that they have to change almost everything about it. I reinforce the point that "Someone has already done it, I've seen it. Show me something new.". I help them to specify what they like about and how they could incorporate that into their own work. I also take plagiarism very seriously whether it is on a test or on a project. Not only will they get a massive grade deduction (which scares them) but I also "threaten" them with suspension. This normally gets their attention. While these are no where near as intense as the consequences in real life, it helps them to understand it on their level.
ReplyDeleteI like the use of court cases as examples of "what not to do" and may use this in my classroom! I do agree that some students find it easier to copy than to be original. It is difficult & time consuming for students to develop and create an original image. The connection between the written word and the image is important to stress that both have the same ethics and copyright issues.
DeleteI think it is also important for students to understand that the decisions they are making now on social media or with technology can have lasting effects on their lives. College acceptance and future careers can be negatively affected if students are not careful with online content – whether using copyrighted imagery, passing off someone else's work as their own, or posting about a classmate. These are all very real situations that students may not mean harm by, yet they can truly set them down an unwanted path. I believe all teachers should be having these conversations about proper digital citizenship with students.
DeleteThe use of court cases is a very good idea. I feel like sometimes i haven't spent enough time on teaching about plagiarism and appropriation. I am going to extend the amount of time I teach on this subject and use court case examples in my lectures. I want to help my students think more outside the box and i feel that this will help.
DeleteThis a great, I also touch on Shephard Fairey. I think it is a great discussion that I might start including in Art 1 plagiarism versus appropriation. I do weekly art issues/puzzles and this would fit nicely.
DeleteThat is a really good idea, i do not spend enough time on this and should really start to stress this in my classes and i like the inclusion of the court cases.
DeleteThis one is tricky for me because I am not always familiar with images that may have be on the internet or social media. I encourage my students to draw from life whenever possible but that does not always work because some references must come from the internet. It is important the images are the basis for ideas and not used as a subject to be copied. I stress it in my classroom and practice it in my own work.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very hard to stay current especially with the technology available. I have made it a habit to google image or pinterest image ideas BEFORE I assign the project. Students go straight to their phones for ideas and I assure them that my google search is the same as theirs!
DeleteChris, I agree. I too look on the internet and Pinterest. Sometimes the students need a reference picture to draw something, I give them 5 second rule. Look for 5 seconds then the image has to go away. the rest comes from you imagination.
DeleteThere are some really good apps that help look for images on the internet. Also if you have the image on your computer, and go to google and images you'll see next to the search image button there is an icon of a camera. If you click on that you can actually upload your image and it will search solely for images that look similar or just like the one you put in. I use this a lot for my photography classes and it works very well. I make them sign a form the first day of class about plagiarism and cheating. I explain how it is the same in English as in Art if they plagiarize they will received a 0 and a write up.
DeleteEthics and copyright issues will be an ongoing conversation in my art classroom. Be a graphic designer for many years, I understand the importance of this – especially in today's digital world. I will provide students with positive and negative examples of how to select images, post artwork, and utilize research. There are great websites available with resources for teachers and students that promote good digital citizenship such as commonsensemedia.org. It is important for me to stay current with new technology and copyright issues that could arise. Students will be held accountable for their responsibility with digital citizenship in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteAs a former graphic designer and instructor, I talked with my students about royalty free images and stock photography. We also discuss crowd-sourcing (defined below) and spec work (working for free.) I found out the hard way about these unethical industry practices. Crowd-sourcing is the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet. Often seen as "contests" and the business owns the rights to the imagery created and can use it as they seen fit.
DeleteI agree that staying current with new technology and copyright issues is part of my responsibilities as the instructor.
DeleteCopyright and ethics are great discussion topics for my students. I introduce copyright infringement with historical context and how it is similar/different from appropriation, sampling, and plagiarism. We also discuss how difficult it is in the digital age to protect our personal information. Early in the semester, I introduce student to ethics in art. We discuss art funding and whether it should be used for controversial artwork. We define what is controversial and what should be appropriate for the viewer.
ReplyDeleteI think the talk about protecting our personal information in this digital age is so valuable. I think most students are so about sharing that information and not understanding the bigger picture. We have had several major issues this year at school about this. I also have my students put a their name on the digital images in a top right or bottom right to protect their images being use without their permission.
Deletei like how you approach ethics and copyright into your class and take it a step further to cover controversial artwork.
DeleteOk, so this is a big thing even with the elementary school level for me. I let students know that there is a BIG difference between “Fan-Art” and plagiarism. Just like in writing, giving credit in the art world is super important! When it comes to their personal art, it needs to come from them alone; their aesthetic. Being inspired by another artist and plagiarism is also very different as well. Making sure to show students examples of these differences to help them better understand is critical. An example of mine at the elementary school level is a project I do on illustration and character development to incorporate reading and writing into my lessons. When my students come to me wanting to use Batman as one of their characters, I tell them 2 things: 1) Superman is cooler, and 2) Batman is already another artist’s creation, so what we have to do is a bit of research to make sure we come up with an “OC” (original character) of your own.
ReplyDeleteHaving them create their own OC character is a great idea. Elementary students are so influenced by what they watch or see and are so eager to emulate that rather than develop their own style. Using writing to develop a unique character that they will eventually draw is also a great way to encourage cross-curricular learning. Their ELA teachers will love you for it. Thanks for the great idea!
DeleteBefore I let my students do any research on the internet we always talk about plagiarism. And that is someone else's work and someone else's ideas and they aren't allowed to copy them because they didn't come up with it, that it is the same as in English class. We have also started making student take their own photos and work from them instead of using ones they have found on the internet. Not only does it keep them from taking someone else's photo but it gives them more of a sense of ownership of the work because they are doing the work from each step, beginning to end. We also talk about artists like Shepard Fairey, and appropriation of work and giving proper citation when its needed.
ReplyDeleteI also encourage my students to work from their own photographs. When we discuss ethics and plagiarism I introduce personal style and I encourage them to develop their own style rather than to simply copy someone else.
DeleteThis has been interesting to deal with at the middle school level. Middle schoolers are such a different breed. The school I've been at is also particularly special. There are 29 countries, 19 languages, and we were Title 1. So, discussing things like ethics and plagiarism has been a lot of what I call 'Real Talk'. I try to speak to the students in relative ways they can understand very easily, but also hit them in the gut with some emotion. I have found the best way to do this is giving examples. This has allowed me to explain various issues that revolve around ethics and plagiarism. So far, so good, and hopefully this method will prove sufficient and successful with high school.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, students think that plagiarism only takes place in the English classroom. I spend a good bit of time in my entry level classes on copyright infringement.I teach a Pop Art lesson that addresses this issue.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think that teaching good brainstorming and sketchbooking skills is essential to getting students to develop original ideas. I have a sketchbook assignment that requires students to find an image online, make a copy and glue it into their sketchbook with proper notation. Then students must recreate the image in 10 different ways using different mediums. This activity introduces them to a useable process for visual brainstorming.
Technology allows students to have a plethora of images at their fingertips and it has become our job to encourage them to be original. Making assignments personal is another way to insure original work. Artwork is personal and students (especially upper level students) should be creating personal expressions and engaging in personal explorations.
I agree that we have to teach them early. I love this idea about taking an online image and recreating it 10 times in 10 different ways. What a great way to brainstorm new ideas and having them connect the artwork to their personal lives. I am definitely going to "steal" this idea. Thanks!!!
DeleteI really like that sketchbook idea! I may start off with that next year with my upper levels to drive home the concept that you cannot just go on google and copy! We do weekly sketchbooks based on a word, and it never fails when I google that word + drawing I find at least 2-3 examples that students have copied!
DeleteThey really do only think plagiarism happens in English classes! It doesn't register with them that if you take an image offline and copy it that it's still plagiarism! I like to implement the sketchbook idea in my 3D art class, but I like that you incorporate it within your entry level classes. In my 3D class, students need to be able to come up with sketches in the round and they also need to develop more ideas than just one. After sketch 5 they may look back at their first sketch and think "I don't like that one", or "I don't even know why I drew that!". By drawing multiple ideas students begin to create an image completely their own that's as unique as themselves. Students can use the internet as a tool to help improve their drawing skills or help generate an idea but when they are taking someone else's ideas and claiming them as their own, it's just wrong and completely uncreative!
DeleteThats a great idea with the sketchbook, I can see that as a great entry assignment to get to know the students and to go over that.
DeleteFor my college level Art History and Appreciation class, students are required to conduct research and write a formal paper. I was shocked at how many students plagarised their papers because they did not include in line citations and a work cited page. They thought you didn't have to in the art class. I had to explain that plagarism is stealing no matter which class you are in. They were shocked at how serious the consquences were if caught cheating. I agree we need to start teaching proper documentation early and remind students it's no only for the English classroom.
DeleteI've used the sketchbook exercise in all classes including ceramics. My ceramics students have to create idea sketches before they begin to build. They also have to make construction notes regarding which handbuilding techniques need to be used to build their sculpture. I have also included other sketchbook exercises to help students make things they see online their own. For instance "add 3 things" or "draw 3 versions" or "what would it look like IF" are sketchbook activities I students work on before beginning the project.
DeleteWe spend a great deal of time each semester discussing the differences between copying and being inspired by the work of another. I love to team up with our Media Specialist to discuss every form of plagiarism possible. We discuss Google reverse image search and I also take the time to show them how to access the metadata of their photos. This instantly shows them the location, date, and time a file was created. They are shocked by how easy it is to catch plagiarism in photography and by the time the leave they know better than to try to turn in images that they did not take.
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you team up with a Media specialist to show the students different ways to detect plagiarism. Some of them tend to just hit the first page of Google and use whatever is there, I love the idea of showing them that we can reverse image search!
DeleteThis is definitely a huge issue for any art teacher, but especially when teaching AP. I personally hate the quote "good artists borrow, great artists steal", because students always misconstrue the meaning to justify plagiarizing another artist's idea. We always want students to work from real life or their own photos, but sometimes that just isn't possible. In a case where a student is working from a photo or finds an idea from another artist that they want to use, my rule is that they have to change 3 MAJOR things- like color scheme, subject matter, composition/layout, etc. There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other artists, because that is what every artist does. No one works in isolation without viewing the art of others, so it's natural to see and idea you like and want to incorporate it into your own art, so I really try to stress the difference between being inspired by an artist and copying them. My husband is a lawyer, so anytime I have a situation where I'm not sure if a student would be in violation of copyright I can ask him and he can usually find out or point me in the direction of someone who may know.
ReplyDeleteI like your rule to change three major things when working from a photo or artwork from another artist. I want to use this next year in my classroom. While it is great when students can come up with an idea of their own, work from life, or take their own photograph to work from it is not always possible.
DeleteYes i will also tell them about the three major changes rule. I lkie where your using the concept of being inspired by an artist doesn't mean copying them. Students often try to copy exactly what they see, but i think that if well informed they will be able to notice that they are not creating work in a vacuum.
DeleteI feel like students forget that you can get in big trouble from copying others work, along with not giving credit to the work you are inspired by. I do remind students that if you copy someone's artwork and try to say it's your own in the real world setting the artist can sue you for that. I encourage them to make things their own with their style and personality put in it. When they find an image or artwork on google, I ask them how are you going to take that and put your spin on it? I also give them the threat of getting a referral for copying someone's work, which usually will make them think twice before creating an artwork.
ReplyDeleteScare tactics! Some of them try to be sneaky about it just to get it done, it helps to occasionally glace at their generation of pop culture and media examples to stay updated on things they may be tempted to plagiarize. Even if it means breaking down and watching a cartoon or two! haha
DeleteBefore the artwork is even a thought about being created in my classroom, I lecture on plagiarism and copyright issues. I always say, “If I’ve seen it before than its not new. Show me something I haven’t seen.” I also tell them it’s just like your English class, you can’t write the same thing someone else said, you have to make it your own. It was harder for middle schoolers to think this way but I will be moving to a high school and I feel that I won’t have as many issues with this. I plan on having a more in depth lecture with my high school students about ethics and copyright issues compared to my past middle school students. I plan on using more examples from real world experiences on where plagiarism and copyright issues were a factor. I will pull from court cases.
ReplyDeleteThis past year I really started instilling in my students to bring their own Ideas to the table. They are this technology driven group so use that technology to take snapshots of things that you encounter in the real world. at the beginning of each new lesson I start telling them weeks prior , what is coming next. They know that means come to class ready...your phots or sketches already done so that we get to start class. This year I am trying to have several classes that are technology free. The images must come from experience.
ReplyDeleteHaving taught theatre for so many years, I was required by my school to take a seminar on copyright. It was scary. It was amazing to me to hear about so many highly recognized corporations that have no qualms about suing for copyright infringement. They absolutely do not care that it is in an educational setting or that children are involved. One particular corporation that is almost vicious in protecting their property is Disney. They do not hesitate to sue schools, teachers and their districts.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the legal side, plagiarism of art doesn't have students tap into their personal tie to their art. I think it is important to begin teaching them this in the early grades and making sure to continue teaching this throughout their educational career. Encourage students to view other artist's work and use it as a jumping off point to develop their own style. Students are constantly reminded in their core classes about plagiarism and sometimes not aware that you can plagiarize in art as well. Therefore, it is so important that we teach them.
I encourage students to use their own photographs to work from whenever possible. I don't stress not copying someone else's photo of a person in Art I as long as they don't want to enter it in a show. I prefer they get the practice of drawing realistically. I stress with all my classes middle and high, not to draw on someone else's paper. I explain when they ask for my help, I always bring a sheet of paper and draw beside them. Drawing work for someone else is the some as asking for answers on a test in a core class. It is cheating. I stress from day one they get a zero on this assignment or they have to start over on a new sheet of paper. I tell students that I don't mind them sharing how they do something if they are willing, as long as they show someone how to do it instead of doing it for someone.
ReplyDeleteI think I do a good job in Art 1 by not allowing them to google and copy ideas for their assignments. I explain that it is fine to look up what a tiger looks like to draw but not to trace it. The same thing goes for looking at designs for artworks. Every student has a Dell Venue, when they first got them a couple of years ago they would just google the assignment and see what comes up and try to copy the idea. I explain that if you google it and something comes up then that is someone else's idea and it has already been done. It is sometimes very difficult with so much access to technology. I try to take of the approach it is ok to be inspired from other people's artwork, but they need to make it their own.
ReplyDeleteBeing a media arts teacher copywright protection is a huuuuuge problem I deal on a regular basis. This is apparent for quite a few works when students are actually refine edging images that they find off the internet directly in to a work of art. One thing i do to really reinforce the point is take a compilation video I've made of of my old handy cam footage and put a Beetles song as the soundtrack then post it to Youtube and have students guess how long it will take Youtube to flag the video and take it down. (it usually happens within the first 6 hours) Then i show them that the video has been taken down and note that if , I think technically Michael Jackson, wanted too he could sue me for using a song that he has the copyright to. So my students freak out and are like "But Mr. Dodds Michael Jackson is DEAD!?!?!?!" and then i talk with them about how a copyright has a 25-50 year holding date until it can become public domain. I think this is a really good way for them to see in real time how something harmless like adding a soundtrack to a video they made could technically lead to them being sued.
ReplyDeleteStudent's tend to forget what plagiarism is! I have to remind students all of the time not to pull an image/drawing directly offline, copy it, and claim it as their own! The former AP teacher at my school had an incident in the past where a student was getting ready to enter an artwork into the scholastics art and writing competition. The photo was beautiful. It included perfect examples of depth of field, rule of thirds, etc. The teacher always took extra precaution when entering in an artwork into a competition and dragged the image to the search bar just to make sure. The image came up automatically and was taken by a professional photographer. The teacher wrote a referral and sent it off to the principal. The teacher then called the student's parent's right away and informed them that he had to send in a referral to the principal because she was trying to send in work that was not her own and therefore she plagiarized and it became a copyright issue. The principal handed the situation and the student was expelled from the school soon after. So, I try to use this story to warn students not to take anything from the internet and to work from their own photos or draw from real life. It's okay to seek inspiration from an artist, but you must make the image your own!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story to tell students to really illustrate what a big deal and serious legal problem it is for a student (even an art one) to copy and steal copyrighted material. It's a good way to make the students think about "would I want some artist to directly copy me and claim it as their own?" I may just start using this as an example for my classes. Thanks!
DeleteI encourage students do create their own art, it is fine to like another work of art but do not recreate it. I will admit this is one area that i need to grow in and become better at. I love reading what everyone else does and have found some insightful tips from this.
ReplyDeleteI plan to integrate lessons that provide direct instruction about ethics and copyright issues of an artist. I found a lesson plan that is designed to help students:
ReplyDelete-Identify common beliefs about copyright law and fair use.
- Define and apply permissions granted by copyright law to various scenarios.
- Distinguish differences between legitimate creative uses and infringement of copyrighted material.
- Explore the relationship between copyright law and innovation, showing how the courts and lawmakers have struggled to build a legal framework to both compensate artists and encourage innovative uses of creative works and new technologies.
- Help students understand legal rights and responsibilities with respect to copyright and technology use.
This comment did not upload for some reason as well. I will re-post.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading through the comments, I loved the ones mentioning that they formally discuss copyrights and plagiarism with their art students. I am definitely going to do this next year! It really is true: students don't think it's copying or stealing if it isn't directly related to an English assignment (they also don't think they have to use complete sentences, correct grammar or spelling, but that's a completely different problem. Hah.) It seems to me that students don't see copying art as big of a deal as copying an English paper. But it really is the same thing. In my Art Foundations class I really stress not using Google to generate imagery - and that they have to take the picture themselves. That cuts down on a lot of exact copying, although it's still a challenge to prevent them from copying IDEAS. Even in my Honors class a student copied a "paper lantern cloud" sculpture directly from pinterest and tried to submit it for her Non-Objective sculpture project. I plan on discussing this issue more in depth with my students next year, especially the ones taking AP because that's a big no - no for sure!