I think I see the light. While speaking to Jenny in class yesterday (Thank you, Jenny!), I realized that if a project is more cumbersome, more dry, than inspiring and motivating for me, it will be likewise for my students! In other words, if I’m dreading a project, for reasons beyond my desire to spend each day lazing in the glorious Vancouver sunshine, than I behooves me to find a new, more meaningful approach. There is no doubt that I have a passion for teaching students about and instilling a respect for intellectual property rights and the subsequent importance of properly citing your sources. But, the question is, how do I translate this to my students and do so in a way that is meaningful for them? In my search for resources, I stumbled upon this site: http://www.ideasmatter.com/. It is dedicated to explaining just that: Why do ideas matter? It presents five major reasons:
1. Intellectual property promotes economic growth and development
2. Intellectual property encourages innovation and creativity
3. Intellectual property benefits companies large and small
4. Intellectual property is good for consumers
5. Intellectual property provides long-term benefits for society
And, it provides videos, data, and real life examples that emphasize the value and sheer necessity of upholding intellectual property rights. I have found my starting point – my inspiration. I want to start by addressing two main questions: What is intellectual property? And, why is it worth protecting? From here, I can explore copyright and patent guidelines and look for real life examples of how people are fighting to hold on to their intellectual property and how others are abusing the intellectual property rights of others. And, really, why should we care? This entire discussion aligns nicely with the issues that arise as a result of freedom of speech. We may not agree with what someone is saying. Heck, we may be spitting mad, completely disgusted, and vehemently opposed to their ideas. But, we have to uphold the individual’s right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Because, simply put, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Similarly, if we do not uphold the individual’s right to own their own intellectual product, we undervalue that product and the time and travail that went into its creation.
This reminded me of a quote that is often used around freedom of speech so I looked it up on Wikipedia:
“Evelyn Beatrice Hall, (1868 – after 1939),[1] who wrote under the pseudonym S.G. Tallentyre, was an English writer best known for her biography of Voltaire with the title The Friends of Voltaire, which she completed in 1906.
In her biography on Voltaire, Hall wrote the phrase: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” (which is often misattributed to Voltaire himself) as an illustration of Voltaire’s beliefs.[2] Hall’s quote is often cited to describe the principle of freedom of speech.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Beatrice_Hall
This is one of those clips that you hear around but I never said it and I’m interested to learn that it is commonly misattributed anyway I’m glad to know who really said it.
Through our discussions, I realized that intellectual property rights are probably more important to our students’ futures than we might realize. After all, they are coming of age in a knowledge economy, where what we know, when we know it, how we know it, and what we do with that knowledge are essential for economic success.