POST #4: Copyright

As a result of this course I am definitely more aware of copyright rules and regulations protecting teacher materials in the classroom.   From all the exploration of the databases covered in this course, I realize the AEA is a safe search choice other than Google.   Much of the information explained about copyright rules I had knowledge of and realized the AEA is a much more appropriate source and is easy to share properly.  

Copyright issues are a scary issue because of the fines and jailtime associated with them, plus with the caveats included of "only a judge can truly rule what is an infringement". That kind of statement makes me want to avoid all issues altogether! I had no idea the AEA was so helpful in determining beforehand what is off-limits, so that is a great service and resource they offer.  Additionally, the tip of adjusting your search settings to Creative Commons was useful.  I also noted that in the realm of Classroom Use, teachers are able to watch any movie if done with a legal copy or if checked out from the library. I have spoken with our public library and they were not happy with checking out movies or even books to teachers knowing they would be used in their classroom, due to copyright and them having to purchase some sort of public viewing license. I'm still a little fuzzy with how that plays out for libraries and lending to teachers. In any case, that portion of this training at least opened my eyes and lets me know there are alternative resources available.

My understanding was pretty solid, but I had lots of missing pieces, and now that I have seen the specifics of the various points when laws were enacted, I'll be doing lots of digging for music that may have entered Public Domain, which I never fully understood.  I often use music from the Choral Public Domain Library (http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page) and the Petrucci Music Library (http://imslp.org/) but it never occurred to me that there could be more that I didn't know about.  I also needed clarification about what constituted Classroom Use and the difference between that and Fair Use.  The tutorial was very helpful in disambiguating those concepts for me.  

I will be more purposeful in giving students guidance as they create their projects for me this coming year, especially in regard to what they use from their internet searches, and what music is used in their final products.

I felt this topic was a very important topic, but yet confusing to teachers and students. I had a hard time trying to teach students about copyright because I was not well educated in this topic either. But after going through and completing the copyright law module, I now have a much better understanding of what I can post and what I can't post using online media in my classroom. After taking this online course, I know and feel that it is a lot safer to go through the Keystone AEA online resources, rather than Google or Yahoo for example, to find media material that I want to use in my kindergarten classroom. By using the resources through Keystone, I know they are sorted and filtered for teachers and students to use and are safe to use because the copyright material is labeled.
I also learned about the TEACH Act, Fair Use, and the Creative Commons by taking this online class which will be very helpful and useful to my students and myself!

Before taking this course I was aware of Classroom Use and Fair Use policies when dealing with copyright issues.  However, I did learn a few more things and while copyright issues are not as restrictive as we think I still do have some concerns.  My biggest issue is when kids have to do research for a project and being able to use information from a credible source where they are not just copying what the web has to say.  After going through the copyright module and also learning of the many resources that Iowa AEA has to offer I think that I will be able to attack this issue a lot better.  I will be able to guide them to these resources that allow students to research topics such as Britannica Online, AEA Digital Library, and AP Images.  Then knowing what sources they used for research I will be able to go into this sites on my own to make sure students are doing their own work.  Also, I will be able to use these sources and pull items that I know are okay to use in the classroom.  Using these resources will give me peace of mind as I know they follow copyright law and as long as I am using them for educational purposes they can be very beneficial.

   I have been teaching for many years, and there have no doubt been concerns about copyright issues that have come into play from time to time. In the past, I worried more about if I could legally copy books, workbooks, and worksheets to use in my remedial reading classroom. The sections on Fair Use and Classroom Use was a good review for me, and am glad that educators are given legal rights to share materials for learning purposes - especially when given a small budget.
   Now there are more concerns about what I could/should copy from online resources. I have struggled most recently with clipart - some is free to copy and some not, and I get frustrated with time wasted trying to figure it out. I love how much faster I will be able to find relevant resources that I know are safe to copy on Iowa AEA online, including clipart (had never heard of iClipArt). I didn't know I had access to all these free, safe resources and am excited to start using them!

I was especially thankful to the copyright module as I learned a lot.  As stated in the module, I actually believed that more materials were copyrighted.  As a way to make sure that I do not break the copyright laws, I plan to just get my published materials through the AEA online website.  There is such a great variety of subject material available for us to use that I cannot imagine as a second grade teacher that I would need to look elsewhere.  Also, since all of the AEA materials have already been researched, I will not have to worry as much about it being inappropriate for my students (other than "age-appropriate").  Since they are young (second grade), I was very happy to see materials that were specifically chosen for younger students.

I honestly had not thought much about copyright in regards to what is done at school.  Most of my experience has been making copies of materials that are meant to be copied for classroom use and worksheets.  This part of the course was a real eye opener for me in regards to thinking about the future.  This course did provide great information to use when it comes time for my own classroom.  After taking the course, I don't feel intimidated by copyright, if anything, more empowered to use materials.  There's also the site (I can't think what it's exact name is right now) that makes it easier for people/teachers to gain permission to use copyrighted material, which is comforting.  I feel like the resources and materials available through the AEA site will be great resources to use and not have to worry so much about copyright.  If I would have older students in the future, I like to think that I would utilize and introduce the AEA materials that would be available for them for projects and research.  I would plan to always remind them of copyright before a project would begin so it would always be fresh in everyone's mind.  

Honestly, my understanding of copyright has not changed much through this self-paced course.  As a teacher-librarian, I feel well versed in copyright issues but was nicely surprised when it was included in the course.  It is always a nice refresher to review copyright.   I feel that I could answer probably most teachers' questions about copyright , although certain situations can still be iffy.  That's when I am grateful for publications that address people's copyright questions (such as the AIME in AEA Digital Library--what a find!-- or the special copyright sections in library journals), informing us of how courts are likely to rule.  

I will continue to explain, enforce, and teach to K-12 students the concepts related to copyright/fair use/plagiarism/citing sources/inspiration/creativity.  These complex issues can be made simple to even the youngest of learners--there are a number of way too numerous to mention!    While I teach these things to students in direct instruction during mainly "library skills" class, I could and should do more for those outside my class.  I need to create a new page on my library websites devoted solely to these issues.  I should get/create some signs and forms for my libraries/staff/students informing them of their rights and responsibilities when it comes to these things.  The BriefNotes pamphlet would be good to post -- it would be even better in a larger size.  

As far as making copies or using something in the classroom we have always tried to err on the side of caution.  No one seemed to know for sure what could or couldn't be copied or used in the classroom.  Whether it's print, images or video on the internet, people seem to think it's okay to copy.  I have had friends copy songs for videos they've posted on youtube only to find out that it was not permitted.    The course gave me a better understanding of what is allowed.  I will require my students to use AEA online when doing research for class.  I also have a better idea of where to look for permission if there is something a student or students needs or wants for a particular project. The Creative Commons section was very helpful. http://search.creativecommons.org

After completing the copyright module of this course, I have a much better understanding of copyright use in the classroom.  I did think that copyright was much more restrictive for classroom use.  I feel that I will have a bit more freedom in what I will be able to do in the future without worries of copyright infringement. I will be sure to use the Iowa AEA Online resources to be sure that I am using resources appropriately.  I will also discourage my students and peers from using random google searches for images and other media to use in school presentations.  By spending this time learning more about the available resources through the AEA, I will be able to find almost anything I need to use for my classroom.  I really look forward to sharing this information with my colleagues and using the available resources in my teaching.

The copyright laws are rather complex to understand but are very important. I must admit I probably have violated some copyright laws with my music classes. I have never downloaded music illegally and I never will. For what it costs to download a song it is not worth the risk of getting caught. It only requires a little change and one can download legally any song one wants.

I love the music resource Soundzabound available on Iowa AEA Online because it has royalty free music  students and teachers can freely use. Without the concern about copyright enfringment, students can give 100% of effort towards creativity using sound affects.

My understanding of copyright laws is limited depending on to what it is applied. After taking this class I am more aware of how encompasing the laws are.  For my use, I will always choose AEA Online resources for usable information because I know it is credible and approved for usage.

I now have a better understanding of copyright.  I feel if I use the Iowa AEA Online resources, I will worry less about copyright issues when it comes to using materials from online in my classroom.  In the past, I never thought much about using clipart images off of internet searches.  After reading about copyright, I will more likely use images off of !clipart.  I do think teaching about copyright to younger students will be confusing so incorporating this information into the classroom will be difficult.  My question is when and how do you explain copyright to students.  What age is appropriate?  What I did learn about copyright can be shared with my colleagues.  Discussions have arised in the past about videos and copyright concerns in the classroom.   Now I have a better understanding on how to handle these discussions.  I can share what the Iowa AEA Online resources have to offer and this will hopefully put other’s concerns about copyright issues at ease.

My understanding of copyright has changed slightly with the completion of this self-paced course.  I still need to go back and review the copyright section.  Your description concerning use of copyrighted materials is correct.  I have always had an uneasy feeling when using copyrighted material.  After the copyright section it did appear that teachers have the opportunity to use materials for educational purposes, in appropriate pieces, and as part of a lesson.  The Digital Copyright Slider gave me insight into the time aspect of copyright.  Documents such as the Fair Use Checklist and the Fair Use Evaluator would be something to refer back on when needed.  I will need to use this course as a reference when working with copyright material. I will use AEA Online Resources much more frequently.  It appears that the AEA Resources have done some of the work for teachers and students.  Less Google and more AEA Online Resources.  I will have to keep a "closer" on student activity, especially in the use of video and music.  In the past athletes have made videos of their season that included music.  Probable to much to use properly. Before the school year starts, I need to revisit copyright. Copyright is a great topic to discuss at the start of the year and review as the year goes on.  I will use the AEA resources to discuss copyright and and review it periodically though out the year.  With practice and use, students will learn where best to get materials for use in the classroom.

Copyright is still quite confusing to me.  I was surprised at how vague the laws and regulations are.  I appreciate how this course exposed me to this issue and how I as a teacher need to be aware of it.  Thankfully, the laws and regulations in place are really in favor to teachers and education and support classroom use.  I think copyright is a bigger issue for middle school and high school teachers when it comes to using technology in the classroom and using materials from the web.  This course taught me about the many resources offered by the Iowa AEA because our individual agencies have pooled their money so more resources are available to our public schools.  Now that I understand what rich options are available through AEA 267 and how to access them, I will use them and try to stay away from using the web.

I learned a lot through the copyright section of this course. One of the big things for me, is the laws are not very restrictive.   I haven't used some of the things from the web that I thought would be beneficial to our students because I didn't know if I could.   I am happy to know that I can use the AEA data base as a resource and not have to worry.  

I found the copyright module to be the most interesting and useful part of this course. I currently live in a country where there are no copyright laws. Everything is available here. To be honest, I have often taken advantage of this because it is often easier than going through the proper channels. However, I now have more insight on how to respect copyright but still find useable materials. The AP database and Creative Commons will become a bigger part of my teaching and planning. As a school we have taken advantage of no copyright laws in the past and photocopied many materials, to the horror of some of the previous posts, but have recently tried to become more compliant of international laws. I look forward to sharing what I have learned with my colleagues and using it with students. I will specifically share what I know about Creative Commons and classroom usage laws.

I think that the copyright laws are vague. I did learn that the laws favor teachers and that we can use quite a bit of materials for classroom use without breaking any copyright laws. I also learned that having students use the aea resources will allow me to feel comfortable that my students are not misusing materials

I learned during this course is that I have been stressing about this too much. Mostly because I did not know that there is more to the copyright laws than I know.  I didn’t realize that we, as educators, receive a little more leniency. I could remember one time, I was trying to find an appropriate video on YouTube that did not infringe on any copyright laws, but spent hours and hours just finding one video. But I learned from this course was about Classroom Use, TEACH Act, Fair Use, and Creative Commons. So the next time I am looking for an appropriate audio and visual resources, I can use the Iowa AEA Online website knowing that the resources are following the copyright laws. Also, if I do a google search, I will use the Advanced Search option and select Creative Commons. I feel better knowing more about the different copyright laws that I can provide my students with an enhanced lesson.

From the time I was a student in school, I have always heard about copyrights.  I was not sure what all it meant then and still have some questions about it.  While I was in college the big deal was not giving an individual credit for their work when you used it in your writing was a copyright infringement and we would get an “F” on the project.  Education has had to walk a tightrope for a long time when it comes to copyrights.  The section on copyrights clarified how I can use information which I come across on different websites.  It gave me bases upon which to use when determining what information I can use and how I can use it without infringing on copyrights.  The section’s explanation of copyright materials, the Teacher Act, Creative Commons helped with the clarification I wanted in determining the use of materials from the web.  When developing materials, I will first check the Iowa AEA resources for public domain material before going to the web.  For a person who wants to develop materials to be used in the classroom and for presentations this is very useful information.  It is good to know AEA has materials which can be used without being concerned about copyrights.