Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Why are Wikipedia, Cheezburger, Redd.it and others blacked out today?
Today many web services are blacked out to protest two bills before the House and the Senate. (See Google's infographic). If you are interested in finding out more, the BBC has an informative article showing both sides of the issue. Or, if you want to know more about the opposition to SOPA and PIPA, you can watch the TED talk.
Why do the SOPA and PIPA legislation matter to us in eduction? While the intent of protecting free enterprise and restircting piracy is driving this legislation, the SOPA regulations would require ISPs to regulate internet traffic and restrict access to any site that might promote piracy (such as YouTube, TeacherTube, Google Images, Wikipedia). The fear is that this address restriction would be more harmful than helpful and would lead to a China-style internet firewall.
Whether or not the legislation passes, it is a call for us as educators to teach the ethical use of information online and to model it as well. Just because something is out there, doesn't mean we can copy it freely. We need to teach others how to create information in an online environment, how to use information that we find online, and how to remix that information into a unique product.
Why do the SOPA and PIPA legislation matter to us in eduction? While the intent of protecting free enterprise and restircting piracy is driving this legislation, the SOPA regulations would require ISPs to regulate internet traffic and restrict access to any site that might promote piracy (such as YouTube, TeacherTube, Google Images, Wikipedia). The fear is that this address restriction would be more harmful than helpful and would lead to a China-style internet firewall.
Whether or not the legislation passes, it is a call for us as educators to teach the ethical use of information online and to model it as well. Just because something is out there, doesn't mean we can copy it freely. We need to teach others how to create information in an online environment, how to use information that we find online, and how to remix that information into a unique product.
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