POST #4: Copyright

I, like most educators, have probably been over cautious when it comes to copyright items, not only for my sake, but for the sake of being a good example to the students.  The phrase, "Better safe than sorry" has been my golden rule.  Consequently, I probably have not used some very good references because of fear of breaching copyright laws.

The module on copyrights has been very informative and enlightening.  I was surprised that copyright applies to written work as soon as it is written, even without being copyrighted.  The Fair Use Act was very enlightening.  It will allow me a little more freedom and confidence in the material that I use in the classroom.  I will probably not emphasize this to the middle school students, but will be a little more freer sharing that information with the high school students that I teach.

I found the information on Creative Commons a great review on earlier studies that I have had.  I had forgotten what I had learned earlier, and to have this presented in this module reminded me the freedom of it's use.  I know I have used this principle before, but I will certainly more confident in using it in the future.

In regards to my approach with classroom materials, I do not think it will affect me too much since I am a substitute teacher and most often the permanent teacher has generally prepared a lesson plan and material for me.  I will certainly encourage my students to use the AEA ONLINE RESOURCE  site whenever they can. It is a great source of material that has already passed the copyright test and can be used with a great deal of confidence that they will not be infringing on copyright laws.

Though I have read and been required to sit in on various seminars for copyright, I was interested in reading much of the information from this class.  I felt somewhat relieved to find that through the AEA media library I will not have to worry about copyright while accessing information or images for my students' projects.  Most of the time, I was more worried what I was accessing for use in the classroom.  The information provided through class that informed me, of what legally, weighs in and what does not, was very helpful.

Creative Commons will offer helpful information if I have any questions.  Since I was relatively unfamiliar with this site, I feel like I have a place to gain the knowledge I need to more informed.  I went back in and watched additional information about Creative Commons.  It is nice to know that some individuals are happy to share the work they have created and intend for others to build upon it.  Creative Commons' innovative idea to make it so easy to give the "OK" for this process was excellent.  

I learned alot about copyright that I did not know. For example: I did not know that sometimes it was ok for educators to use copyrighted material without violating copyright laws. I knew that copyrighted material was often used but I didn't know that it was within legal means. I didn't know about the copyright fair use in which it gives leeway to educators.I never heard of the creative commons until this module. I did not know that there were different rules for what was on the Iowa AEA Online verses the general web. This course taught me alot about the copyright laws and what is ok to do and what isn't ok to do.I really don't have any changes in what I will do as far as copyright goes because I really don't deal with it as a substitute teacher. But if I was a regular teacher I would be more careful in my selections of what to use for my class to make sure I didn't violate any copyright laws. And I would make sure my students knew to be careful also and not to use copyrighted materials without proper permission.

I have a better understand of how the AEA online site has safe, appropriate, reliable and legal information for teachers, parents and students.  My principal/superintendent is a former media specialist so we are asked often: How is that movie, clip, video connect to content and the purpose for using that in our classroom?  I think this is an important question to ask yourself.   In fact, we are challenged to ask this question for most everything we teach.  What is the purpose?  Is this an activity or is there skill development?  

We are also reminded that the AEA online resource is something our district helps to support and pays to be a part of.  Therefore, we want to use the resources that our district is already paying for before we use other resources.  And since we know that this resource is safe, appropriate, reliable, and legal we want to try to use these sources first.  I am intrigued by the You Tube for Schools mentioned in material and since you used so many You Tube clips to showcase materials.  Our district restricts You Tube usage because of concern for content.  However, talk to any 20 something and the first source they use to learn a new idea is You Tube. So I think I would like to investigate the educator access to some of these clips on line.  

As I only have a substitute teacher license I didn't think about copyright as I just follow the lesson plan but now after the copyright part of this class I will be making sure that they aren't doing anything that is unlawful.

I how know that the copyright laws are confusing and with all the digital resources and social media it is more complicated then in years pass. But if you use AEA online resources they are safe and both the teacher and student doesn't have to worry about copyrights. I will tell the students to use AEA online any time they have reports or project that they need information for instead of using Google. On AEA online the resources are sorted and the copyright is labeled.

Through teaching first grade I have honestly never really worried about copyright, overall.  There are definitely moments where I will use something and question whether or not it was right, but after taking this course I have learned to be more aware of what I use and where I get it from.  I have also, in the past, had my students use http://www.kidrex.org/ to use during research projects.  I feel it is a great site however with what I have learned from this course I know there are other resources that my students can use.

I am a Certified Para Educator and am Renewing my Substitute Authorization Course.  I work at a High School with students grades 9-12.  I go to classrooms and help the General Education teacher with the classroom and then I bring back the information to our Resource Room and reteach to students the subject matter either in small groups or 1:1.  This allows me to focus on the students and areas they may be struggling in.  Many of our students struggle with writing papers, doing Research Papers, Essays and using proper notations.  The copyright module was very helpful in understanding and I feel more confident.  We are always trying to add new relevant information for the students to understand a new concept from it but also remember the appropriate way to use and share with the student for a better understanding.   I always try to remember to stress that when using other peoples resources with the student and staff to make sure you always cite the resource and show where the information came from.

When I started working at the high school, 26 years ago, so much of my work as a para was making photocopies. Yikes! Lets not talk about that. Our school went big time and got their own print shop.  With that, less of my time was spent on making copies. I prepared packets to be sent to the print shop.  To my surprise, and great relief, there were very few times that materials were returned with a note letting us know that due to copyright laws, reprints could not be made. As time passed, methodology changed and computer use grew, and the packet work is at a minimal. Better for all involved.  How does this relate to copy right? The students that once-upon-a-time had  boring work sheet after work sheet, now have chrome books.They can create power points written with AEA Online resources. We can all rest assured that their work sources, whether Britanicca, Gale or Learn 360 and free to use, not stolen.  Learning is quicker. Learning is bigger.  Learning is copyright free.

With the internet there is a wide range of material, good or bad, that is easily accessible through a simple search engine.  It is very difficult for a student to tell the viability of the information they found through a simple search engine.  I think students forget about the legality issues when it comes to copyright because it is easily accessible.  
After completing the Iowa AEA online resource course, I now know the sources that are on the website that help with viability and legality of material students use in papers and presentations.  I will start searches for pictures, texts, etc on the Iowa AEA online website to supplement any lesson plans I encounter while I am substitute teaching.  I will encourage students to use this source when looking for presentation material rather then going to a simple search engine.  This will help students become more aware of the copyright issues that may cause problems with their presentation and/or papers.  

I feel that the resources on the Iowa AEA Online are numerous.  I feel that the different websites it provides me with are better than just doing a google search.  I can search specifically to my content and standards and find resources to use.  
They take a lot of the copyright guesswork out of the equation for me also.  I know in the past when I have googled for resources, I haven't all ways been comfortable using materials because of my lack of knowledge about copyrights.  The AEA Online website can give me more credible information on the resources I plan to use.  It is really a large benefit having the website because a majority of the resources have been cleared for usage or tell me how to properly use the resource.
My understanding of copyright has really increased because I was using either old information about what I could and couldn't use or using inaccurate information.  This module helped clear up the copyright issues that I need to worry about with the resources I plan to use.  I plan to use the AEA Online site more extensively for my class materials.

I feel all teachers should be required to participate/take the copyright section of this course every time they have to renew their license.   As a technology coach I am more cognizant of copyright/fair use laws and policies but do not know all the ins and outs.  This portion of the course was very well structured and allowed me to refresh my knowledge of the law(s).  This section has also helped me realize I need to offer some copyright/fair use PD in my building for teachers.  
One great thing about AEA resources is that the materials are easy to access and already have been vetted for copyright issues.  Using Soundzabound makes it easy for students to pull a quick royalty free sound clip for a digital media project or images through iclipart/ap images.  Another great aspect of the databases offered through Keystone is that all sources already have the citation included so students can easily copy and paste (they only thing they should copy and paste) this into their bibliography of their research.

After taking this course I definitely have a little bit of a better understanding of copyright laws. To be honest, I was never clear on the rules, especially for the classroom. I definitely think AEA would be my first stop for resources since I know I wouldn't have to worry about it but if I chose to go online or use google I would know better what questions to ask myself and what to look for to see if it would be something I should and can use. Since I will be a substitute teacher I'm hoping I won't need to worry about it too much but I also know sometimes as a sub I need to come up with something to fill the time that may not be on the lesson plan and knowing more about this will make me think before I choose an activity and make me feel more comfortable in my decision.

I think that my view of copyright has changed, not only in how I use copyrighted material, but also teaching the students on what types of copyright material they can use as well.  I think it is important to look at the videos you are showing on youtube or any other video and make sure you have the right to use it and are showing the correct amount.  Not only videos but worksheets or assignments that I get from different websites as well.  The creative commons website made it easier not only for me, but I think when I teach it in class, for my students to better understand how to give credit to someones work with out plagiarizing.

In my past classroom usage I would frequently avoid the use of outside media for fear of conflicting with copyright law that I did not understand.  I heard from colleagues very confusing and vague limits and just wished to avoid the topic as much as possible.  I am very pleased to have a resource that explains the abilities to use copyrighted materials in the classroom and a better understanding of where liability lies if there was a discrepancy.  Ethics are one of the things that I believe a student should have exposure to at school and if they believe the teacher is doing something wrong then that teaches them unethical behavior is accepted. Therefore having a few minutes spent discussing importance of copyright and the use of it in the classroom during a syllabus time gives a good lesson for the students and helps to maintain integrity of the school and classroom environment.

Copyrights rules can be overwhelming and scary.  After completing this module, I have a better understanding on the copyright rules and regulations.  When working on a project, I will try to teach and discuss with my students the importance of where students may find their information.  Giving the students access to the AEA Online materials would be beneficial.  The AEA has a wealth of information in many different forms found all ready to go.  

It seems copyright is a subject that educators talk about with students, but do not exactly understand themselves. There are resources available that are open resources, that are creative commons, that are free attribution. The time frame with clips and music is always a good reminder, as we see these laws broken frequently. It reminded me of the responsibility I have to honor creators and respect their work and their copyright. I am mindful of what I use, but I will also be mindful of what I see other teachers using. This is great information, and should be visited regularly as access to information becomes easier.

In the past I believed that copyright law didn’t allow me to copy anything from a book.  I knew I could use a limited amount of information from a published work in my own written work, but that it had to be paraphrased or else placed in quotation marks with an appropriate citation. However, I didn’t know what the limit was, and was always nervous about where that line was. I was not aware of Classroom Use and Fair Use that allowed teachers to use copyrighted material in classrooms.  Until I went through the copyright module in this course, I was unaware of the TEACH Act and Creative Commons.

Now that I am aware of the criteria that determine the legal use of copyrighted material in the classroom through Classroom Use and Fair Use, I will be comfortable incorporating a variety of material into my classes. Although the TEACH Act would not apply to me at the present, I am glad to know what is allowed under it. I am very happy to learn about Creative Commons and believe that it will make it much easier to avoid copyright infringement. Also, knowing that the AEA Online resources have been checked for copyright will motivate me to use all of these wonderful resources without worrying about infringement.

I will not make any changes to the way I use copyrighted materials. I never copy more than one page from any book for classroom use. I do not download any materials to print unless it is free. I do not download media for personal or professional use. I did learn about laws that I did not understand. There are also laws mentioned in the training that I have never heard of before. For example, I have never heard of Creative Commons. I have a new view of the law; however, I still won’t copy items, regardless of the right to do so.

It was interesting to learn about copyright. I did have to go over it a few times to really understand it, but see the importance of it more clearly now. I have been teaching preschool for over 30 years and have never given copyright law much thought as far as my classroom goes.  I just buy books or borrow books and cds from the library to use in my classroom. I do  "rip" and "burn" cds for playlists to use but it's music that I have purchased and want to organize for easier access during movement and music I do find clip art on google images quite often that I save, print and use for classroom shelf labels. I will start using Clip Art resources from AEA online now. What I appreciate now that I never thought about before is the "safety" of using the AEA online resources rather than googling and sorting through other resources.

Having just completed the copyright module I was mistaken on how restrictive I thought the copyright laws were. I thought I was very limited to what I could copy and handout to the students. I learned about public domain, work where the copyright has expired. Fair use can be used in reports, teaching and research, but even with permission not every use in education is fair use. Creative common license makes it easier for people to share their work and allow others to build upon their work. The creator decides what is allowed, from freely used to limited copy, to shared or remixed.

I plan on using the Iowa AEA online resources more than doing general web searches on images in creating projects.  For my web design class I plan on using images, photos and web art image from iCLIPART for schools. This will help create project for websites, presentations, and posters.