POST #4: Copyright

Before viewing the copyright section, I had done a lot of research on copyrights because of my role as tech director.  In fact, this summer a company contacted me to see if we wanted to buy rights to show "Hollywood films" to the students after hours with no "educational lesson/concept" relation.  I have always talked to my staff about not showing movies for rewards, game nights, etc.  I always talk to my students about copying others' CDs, and other forms of music.  I talked to them about the past, when there weren't such things as CD burners, or later on DVD burners.  They have a very hard time accepting the truth/law.  I always tell them just because you can rob a bank, it doesn't make it legal.  Copying has become so quick and easy that it is really difficult for them.  Recently, a lot of musicians are putting their songs up free to copy because they are trying to get their name/music out to as many as they can.  It is really confusing for kids.

In the classroom, I will make sure overtime we use a resource, I will talk to them about the legality of this resource.  Once I have talked to them enough, I will ask them what they believe the law says about a new resource I share with them.  They will need to be able to make the right decisions are the legalities of using resources in their lives without me having to be with them. For student use, I will encourage them to use the resources the AEA has provided, explaining to them that they can use the resources without having to decide if they really can or not.  As tech director, I will continue to talk to staff about what they are or are not allowing their students to use for their projects.

Before taking this online course I was often confused as to what copyright laws actually involved.  I am now aware that copyright laws are not quite as restricted as I thought.  This information presented in the copyright section will be a great resource that I can revisit if I ever have questions or concerns about copyright.  I also plan to share a lot of this information with my students when they are conducting research for lab reports or papers.  Using the online resources provided by the Iowa AEA (learn 360, Brittanica online, etc.) make it much easier to avoid potential copyright issues than would just having my students use general internet searches.  I plan on sharing many of the video clips about copyrights as we start our lab research unit.  Those along with other information presented will be invaluable as many of my students are college bound and need to know how to correctly use and cite resources.  

I appreciated the way the copyright module was presented.  I now have a better understanding of is allowed under the copyright laws.  I also am thrilled that I can go back to the modules when I have questions or when I need to answer questions presented to me by students.  It is great to have the proof right there if needed when one of my students thinks it is okay to use copyrighted materials.  I plan to show my students how to find the information about copyright laws.  Instead of just using Google, I now know it is much better for me and my students to use the AEA online resources because it is sorted, filtered, and labeled for me.  AEA has done all the hard work for us - thank you!

Taking this class and going through the copyright module I have a much better understanding of what you can do in the classroom in regards to the copyrights.  I was never very comfortable with the different copyright rules and regulations, and I’m still not, but this class has helped a little.  I think that using different information online is very tricky and I was worried about getting into trouble in the past, but moving forward I feel better about the situation.  I still think I will do more research on the subject before letting kids do whatever they want in the classroom with the copyrights.  It’s seems easier to go through the AEA site for this information, because they already have it filtered very well, some of the schools I teach in make it very difficult to get on anything, which I understand, but some of the sights could be very useful.  

Once I looked at the video on copyright rules and regulations, I am sure I was like most teachers in that I was surprised by a few things.  First of all, not to worry!  It seems like most of what is found through the AEA is ok to use without worry about copyright infringement. Having material sorted and copyright issues being dealt with by AEA makes using materials for classes a snap. Material used strictly for class room uses without worrying about copy right issues is right there for us. It is as if AEA has done all the research, investigating and screening needed for material to be used in class rooms.  "The heavy lifting" has been done.

I do wonder if there have been many cases about schools violating copyright laws?
 

I think the information provided in the Copyright unit has opened my eyes to a what is legal use and what isn't. We have been instructed as educators that showing movies, even clips is a violation of copyright laws. That copying even part of an important book could land you in jail. As a result, we have cheated ourselves out of so many amazing resources and teaching tools. As a government teacher, I can tell you there are a ton of movies, in part or shown completely, that would help bring points home to the kids in an entertaining yet educational manner.

There are several books that I will use excerpts from when discussing any number of topics in government. The market is flooded with political opinion books by people like Bill O'Reilly and Michael Moore, and to be able to take chapters from each about a common point will allow compare and contrast skills to blossom!

Before taking the copyright module I really didn't know very much about copyright. Now I'm understanding it and what you can and can not do. The students in my college class have a hard time going through google all the time. They need to know how easy it is going into AEA resources and that they can trust what is in the AEA because its all be checked for them. They need to know by using the AEA,you can look your topic up and find so much in one place instead of using google and have to go through and find which site is the best to use.
I went through the class and ask each student have they researched papers, they all said google. I talked to them about AEA and one student said they used it in grade school and middle school but not know. I told them it would be easier foe them to use it now to because you do not have to look all over for information, it's all right there. I think we as the school just needs to push it more and get the kids back in it.
My goal for the rest of this year is to work with these kids and show them how much easier and how much safer it is to use AEA  Resources and show them how easy it really is to use. I hope to get the teachers involved, so they can help the students to.

Honestly, copyright laws have always been confusing and hard to understand.  The TEACH act passed in 2002 has made things much easier to use in the classroom. This allows the transmission of copyrighted material and the use of materials only shared with students.
 I learned that the most important step is to password protect to restrict access.  I plan to learn more about Moodle- the learning management system.
It is also important to give general copyright warning information to my students and as a teacher I must "reasonably" prevent students from being able to save or print copyrighted works.  As a teacher it is important to model how to use copyrighted materials in the correct way and avoid plagiarism.
Learning about the Fair Use /Copyright Act that allows teachers to make copies for students and the essential factors was very helpful:1. the purpose and charactaer of the use, 2. nature of copyrighted work(published or not, factual or creative) 3. amount of the portion used and 4.  the effect of use upon the potential market. I think the 10 percent rule is a easy and good guideline to follow.
 Students should also be made aware of Public Domain guidelines  which include any item that does not have copyright protection, any item made prior to 1923 and that copyright protection only extends to people 70 years past their death.

My understanding of copyright has changed after the AEA Online Resources course mainly in the area of the TEACH Act which addresses posting content on a server for access outside of class (a parallel to the Classroom Use provision). The provisions that the material be used under teacher supervision and that it is directly related to teaching content seem straightforward, but I was interested in the provisions about password protect/access restriction, general copyright warning, and reasonably preventing students from saving or printing the work.  I will consciously include these into any online modules that I create from now on.  The four Fair Use Criteria (Purpose and Character, Nature of the Work, Amount and Substantiality of the Portion Used, Effect of the Use on the Potential Market) were also helpful guidelines for using material legally.  The Creative Commons was a unique approach to the issue which I think more efficiently addresses the practical side of copyright, and I will use the Creative Commons website (http://serach.creativecommons.org) to quickly find resources that I can be certain include permission for use. I think that using resources legally in the classroom provides an opportunity to model to students the importance of these rules and how to use them regularly in their own educational activities.

Copyright is something I usually worry most about when my students are doing web-based projects.  Most of the copying I do is "for classroom use" so the Fair Use section was reassuring. I'm not always sure how to explain it to students but I do feel I have a better handle on that after reviewing what. Again, by convincing students that the AEA Online sources can be used easily without worrying about copyright infringement, we can all concentrate on making the science content accurate and not on if the picture they pasted into a project violates copyright laws.  I can introduce students to soundzabound for background music, iClipArt for pictures and prove to them that it’s more efficient and legal than searching the whole web.

Especially in citing research, AEA Online really does a lot of the work for them so I need to show my students that.  If works need to be cited, the information is there for them.  While this generally falls to the ELA teacher to emphasize, the more times the students see and hear procedure for working with copyrighted material, the less likely they are to do it wrong and get into trouble in the future.  

This was a good up to date review of copyright for me. It reaffirms my belief that the use of good old common sense is probably going to be correct in most cases involving copyright. It did reeducate me to  the basic concept that in education teachers do have a pretty unrestricted set of laws that apply to use of materials. I believe that most teachers and other people know how it feels wrong when they are using someones material in a way that it was not intended to be used. That includes the original copyright or the publisher. Let your conscience be your guide. It was interesting to me to learn about the various issues that have arisen and in some cases still remain unresolved in the area of copyright and newer technological uses.

After taking the copyright module, I have gained a better understanding of what is and is not allowed to be copied.  As an educator we have a lot more flexibility than I had originally thought.  Because I teach PE and Health, I do not normally assign students with things that need to be copyrighted; although if and when I do assign, we will be using the AEA Online sites because it already has all the permission done for us.

I generally use "google" when I want to search for an image or when I am looking for factual information. After completing the copyright module, I now understand the definition of copyright and why it is important. I have a better understanding of what I should and shouldn't do as a teacher and as an employee at a school such as: stop using Google!! I am happy that the material on the AEA Online resources already have copyright permission. I will be able to communicate to my students why and how copyright protection is important and I will be able to instruct my students how to safely navigate through electronic copyright material. I will now be able to emphasize the importance of copyright to my students which will help them through their entire student career - from kindergarten through college ages - knowing the importance of copyright should be mandatory. As a teacher, I am now better educated about the topic of copyright and so I can know effectively teach the younger generations.

I was oblivious to copyright and Creative Commons issues.  I thought I could plead ignorance as a defense, but now I am much more aware of what is acceptable use and what isn't.
For me, I will need to review information about these issues on a regular basis until it "sinks in," but now I have a readily accessible resource to use to educate myself and my students.
What will be most useful is the work that has been done on our behalf by AEA Online to make their stuff O.K. to use. I, and my students, will not have to worry about whether material from these databases is "legal" or not.

Copyrights have changed so much over the years. I remember when I was a student in school, you were not able to copy anything. Now schools are permitted to make copies and use in the classroom. Back in the day, you really thought about making copies for new students coming in the middle of the school year. Most of the time the teachers did not make copies they just had to share a book with another student and the new one had to write their answers on paper. Now when a new student comes in the middle of something the teacher just makes a copy for the new student.
I did not realize that schools had permission to make and use copies from work of arts in the classroom. Now after reading the material presented in this course, I know how copyright rules have changed over the years. It makes it nice to be able to copy some material to use in the classroom.
Students do not have to worry so much about quoting which website they got their information from as much as in the past. They still need to state where they found their information, but it is easier to do this day and age.

I really knew very little about copyright before I took this course. It was something that scared me and I was always was very cautious. I now feel like I have a better understanding of classroom use and fair use and copyright for classroom use does allow more flexibility than I originally thought. I feel that as educators, maybe we don't get enough information about copyright. I now know that the AEA has resources available to me to use and that they are safe for students to use in presentations and classwork.

Copyrighting is a huge issue for music educators.  We must purchase sheet music, but what if I would like to use something from my library but I don't have enough copies?  Youtube is a great reference for performances of pieces of music done by other performing ensembles.  How can I properly use these videos as educating tools?  I had stuck to the rule that nothing is really acceptable for me to use, but that leaves me missing out on teaching tools for my students.  We had discussed this many years ago a conference for music educators, but a things have changed in the past several years.  This course added a little clarity for things that I can use in my classroom.  

AEA Online resources Copyright chapter clarified what "can" and "cannot" be used. Materials have already been screened and labeled so no fear of infringement. The AEA Online has filtered the work by sorting and getting permission to use writings, images or music.

After completing the copyright section of this class, I feel I have a better idea of what I am allowed and not allowed to do. I have always had concerns regarding copyright restrictions. I have realized that it is not as restrictive as I had thought of it in the past. That is a huge relief. I do feel like using the AEA Online as a resource is the best option in a classroom setting. If everything is filtered for you, then there is not much need to worry about copyright issues. That would save a lot of time using it in the classroom for teachers and searching for material that is safe for the students to use. I feel teaching the students how to use this AEA Online resource at a young age is important too. Teaching them about plagiarism and understanding copyright issues is important for them to understand.

Since I am a substitute teacher I have no username or password and therefore I do not have direct access to the AEA Online Resources. Frustrating, being unable to explore at length, but during the course several of the sites stood out for me.
I liked the CultureGram site because it can be applied to a broad range of subjects such as Geography, Language Arts, Family and Consumer Science.
The Britannica Online site was also informative on a broad range of subjects with the information being clear and easy to follow.
The Teen Health and Wellness site has a lot of valuable information about the sometimes confusing age of young adulthood - an area I have subbed in quite a lot.
Whichever site is used, though, once logged-in the navigation is straightforward and the instructions are clear.