Here’s some background first via the NYT. Weingarten and TSL’s CEO are already making the rounds; I saw them on CNN just this morning. Here’s some more detail:
Both TSL and the union have invested cash and staff time worth about $10 million combined in the American site. Louise Rogers, TSL’s chief executive, said that although the company would eventually want to make money from sharemylesson.com, teachers would always have free access to the material created by other teachers, as well as content from other partners including Sesame Workshop; WETA, the public television and radio station in Washington; and Student Achievement Partners, one of the architects of the common core standards that 45 states have agreed to adopt. [emphasis added].
Alas, there you go. I wonder how many actual “teachers” will upload content. Who creates the accounts? Will they pose as a teacher and it will just be a puppet, or even a ghost account, posting materials adhering to a particular vision of teaching and learning?
I checked out the Terms and Conditions. You don’t own anything you post. Once it’s posted, you give SML full rights to do whatever it pleases with your material, which many include profiting from the materials somehow. But am I reading this right? I mean, in the emphasis below, that’s a pretty wide reaching license, any form of tech or media “now known or later developed.” Really?
With respect to all Content you post on the Service, you grant SML a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive and fully sub-licensable right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such Content (in whole or part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed. With respect to all Content you post to the Service, you hereby waive any moral rights you have in the Content. You agree to perform all further acts necessary to perfect any of the above rights granted by you to SML, including the execution of deeds and documents, at our request. SML does not acquire any title or ownership rights in the Content that you submit and/or make available. After you submit, post, email, display, transmit or otherwise make available any such Content, you continue to retain any such rights that you may have in such Content, subject to the rights, licenses and privileges granted herein.
Here’s another slice:
Even if you subsequently see or learn of a presentation, sound recording, composition, demo, idea, script, drawing, motion picture, photograph, film, video or any other content which appears to incorporate any idea or concept or include anything similar or identical to that contained in any Content you or anyone else submits, that is purely coincidental and unavoidable.
Wow! I know there’s a culture of sharing in education, which is important, but holy hell, someone can make money off your ideas and they’ll simply call it a coincidence. Welcome to the future!
Why would I share a lesson with a teacher from another school or even down the hall from me? The current “competition” style of education created by NCLB and RTTT and their high-stakes tests will isolate teachers. Why would I help someone else and give them a “leg up” on me personally or my school?
That’s a good question because this is, after all, a giant competition.
The powers that be can use your intellectual property in a network so standardized teachers can be brought in, use the work that has been posted, and after 2 years move on.