Some Rights Reserved

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that exists to increase the “common” body of work that is available to the public for free and legal sharing, use, repurposing, and remixing, as alternatives to full copyright. They grant licenses that work alongside copyright to provide a range of possibilities between full copyright and the public domain, calling the option a “some rights reserved” copyright.

There are six main types of Creative Commons licensing, ranging the from the most accommodating (Attribution) to the most restrictive (Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives). The four other types that fall in the middle include: Attribution Share Alike, Attribution No Derivatives, Attribution Non-Commercial, and Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike. The main concepts of these terms are described below.

• Attribution gives others permission to copy, distribute or display your work (or work based on it) that has a copyrighted, providing they give you credit.
• Noncommercial is very similar to attribution, but is further limited because it can only be used for noncommercial purposes.
• No Derivative Works is similar to attribution, except the permission it is limited to exact copies only.
• Share Alike permits distribution of derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

This is a example of a photo with an Attribution Non-Comercial license.  I was looking for inspiration for my next Ukranian egg, but when I came upon this photo, I couldn't resist posting it.  The photographer, highbloom, commented that he took the shot in passing, that he didn't have time to enter the Pysanky Museum in the city of Kolomiya, Ukraine.  I can't imagine passing this opportunity by!  As Easter approaches, my new dyes are mixed, fresh wax waits in my stylus and my candleholders, and as I search for design inspirations, I would love to feast my eyes on what lies within these walls!

All a twitter

Joe Dale discusses the uses of Twitter in the classroom which includes links to live tweeting during a presentation, a link to free software that enables you to use twitter like clickers, and also post both tallied responses and individual tweets directly into a powerpoint presentation.  It might be exciting to utilize this software to bring audience responses into a presentation without the expensive option of using clickers.

Another site discusses a study of twitter use including the use of twitter to assess and record the student experience.  For research in student affairs, this might be a fascinating way to examine student behavior and attitudes in a particular area.  Their idea of handing out iPod touch phones to collect data, then incentivizing participation by promising to raffle a few off at the end of the study is fantastic.  I'm involved in a study where we're qualitatively expanding on past quantitative work examining the relationship between GPA and study habits.  Imagine the responses we might get to qualitative research questions posed in this manner.  And, we'd have the added benefit of far less words to analyze, plus we wouldn't have to transcribe interviews!

But, I must keep this excitement contained, to be mindful of twitter overlad when I start to tweet, and not become one of what one blogger calls "the Twitterazzi."  I need to maintain some separation from the electronic world, including twitter and all it entails...as posted:

Diigo tool from a Bloglines post

The blog Free Technology For Teachers has a posting about using Diigo, a social networking site that   allows those who post and comment to utilize "sticky notes" to add comments to content - which can also include PDF documents. 

The blog author states that a free teacher account can be created, along with multiple student accounts that do not require an email address.  This could be a fun way to build an online community in many different ways.  My office is putting together a resource guide for new residents who will be moving to our area.  Posting the guide and inviting comments could allow for people to build on the comments and ideas of others, which would hopefully result in a stronger guide! 

My Ning Fling

I searched and searched for a big active group on higher education, but couldn’t find one that suited my needs. I actually searched on medical education first, but had even less hits than higher education. I found blogs that discussed the use of Nings in higher education, but many were closed communities, such as a networking site for a particular course. One blog reported on a practice that I’m very interested in:  the way that a neighbor school, SUNY New Paltz, is using a Ning to bring together early admission students who will be attending the college in the fall. Multiple blog postings discuss the research that went into the decision and setup, initial demographic and use data, and potential future project expansion.  The Ning that I've added to my blogroll is similar, exept that it's open to current, accepted, and even interested students of Albright College.  It appears to be very active, with an effective use of blogs, fora, and a large number of users.  It may offer useful ideas as we consider a simlar networking site for our residents.  However, similar sites referenced in a Ning blog have links to public sites that either leave me uninspired, or look as if they have been taken over by unscrupulous marketers, leaving me to wonder about their effectiveness and potential complications.


This being said, our medical residents have indicated an interest in testing the capabilities of social networking sites for community building, especially prior to their arrival in Buffalo - with a large international group of colleagues who is largely unfamiliar with Buffalo and the American medical system in general. Developing a familiarity with the available options (beyond Facebook & MySpace) will definitely help me engage them in an informed conversation that will hopefully result in a decision that will benefit our unique audience.