1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Your investigation needs images that you can actually use. Grabbing a random photo from a search result is not the same as having permission. Today you learn the licence labels that make reuse legal and honest, then you collect reusable images for your Something Real investigation with the terms written down.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Say in your own words what open source means, and what the labels CC-BY, CC-BY-SA and CC0 let you do
- Find images you are allowed to reuse, starting on Wikimedia Commons and trying Openverse, Unsplash or Pexels if that one is blocked or empty
- Download those images and write down, for each one, the licence or the site's own terms
Before we start
Write your investigation topic on a sticky note or at the top of a blank page. If you have not settled on a topic yet, your teacher will hand you a ready-made angle to work with today, such as a local community event or workplace health and safety, so you can still hunt for useful images.
Warm-up
Think of one image you already want in your investigation presentation. In your head, answer this: do you know who made it, and what the page says you are allowed to do with it? If you cannot answer both, that image is not ready for your portfolio yet.
2 - Key Concepts ~5 mins
Start with the layout you will copy later. Then learn the three Creative Commons labels you will meet most often.
Sample licence note (copy this layout)
Your portfolio page should look like this for each image. Use your own investigation topic, not these sample rows.
| Image file | Source site and page | Licence | What I must do |
|---|---|---|---|
| {{code:bridge_dublin.jpg}} | Wikimedia Commons file page (creator named on page) | CC BY 4.0 | Credit the creator; link or name the source in the investigation |
| {{code:workshop_tools.jpg}} | Openverse result → original file page | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Credit the creator; keep share-alike if I adapt it |
| {{code:blank_texture.jpg}} | Pexels photo page | Pexels Licence (record the site wording) | Follow the site terms; still save URL and download date |
Rule you leave with: no licence on the page means no free reuse. "I found it online" is not a licence.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| CC-BY — free to copy, share, and adapt if you credit the creator | Attribution is the main condition; miss the credit and you break the deal | Photo of the Ha'penny Bridge on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0: credit the photographer in your notes and on the slide |
| CC-BY-SA — free to use with credit, and any remix must stay under the same share-alike licence | If you crop, overlay text, or rebuild the image into a poster, your new version usually needs the same SA licence | A GAA match photo released CC BY-SA: your edited match-day graphic should stay CC BY-SA too |
| CC0 — the creator waives rights as far as the law allows; no credit is required (credit is still good practice) | Lowest friction for reuse, but you still record where it came from so your investigation stays honest | A CC0 map icon or weather symbol on a local community-event slide, with the source URL saved in your notes |
Open source is the software twin of free-to-reuse media: freedom comes from a written licence (for example Firefox or LibreOffice), not from the fact that a file was easy to download.
Where to search
- Primary for today: Wikimedia Commons (licence is usually clear on the file page; often works on school networks)
- Fallbacks if blocked or empty: Openverse, Unsplash, Pexels — still open the photo or file page and copy the licence or the site’s own terms exactly
Unsplash and Pexels use their own site licences, not always a CC badge. Copy the wording from the page; do not assume every free stock site is CC0.
3 - Which Licence Fits? ~12 mins
As a class you will sort real-world descriptions into the right licence or category. First talk each card through. Then place the cards and check the sort, using the setting where a card that lands in the wrong bucket bounces back out.
Talk first: for each card, someone suggests a bucket and one reason. Disagreement is useful; change your mind if a better reason appears.
Then confirm: drag every card into a bucket and use Check. A wrong drop bounces; fix it and check again until the board is clean.
Which licence fits?
4 - Worked Example: Find and Record One Image ~10 mins
Watch the board first. Your teacher will complete one full image live so you can see every click before you work on your own topic. Follow the same path if you want to try it in parallel on your device.
What you will see on the board
- Open the primary library: go to Wikimedia Commons in the browser.
- Search a sample topic: try a clear Irish-relevant term such as Ha'penny Bridge, GAA hurling, or a place linked to a sample investigation.
- Open the file page: click a promising image, then open its full file page (not just the search thumbnail).
- Find the licence line: on the file page, locate the licence (for example CC BY 4.0 or CC BY-SA 4.0) and the creator name.
- Download once: download the image file into a known folder (the demo uses the same {{code:09_specialism/sm4/}} area you will use).
- Fill one complete notes row: in a word-processor table with headers Image file | Source site and page | Licence | What I must do, write the filename, the file-page URL or clear page title, the exact licence string, and the practical condition (credit, share-alike, or site rule).
Notice the difference: a lone download with no notes is incomplete evidence. A finished row is what your Key Assignment needs.
5 - Common Issues ~3 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I cannot see a licence on the image page | Do not use it. Switch to Wikimedia Commons (or Openverse, Unsplash, or Pexels) and open the file or photo page until the licence or site terms are visible. |
| CC-BY and CC-BY-SA look the same to me | Both need credit. Only CC-BY-SA also forces share-alike: if you adapt the work, your adaptation stays under the same SA licence. |
| The site uses its own licence, not a CC badge | That is still valid if the terms allow your use. Copy the site name, the licence or terms title, and the page URL into your notes exactly as shown. |
| I saved the image but forgot the source | Go back to browser history, reopen the page, and finish the licence row before you move on. An image without a source row is incomplete evidence. |
| My school network blocks a media site | Start with Wikimedia Commons. If that fails, try Openverse, Unsplash, or Pexels, or ask your teacher which approved source works on the school network today. |
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