Monthly Archives: August 2015

274. Resource etiquette

There has been some discussion on social media recently regarding misuse of downloaded or copyright material. They broadly fall into three categories:

1. Unethical people are deliberately passing off resources as their own on both free and paid for resource sites.

2. Some people are sharing resources which were inspired by others.

3. Some people don’t know the origin of resources, but they think they are good and are sharing them via their own means (blog, social media, resource sites).

Those in category 1 are dishonest and making money/taking credit from the hard work of others. This must stop. Those who create resources and have blogs will often put a website address in the footer. It’s common sense really, but this isn’t possible for everyone and can still be removed by the most determined faker. Legal or moral copyright must be respected.

Category 2 people – why not put a credit in the footers? ‘Inspired by @Mr_Person’
You get the credit for your work and the inspiration gets the recognition for their creativity.

Category 3 people – well, a bit of housekeeping would avoid this situation. If I download and save a resource from a website I add the source to the file name.
For example:
Multiplication_puzzle_TES.doc
C1starter_resourceaholic.pdf

If you still feel you must share, be honest. I posted a resource on bright vs gifted children. It was an old worksheet I found with no source reference. In my description of the sheet I stated that this was a typed up version of an existing resource and I did not take credit for its creation. If the creator asked me to remove it, I would comply asap.

All this comes down to is good manners. If we treat the work of others with respect, we treat our colleagues with respect. There is enough negativity out there to sink the merriest teacher’s boat, so we should do our best to make the teaching careers of others a smooth voyage!